Jack Wilshere admits tomorrow night’s trip to Stevenage will have an added significance for him as he prepares to return to the town where he was born, while his Luton Town team will have a score to settle.
The Hatters travel to the SPORTA Arena for their latest League One fixture with a sold-out away following behind them, but a poor record that has not seen them win there for 12 years.
The Luton boss spent some of his childhood growing up in the Hertfordshire town where he regularly passed the stadium, but never played their in a career that started in the Hatters’ Academy before he was snapped up by Arsenal.
“I was born in Stevenage,” Wilshere said. “So yeah, [it will be] the first time I’ve gone back, as a player or as a coach.
“So I’m looking forward to it. It’s a place I know well. I spent a lot of my childhood growing up there. I drove past that stadium so many times.”
There is also an obvious footballing edge to the fixture for Luton after losing there last term and then Stevenage’s dramatic and controversial late goal on the final day of the season denied the Hatters a place in last season’s League One play-offs.
Wilshere admits that disappointment still stings, although he knows his players will have to put that aside when they walk out at Broadhall Way.
“I think it hurt at the end of last season. Of course it did,” he said, adding: “They [Stevenage] got there at the end, scoring in the last minute and stopping us getting there. So naturally, yeah, it does hurt of course.”
Wilshere wasn’t in the hotseat when Luton travelled the 21 miles to face their nearest neighbours last term, but the Hatters’ 2-0 defeat proved the final game in charge for his predecessor, Matt Bloomfield, with his exit paving the way for the former Arsenal midfielder to take up his first senior managerial job. So it is a game that the 34-year-old has since studied.
“When I reflect on that game — and I watched it a few times, and the Cambridge game of course — I think this game has something extra in it,” he said.
“Luton Town going to Stevenage — it’s a really big game for them. Big game for us as well. Over the years, where Luton have been in a higher division, there was something extra in that game for Stevenage.
“We have to understand that and match that fight. There’ll be energy in the stadium. I’ve been there so many times as a kid, and I went there last season to watch Bolton versus Stevenage. It’s not an easy place to play. The fans are close, and they’re going to be extra loud for this game.”
Stevenage have endured a difficult start to the campaign but stunned Barnsley 5-1 at Oakwell last time out to claim their first victory this term, something Wilshere believes is a reminder of exactly what Luton will face.
“They’ve got a defensive structure that is consistent. They’re hard to play against. They’re hard to beat. They defend for their lives. And they’re good on set pieces,” the manager said.
“Alex [Revell – manager] kept getting more and more out of them. When you thought maybe they got set back a little bit, they bounced back. They were probably the most consistent team in the league and didn’t concede many goals. We definitely won’t be underestimating them. We know their strengths, their qualities and we also know it’s a difficult place to go.”
Podcast preview
Here’s the view of The Lutonian writer James Cunliffe in They Tried To Kill Us Off… the independent Luton Town podcast, as they preview the Stevenage v Luton clash.
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