Rob Edwards believes Luton have the squad to cope with an FA Cup run and a Premier League survival fight as attention turn to the oldest knockout competition in the world this afternoon when Bolton Wanderers are the visitors to Kenilworth Road.
After six games in a busy December, including two league wins over Christmas to offer hope of avoiding the drop, the first game of 2024 is one of just three games in January, providing a replay isn’t required to decide today’s third round tie.
While Town’s performances have been building in the top flight, they have been dumped out of cup competitions to lower league opposition three times in the last two seasons with Exeter City that latest side to claim the Hatters as a scalp this term in the League Cup.
Edwards said: “Since we’ve been here, in the year or so we’ve been here, we’ve had a couple of cup games that have just dropped below our level. The message has always been that we’ve got to goo into every game to try and win it, so there’s been a couple of warnings that we can refer back to.
“We’ve got to make sure that we’re right at it. We have to be otherwise we lose the game if we’re not.
“It’s going to be a full house. Our brilliant fans are going to be there, making a noise and we’ve got to reward them with a performance.”
Asked if Luton have the squad depth to sustain a cup run, while trying to mastermind Premier League a survival bid, Edwards said: “As we stand at the moment, we’ve obviously got Locks (Tom Lockyer) and Marvelous Nakamaba out for the longer term. Other than that, everyone’s back and available, or at least everyone’s back in training now.
“So, we have got as big a squad as we could expect t to have at this stage of the season, so yeah, why not?
“I’ll pick a team to try and win a game of football and this is now the most important game for us. I’ll pick the team with that in mind.
“We’ve probably got 16, 17, 18 outfield players that can start and are actually genuine starters for us, so it’s really tough, in the league as well, for anyone to pick what I see as the strongest team.”
Ross Barkley, Andros Townsend and Albert Sambi Lokonga have been regular starters in the heart of Luton’s team, with the latter only just returned from a long-term hamstring injury, while Barkley and Townsend have been two of Town’s standout performers.
“There’s temptation in every game to try and make sure we’ve got the right energy on the pitch. December was jam packed with a lot,” said Edwards of possible changes for the cup clash.
“I think we’ve got a very fit team and the lads can handle it. January is slightly different, a bit quieter, so we can pick a team that I feel is capable of winning the game.
“It’s important that we respect Bolton and the competition, and we will do that with the team that we pick.”
The form of Town’s midfield players has meant the likes of Jordan Clark, Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu and Luke Berry have had game time restricted this season. The latter hasn’t featured since October, while Clark had been injured for the start of the campaign and made five appearances, but hasn’t played for a month.
Edwards said: “I think everyone there wants to play and that’s the difficulty I have. It’s good and it’s bad because that’s the bit that keeps me up at night more than anything anyway, the disappointment that you feel you’re sat in front of a brilliant group of people and you’re letting more of them down than are happy.
“That’s the most difficult bit and trying to keep a motivation group when some of them are a bit frustrated because of a lack of game time, that’s the most difficult part of this job, so that’s our biggest challenge.”
Asked if he’s a man who still believes in the romance of the cup, Edwards said: “It’s a great competition. December was extremely busy, a lot going on, on and off the pitch, but January does quieten down a little bit so we can concentrate on each match and the next one is the FA Cup and it’s one we’re really looking forward to. An amazing competition. I’ve never really had a cup run, so it’s on the to-do list.”
