Rob Edwards hopes his Hatters have given fans something to remember for “a long, long time” after a history-making victory to reach the Championship play-off final.
Only a win would do for Luton after losing the semi-final first-leg 2-1 at Sunderland and they got it with goals from Gabriel Osho and Tom Lockyer to book their tickets to Wembley and a shot at the Premier League.
Town had never won an EFL play-off tie on three previous attempts and matched that with a hat-trick of failed bids to get out of the non-league via the same route. These experiences had instilled a long-held fear of the play-off hoodoo, but to help change those statistics and opinions, Edwards had called on Hatters to be “wild” for the duration of the game. They obliged.
Afterwards, he said: “They played a big part. A massive thank you to them. I think, hopefully, we’ve given them something back that they’re going to remember for a long, long time.”
The general consensus has been that the noise and the feeling inside Luton’s 118-year-old stadium was even more ferocious than for the recent victory over their bitter rivals Watford, which Edwards also called for.
Asked if he’s experienced anything like it, the manager said: “Here? No. It was really special. It was great against Watford when we won another 2-0 win. Tonight was sensational again.
“To see how pleased everyone was at the end, it means a lot to me. We are in the entertainment business as well. We want to win and we want the supporters to enjoy moments.
“You can’t all the time as a football fan. They’ve been through a lot of dark times, so this is great.”
The manager and the players were mobbed by jubilant supporters at the final whistle amid a pitch invasion, despite calls before the game to keep off the grass.
Thankfully, it was the mirror image of the toxic reaction that greeted Luton players and fans the previous year in similar circumstances at Huddersfield.
Edwards said: “The smiles on everyone’s faces at the end. The happiness that was there tonight, there were a lot of special moments. It’s probably hard to single out one.”
But the 40-year-old has immersed himself in the history and culture of the football club since taking over in November.
Edwards said: “The supporters, they deserve this. They’ve been through some really dark times, and to win a semi-final and get to Wembley is really special.
“I know we’re going to go there in big, big numbers and hopefully we can celebrate again.”
