Luton Town boss Jack Wilshere has admitted his side’s struggles on the road could be turning into a psychological issue as they prepare for tonight’s trip to Wigan Athletic.
After Saturday’s 3-1 defeat at Cardiff, attention has quickly shifted to another away assignment, with Luton looking to halt a seven-match winless run on their travels and keep their play-off hopes alive.
The stakes were heightened further last night when Huddersfield Town were beaten 1-0 by Doncaster Rovers. So, victory in the north west tonight for Luton would move them to within a point of the Terriers in the final play-off place, with a game in hand.
But Town’s own midweek away record tells an unconvincing story, with just one victory in their last 14 league games played on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.
It is that pattern which has prompted questions about confidence on the road, something Wilshere did not dismiss when asked directly.
“Maybe,” he admitted to the BBC when asked if Luton’s away form is becoming a mental issue. “I hope not because, as a player, I never felt that. I want the team to think wherever we’re going to go, we’re trying to win a game and we can win a game. We believe that we can, and we try and set the team up in that way to do so. So I hope it’s not. But, yeah, maybe it is.”
The Latics are fighting a relegation battle but have on Monday appointed Exeter boss Gary Caldwell as their new manager. But before the Scot switched Exeter for Wigan, Wilshere had already stressed the need to match Wigan’s intensity.
“We need a lot of respect for Wigan as well because in this league they’re going to make it make it hard for us,” he said. “They’re going to be aggressive. They’re going to press us high. We have to make sure that we we land on second balls, that we win duels, that we’re better at recognising the moment to really take care of the ball and look after it.”
On paper, the fixture offers encouragement. Luton won the reverse meeting 1-0 in August and are chasing a first league double over Wigan. The hosts are without a win in eight league matches, losing their last four, and have not won at home since December.
For a Hatters side still in the play-off conversation, tonight’s performance may reveal whether their away issues are tactical, technical or something deeper.
“We have to look within,” Wilshere told LTFC+, adding: “. “It’s not going to [just] happen for us. We’re in a league where you have to earn everything and, away from home, the demands are even more.
“I have to look at the squad, at myself and find something because at the moment it’s not there. And that’s the frustrating thing because we’ve got quality in there, but away from home you need something else.
“I’ve said it before and we can keep saying it, but we’re not executing it at the moment and we have to recognise that those moments are really, really important.
“Without that, we won’t have success away from home. We have to attack with more threat, more belief, more drive to try and score goals and we didn’t do that [on Saturday].”
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