Struggling Luton will travel to arch-rivals Watford this lunchtime knowing that they have a few sizeable wrongs to right – but also one that has been thrust upon this derby day fixture thanks to Plymouth.
Rock-bottom of the Championship Town head to Vicarage Road on an 11-game winless run, seven of those to start boss Matt Bloomfield’s reign, while they have only won on the road once this season, way back in September against Millwall.
Luton also haven’t won at Vicarage Road since 2002’s legendary Matty Spring stunner-inspired League Cup win. For a league triumph, it was 31 years ago.
And in their last two journey’s, Town have shipped five goals and scored none which, given their goalscoring troubles at present, doesn’t bode well, even against a Hornets side that have lost their last five on home soil.
Though these facts and stats present an imposing picture, in a campaign where little has gone right, it has been Plymouth’s progression in the FA Cup that has added another layer of uncertainty on the clash with Watford.
The Pilgrims’ third round success against Premier League Brentford saw them pitted against Liverpool, meaning their 1-1 league draw at Kenilworth Road on Wednesday became, for Luton, the third game in a Wednesday-Saturday-Wednesday three-game week.
Though Hatters fans were disappointed by the basement battle result it was actually the club’s first point this season in the third of a trio of games across seven days. But Luton need victories, and yesterday’s Championship results have only increased that pressure as Hull’s 1-0 victory and promotion-chasing Sunderland’s previously unbeaten Stadium of Light home stretched Luton’s gap to safety from two points to five.
Derby days come with immense pressure to win anyway, but Wednesday’s rearranged Plymouth game has now also turned today’s trip to Watford into the third test of a three-game week – well, eight days if you’re being pedantic. And so far this season, the Hatters have come away with zero victories in that scenario.
Asked how he can change their potless performances in the last of a crowded week of clashes, Bloomfield said: “By relishing the situation and the game that we’re heading into. I’ve not been here. I’ve only had one three-game week that it didn’t go in our favour [against Millwall].
“There’s probably a deeper dive into that. And I’m probably aware of some of those things right now in terms of, the availability of the squad and the fitness and other things that a huge factor in a three game week.
“So, it might be a couple of changes to freshen up the team. Obviously, having Carlton [Morris] back and possibly Clicker [Jordan Clark] and one or two others, there’s chance to making those changes.
“But, it’s also about staying calm. We’ve got the extra day. It’s a Sunday instead of Saturday. Let’s see how the boys recover and make educated decisions the best we can leading into the game.”
Certainly, the injury concerns that have plagued Luton for more than a year now, can be partly to blame for the lack of bodies needed to freshen line-ups between games one, two and three of congested weeks.
And for the trip to Hertfordshire, Clark, Mark McGuinness, Shandon Baptiste and Daiki Hashioka are all doubts and will be assessed closer to kick-off, while Lamine Fanne hasn’t been selected for the last two games. Reece Burke and Tahith Chong are also out injured, with only the former back in training and “close” but expected not to be close enough for today.
Bloomfield said: ”On the evidence of what I’ve done in the last couple of years, my managerial career, in three game weeks, I’ve looked to make changes if at all possible. And it’s about getting the balance.
“I don’t want to just make changes for the sake of it, but at the same time, freshness and energy is really, really important, but also is continuity in performances.
“And we’ve had two good performances, so it’s about trying to keep that continuity and not changing too many, but I think the probability will be that we make a couple because one or two may be enforced. And if they’re not, we might look to, to keep it fresh as well.”
Watford, on the other hand, have not been hindered in their preparations in the same way as Luton, as they’ve had a clear eight days to drill down how they can avoid double league defeats to Town for the first time since the 1987/88 season.
But Bloomfield doesn’t think the perceived freshness of the Hornets will be a problem, saying: “I think we’ve all been involved in the game long enough to understand that sometimes you go into it with the freshness, and the other team that have played during the week actually is sharper because they’ve played.
“There’s other times when the freshness counts. We need to make sure we recover right, and make sure that we bring our strengths to the game.”
It is a derby fixture – which, since it was reignited in 2020 by Luton’s rise up the leagues after a 14-year absence – that has gone the way of the home team. But while Town’s players will at least have had the feeling of rising to the occasion at Kenilworth Road in October, the fixture will be a new a new experience for Bloomfield, who was appointed Rob Edwards’ successor last month.
The 40-year-old said: “I think it’s it’s really important that we, as new staff members or players through our football club, understand the history and the heritage of the club because you have to immerse yourself in the club because the club was here long before us, and we’ll be here long after us.
“That’s the most important thing to understand who you’re working for and and who you’re representing. I think that’s really, really crucial. So, yeah, we’ve discussed it. The boys know what Sunday stands for, for our supporters. Like I say, it’s up to us to be giving everything we possibly can to give them the day that they want.”
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