Gabriel Osho insists thinking about the Premier League prize is unavoidable, particularly for a Luton side that he says are all confident of winning promotion against Coventry in the Championship play-off final on Saturday.
The defender played his part in helping the Hatters into the Wembley showpiece by opening the scoring against Sunderland in the semi-final second leg. And in keeping a clean sheet against the Black Cats, Osho was part of a 20th shutout of the season.
A 21st at the national stadium would go a long way to sending Town back to the top flight for the first time in 31 years and for the first time into the Premier League, which Luton were part of setting up but in which they never played after they got relegated before the inaugural season.
Asked whether it’s hard not to dream of playing in the division, Osho said: “It’s borderline impossible, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. That’s the end goal.
“When you start the league in August, you’re thinking you could go up. I’m sure every team thinks that.
“So now, as it gets closer it’s inevitable that you’re going to think about being in the Prem and what that might look like.
“It’s one game now. Ninety minutes or 120 minutes and penalties, whatever it’s going to take, we’ll give our all in that game and hopefully, we’ll end up where we want to be.”
Osho has recovered rapidly from a potentially season-ending knee injury, which threatened to keep him sidelined for up to eight weeks, but instead only kept him out for three.
It’s a relief as the defender missed last season’s play-offs as one of a host of crocked Hatters.
But Cauley Woodrow is the only doubt this time around and that combined with finishing third in the Championship has confidence sky-high among the Hatters.
“Everyone in the team now really believes we’re going to get promoted,” said Osho.
“Last season, because it was new to us, it was more hope and a bit tentative to see what was going to happen. But this year, I think we really believe it.”
Town’s victory over Sunderland was their first ever EFL play-off win after failures in three previous attempts, plus another three in the non-league.
The most recent of those, and Luton’s last visit to Wembley came in a 2-1 Blue Square Premier play-off final defeat to York City in 2012.
Town’s last success at the national stadium came in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy when they beat Scunthorpe 3-2 in 2009, when Osho was 14 years old.
“Everyone’s excited,” he said of booking Luton’s place at Wembley, adding: “but it’s not finished yet, I’m sure that’s what the gaffer has said. We have to go one more.
“It’s nice to win a semi-final but if you get to a final and lose then it’s not really much good.
“All eyes ahead onto the final.
“We have to win on Saturday. It’s all right getting there, but we have to win.”
