The offer to make play-off history with the Hatters was too good to turn down for Matt Ingram – so much so that he’s scrapped his honeymoon to the Maldives with his childhood sweetheart.
The goalkeeper joined Luton last week on an emergency loan and immediately shipped seven goals on his debut at Fulham, but then kept a clean sheet against Reading on Saturday as Town sealed their spot in the play-off semi-finals.
That has set up a two-legged clash against Huddersfield, with the return fixture at the John Smith’s Stadium on Monday taking place a day after he and his wife had been due to land in the Indian Ocean paradise.
It’s another setback for their matrimonial celebration plans after they got married last year, only for Covid travel restrictions to leave them waiting.
As a Hull City keeper, with the Tigers season winding down in relative Championship safety, it seemed the ideal opportunity to finally book a getaway. Then Luton boss Nathan Jones called.
Ingram said: “My first thought was, wow, what an opportunity. Then it was that I had to tell the missus about the honeymoon situation.
“But she was very understanding. She understood that these things don’t (come along often).
“When she can get down she watches a fair few (games). She was so understanding and supportive. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
He added: “It was an opportunity I just couldn’t turn down. To play in the play-off finals of the Championship, some players never play in them in their whole career.”
Luckily for the 28-year-old, his wife Amelia, who he met at school, has “been very understanding.”
He added: “She’s been fantastic with it, I think she realised the opportunity was too good to turn down, she’s been very good.
“We’ll get away as and when we can, hopefully get all the way to the play-off final and then we’ll look to rebook after that, but my focus is very much on Friday, very much on the game, very much on football, so it’s taken a back seat and that will get sorted out when it gets sorted out. It’s just that’s all gone for now and hopefully it’s after the 29th.”
That’s when Ingram will hope to walk out with Luton at Wembley for a chance to return to the top flight of English football, 30 years after they were relegated and just missed out on the newly-rebranded Premier League.
Reaching the showpiece final, according to Ingram, will be one way he can repay his wife and he said: “Hopefully, we win the play-offs and taking the family out to Wembley, hopefully that goes some way to making up for the honeymoon. And then, as and when, we’ll look to get away when we can.
“It’s one of those things, where I would’ve been sick if I was on a beach sipping a cocktail and then I see Luton Town pop up in the play-off final and go on to win it and I’d turned it down several weeks before.
“For me, it was a no-brainer. I would’ve been kicking myself if I was on that beach and the lads here were lifting the trophy.”
