Luton Town could be handed a timely fitness boost ahead of tomorrow’s League One meeting with high-flying Lincoln City, as several players edging are closer to a return leaving Jack Wilshere weighs up his options for the Kenilworth Road clash.
After an encouraging second-half display in last weekend’s 2-1 win over Stevenage, the Town boss suggested competition for places is beginning to increase, giving him decisions to make as Luton look to extend their strong home form in the league against one of the division’s most consistent sides.
Wilshere confirmed that a number of absentees have stepped up their recovery work this week, while also acknowledging that Lincoln represent a stern test of how far his side have come.
Wilshere told LTFC+: “Teds [Teden Mengi] missed last week. He’s been on the grass. Kal [Naismith] and Jake [Richards] have been on the grass. They were on the grass last week, so they’re a little bit closer. We’ll have to see how they are going into tomorrow.
“Also as well, the team performed really well on Saturday, especially in the second half. So, yeah, some decisions for me to make and, [let’s] see what the team looks like tomorrow.”
Isaiah Jones and Hakeem Odoffin will not be available for the game, with the former closer than the latter, who has suffered a setback that will keep him out for a few more weeks.
Wilshere said: “Haks had a little bit of a setback, which is frustrating for him and frustrating for us, because you can see in the two games, Huddersfield and Bolton, when he came into the team, the energy he brought. He’s a warrior who can definitely help the team and give something. And I think, also the fans, when they see the way he plays, they can identify themselves and what Luton is about. So, yeah, frustrating for him and frustrating for us.
“I said to him the other day, he’s left people with enough desire to see him go again and wanting more from him, so he’ll be fine, he won’t be too long.
“Izzy’s been out for a long time now and that’s probably why it’s taken a little bit longer for him to come back, but he won’t be too far away.”
Town’s two long-term injured forwards are also edging back to fitness, with Wilshere saying: “Ali [Al-Hamadi] and Elijah [Adebayo] are closer. They’ve been on the grass this week, which is amazing for everyone to see. I think it gives everyone a lift.”
Turning his attention to Lincoln, Wilshere was quick to underline the scale of the task facing Luton, praising the Imps’ stability and approach under their manager Michael Skubala.
“I think [they’re a] different challenge, a different team. A team that’ve done very well this season. A manager that’s been there for a few years now, and it looks to me like he’s kind of worked out the league and what it requires. Credit to him and credit to them for doing that. It’d be a big challenge for us.”
Wilshere added that while the division’s second-placed side may pose problems in a different way to recent opponents Stevenage, Luton must be prepared to deal with both the physical and technical aspects of their game.
“In my opinion, Lincoln are quite similar with probably more quality and the ability to get the ball down and play as well. So we have to be ready for everything. We have to have the same mentality if we’re going to defend direct play like we did against Stevenage and then hopefully bring our game to them.
“We want to be a team that can hurt opposition, that can dominate the ball and play with purpose. And I felt like Stevenage, especially in the second half, that was us.”
The Hatters sit one place outside the play-offs and could break into the top six with a victory accompanied by Bolton Wanderers dropping points. But opponents Lincoln are top of the form table and ten points ahead of Town, having not lost in eight League One games, though all five of their defeats in the division have come on the road.
Wilshere said: “The biggest thing for us is to try and get into the top six. Since I’ve been here we haven’t been in there. We’ve threatened to get close and gone on a little run, but we’ve drawn a game or lost away at Exeter and had a little setback. So, we’ll take each game as it comes.
“It’s a big challenge for us against second in the league. A team that are very good at what they do, very efficient at what they do.
“I was thinking about the [Stevenage] game last week and it was only after the game when I thought that it was really, really important we won that because of the table. I tend not to think about that and more the process of how we get to winning the game.
“But it’s clear, they are ten points ahead of us. But our focus is to try and win the next game to break into the top six.”
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