It’s Luton v Watford, not the Rob Edwards’ show, insists Hatters boss

His recent short-lived history with arch-rivals Watford adds “spice” to Saturday’s colossal clash, but Luton’s manager insists that derby day is not the Rob Edwards show, even if the game feels “different” for him.

The former Wales international began the season in charge of Vicarage Road after they poached him from newly crowned League Two championship Forest Green Rovers in the summer.

But despite the club claiming they would change their penchant for sacking managers, Edwards lasted 11 games before the Hornets reverted to type and gave him the chop. 

His replacement, Slaven Bilic lasted until the beginning of this month, so when Watford come to Kenilworth Road for the first fan-attended derby in Bedfordshire for 17 years, it will be under the third boss this term, Chris Wilder. 

For Edwards, 53 days after he cleared his desk at Vicarage Road, he was appointed as the successor to Nathan Jones, becoming only the second man to take charge of Luton and Watford after Neil McBain 85 years ago, though not in the same season. 

He said: “It’s Luton versus Watford, it’s not Rob Edwards’ new team versus Rob Edwards’ old team or anything like that, it’s not, so we’ve organised and planned the same way, but we’ve been able to speak about and be open about what it means to people and the fact that it is a derby match.”

Yet there’s even more riding on the contest, as the 40-year-old has guided the Hatters to fourth in the Championship with eight games to go, while his old club languish five points outside the play-offs. 

A victory for Luton won’t finish off their rivals’ promotion bid, but it will certainly strengthen theirs. 

Asked if there is an added motivation for him, considering what happened down the road at the start of the campaign, Edwards said: “It does feel different, I can’t sit here and lie to you.

“I’ve never gone up against an old club before, so it will be a new experience for me, but it’s hard to say it because people watching, and a lot of people won’t have necessarily been in my shoes, if anyone

“But as a manager, the responsibility that you feel, the pressure that you feel, it’s hard to describe that, or two put it into words how you feel. You feel like it every game.

“So it does add, as it’s Watford, it’s a local derby. It’s a unique situation where I was their head coach earlier in the season, which is unique and has not happened for a long, long time, if ever in the same season.

“So, all of those things do add to it, adds that spice, but as a manager, the responsibility you feel going into any game, it’s hard to explain, so you feel it for everyone.”