Rob Edwards has challenged Luton fans to go “bananas” for the visit of Championship leaders Sunderland tonight and recreate the three other times the manager has felt “ridiculous noise” at Kenilworth Road.
Saturday’s biggest victory over arch-rivals Watford in 43 years was the latest of those memories, with the first being the 2023 victory over the Hornets, who the manager had been sacked by earlier that season.
Those derby days bookended Edwards’ other spine-tingling atmosphere when Luton beat tonight’s opposition Sunderland in the Championship play-off semi-final second leg on their way to an historic promotion to the Premier League.
The Town boss is hoping for a similar reception before and during the game that helped the Hatters reach Wembley that night, but to also continue the feeling from the weekend that a corner has been turned after a disappointing start to the season.
”There’s probably a bit of expectation. We’ve not hit the levels that we’ve needed to,” said Edwards of Town’s start to the campaign, adding of the relationship with supporters: “. “It works both ways. So I’m not blaming anybody. We have to perform on the pitch, but also then to perform on the pitch, we need everyone else and Kenilworth Road at its best as well.
“It’s easy for the fans to get up for the Watford game as well, isn’t it? It’s just easy. You see that cauldron.
“The three best games that I’ve ever been a part of, have been at this football club and they’ve been the two Watford games and the Sunderland semi-final.
“It’s funny that we’re playing Sunderland as well. It’s just weird out works, then Coventry on Saturday as well.
“Those three have been the best atmospheres. Now, the performance levels of the lads were top. and the fans bounce off that. But in all three of those games, the supporters are going bananas in the warm-up.
“And when the lads are running up the tunnel, they’re making ridiculous noise, feet, hands, whatever it is, it’s just going off before the game, and that helps.
“Everyone talks about the atmosphere at Kenilworth Road and there’s no doubt that it’s up there, but in those three games, I’ve never known anything like it, how intimidating it can be for us, to help us.
“So I suppose that’s my challenge as well to the fans, to try and create that for us before the game. Then it’s up to us and then hopefully then they keep backing us throughout the game because they can see the effort and the commitment from the boys.
“But there’s no doubt when we’re all together like that, it’s a difficult place to come and play. And, it helps. It helps the players.
“Ultimately, we all want what’s best for the team, what’s best for the players. When we’re all together like that, we can be really strong.”
Yesterday, the manager provided more positive news that a possible three of the four Luton players that went off injured against Watford could be available to face the Black Cats tonight, but whoever plays, Edwards says the derby day victory was the benchmark for what he expects of his men.
He said: “And our challenge is to maintain that, and I think the supporters will understand that as well because trying to relate it and it’s human nature, the supporters are just the up for that game.
“We’ve got to be up for every game. We’ve got to do that with professional athletes and professionals, and we’ve got to make sure that, every single day we’re right at it and up for it.
“But, you know, human nature, the biggest games, the biggest occasions, it just gets that little bit more from you, and we’ve got to get our juices flowing in every single game now.”
Sunderland are unbeaten in their last three Championship games, last losing to Watford, but they sit top of the division and Edwards said: “They’ve done really well. (They’ve got) lots of technical good players who have been there for a number of years that we know really well.
“(They’ve) had a fantastic start, playing with a lot of confidence and they’ll obviously be coming here with, with loads of belief. So, yeah, big, big challenge.
“A good team of good players, obviously a good manager who’s getting the best out of the players at the moment.
“What we tried to do is obviously give a lot of clarity. This is about them, but it’s about what we do as well. And if we get out a bit right, then we know we can be a challenge for anyone as well.”
