Jack Wilshere has admitted Luton’s heavy defeat at Barnsley earlier this season continues to linger, as his side prepare for a crucial rematch at Kenilworth Road with their promotion hopes on the line.
The 5-0 loss in November remains the heaviest of Wilshere’s tenure – just seven games in – and a defining low point in a campaign that has since been rebuilt through improved consistency and mentality, as Town are now on a ten-game unbeaten run.
Town sit three points off the League One play-offs with two games remaining, so they know they must beat Barnsley today and then third-placed Bolton on the final day, while hoping sixth-placed Stevenage slip-up in today’s early kick-off at Doncaster Rovers, though Stockport and Bradford above them could also come into the mix if they drop points.
Despite the progress made by Luton, the memory of that night in Yorkshire has not faded.
“I said to the players today, I still wake up sometimes in the middle of the night, sweating, thinking about that game,” Wilshere revealed. “But it’s a completely different context. They’re a different team. They’ve improved.”
While Wilshere was quick to stress that both sides have evolved significantly since then, he acknowledged that the emotional weight of that defeat could serve as motivation.
“I hope that the players feel like we owe them one because that one hurt and we’ve got to put that right,” he said.
The Luton boss believes the key difference now lies in his team’s mentality, something that has developed markedly over recent months. He pointed to their response in games where they have fallen behind and battled back as evidence of that growth.
“When we prepare a game, we always prepare to win and things can happen in a game where you go 1-0 down or 2-0 down at times. That doesn’t change then,” he said. “That’s a mentality thing because, of course when you’re 2-0 down it really feels like there’s pressure and the next goal is really important, but you have to be able to handle that. We certainly can now.”
Despite the revenge narrative, Wilshere is wary of the threat Barnsley still pose, particularly in transition.
“They’ve obviously got a different situation now with Conor [Hourihane – manager] leaving at the end of the season. But they’re a good team,” Wilshere said, adding: “We know that they’re a team that want to play. We know that they’ve got good players on the side that can hurt you. We know that from that from the last game and from the data, [which] tells us that they’re a dangerous team on transition as well.”
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