Podcast exclusive: Luton have ‘biggest prize to play for in world sport,’ says Edwards

The most lucrative prize in world football is tantalisingly close for Luton Town and boss Rob Edwards says his Hatters are “hungry” for the big time ahead of a Sunderland double-header to win a Wembley shootout for the Premier League.

It has been estimated that winning promotion to the Premier League will be worth a minimum of £100million in television money alone.

While football finance expert Kieran Maguire told ITV that the Hatters could “expect the level of revenue at the club to increase by 700 per cent to 800 per cent [to around £136 to 153million) should they be successful and be promoted.”

Standing in their way in the semi-finals are Sunderland, with this evening’s first leg at their intimidating Stadium of Light, though Town finished the regular campaign comfortably as the best of the rest behind the two automatic promotion winners Burnley and Sheffield United. 

And in this calendar year, only Vincent Kompany’s runaway Championship winners took more points than the 44 Edwards’ side claimed to finish third.  

PODCAST: @kevshat @LutonJournoLTFC Tony and @dannybd85 got together at the Presentation Evening to preview of the play-offs with the help of:@CarltonJM @allancampbell98 @Amariibell @gabeosho @EliSaint4

And plenty more!

Listen 👇https://t.co/sPoWZ4iX5X#LTFC #COYH pic.twitter.com/og81vlFgZF

— Luton Town ST (@lutontownST) May 13, 2023

Speaking exclusively on the Luton Town Supporters’ Trust podcast at the fan group’s annual awards bash, manager Rob Edwards said: “We’ve got the biggest prize to play for in world sport now. That’s where we’re at, that’s the situation. 

“We’re well aware of it, but we’re relishing the opportunity. I think we’ve got a group of players here that are hungry. 

“I think there’s a real belief. You can never guarantee you’re going to win. You can’t guarantee that you’re going to do anything. 

“But, what we can guarantee, and what we know is that these lads are going to fight and give everything. When we do that, we’re really hard to play against. Let’s see what happens. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Then speaking at a pre-play-off press conference, Edwards added: “We’ve known for a few weeks that we were going to be in the play-offs, we didn’t know who we were going to face, now we know, we’ve been able to have a good week of preparation and we’re really looking forward to the game.

“Some of our lads have experienced the play-offs before, it’s hard as I don’t want to talk about the final yet as we’ve still got such a big job to do and we know how difficult a task it’s going to be, Sunderland over two legs, but it’s good to have some experience of it.

“I’ve been a part of it before and it was an amazing experience to be part of a success, it’s almost the best way to do it, through the play-offs, when you win, but obviously there’s three other teams that are going to be desperate to do it as well, you do need people for a big occasion, you need character, you need to be able to be resilient in these games.”

They will need to be on top form in front of 45,000 fans at Sunderland’s stadium, after the Black Cats sneaked into the play-offs on the final day of the regular season. 

Their 3-0 win over Preston was helped by Millwall’s implosion against Blackburn Rovers, when the Lions were 3-1 up but lost 4-3 to drop out of the top six and open the door for Tony Mowbray’s men.
Edwards said: “It’s going to be a huge occasion for them. They’ve arrived in the play-offs on the last day, really exciting and they have got a brilliant fanbase, regardless of what’s going on, now they’re in the play-offs, it’s going to be even more wild.

“We experienced a little bit of it when they got the equaliser late against us a few weeks back and the stadium really caught fire then and it was a really good experience to be able to draw on as well.

“So we’ve witnessed it a little bit, but I’m expecting a little bit more than what we saw as well, whether it’s an advantage (to Sunderland) or not, I don’t know, time will tell, we’ve got them away first and we’ll deal with that.”

Defender Tom Lockyer says he’s going to “thrive” in the Stadium of Light atmosphere, and that’s a view that Edwards echoes.

He said: “I want the players to enjoy it, I’m going to tell myself to, but I will feel anxiety and I will feel pressure and I will feel all those things because that’s natural.

“I think it’s all right showing that, talking about that and airing it, as they are big occasions for us.

“We are human beings. It’s hard to tuck emotions away, so it is big for us, but I want it to bring out the best in us and I think on the big occasions so far this season we have seen the best of us in the big games.”

Edwards has only lost one game on the road since taking over from Nathan Jones in November. That was 12 away games ago on his first trip as manager in December against Middlesbrough, who won in the last minute against the ten-men Hatters but then finished behind Town, fourth in the division.

And now Luton go to Sunderland on a 14-game unbeaten, which the club hasn’t achieved at this level since they won promotion to the old First Division in 1982. 

Edwards said: “We’re in really good shape, we’re confident, we’re in good form, but so are the other teams as well and that’s why they are where they are.

“So, I’m not sure whether form and momentum and all those things, how important that is.

“We’ve tried to talk about it and keep it and we’ve been able to do that, but the play-offs are something else as well, they’re a bit of a different beast and I’m really looking forward to seeing how the lads handle it as well.

“A number of them have had the disappointment of last season that they can really draw on as well, they don’t want that again, so I’m really looking forward to seeing what we’re capable of doing on the big occasion.”

Listen to the play-off preview episode of the Luton Town Supporters’ Trust podcast…