Luton Town

Geoff Doyle
BBC 3CR sports editor

Image source, BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

So it's one final push for Luton Town.

A win at West Brom guarantees Championship football next season, a draw could be good enough and even defeat might not mean relegation if Hull slip up at Portsmouth.

Three wins out of three has helped put the Hatters in this situation as has the longer spell of decent form - one defeat in nine.

But it still always comes down to fine margins. On Saturday, at a tense Kenilworth Road what made Coventry goalkeeper Brad Collins inexplicably attempt to punch the ball 16 yards from his goalline with a minute to go?

And even after that misjudgement, how did Luis Binks not manage to clear Shandon Baptiste's resulting shot off the line? That's football.

Around 2,500 Luton fans will now head to The Hawthorns believing their side can pull off another great escape like they did 35 years ago at the Baseball Ground when Kingsley Black scored the winner against Derby and 42 years ago at Maine Road when Raddy Antic's goal led to David Pleat's famous jig.

Those were very special days as was the Championship survival five years ago when Luton looked doomed as Covid hit.

After the enforced break the Hatters produced similar form to this time around but the supporters didn't get the chance to celebrate the achievement.

It's in Luton's hands and if they do stay up the club should toast the success but then quickly analyse what went wrong this season in preparation for the next campaign.

Luton need to make best use of the final parachute payment money which gives them such an advantage over the majority of the other clubs.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Luton need to get the job done.

They come up against a West Brom side short of morale and confidence after missing out on the play-offs.

The atmosphere among the home supporters could be hostile after the previous match there saw them ship three to another relegation candidate Derby.

Luton fans don't want to worry about what's going on at Fratton Park. Take care of business against the Baggies, play as they have been doing for the past eight weeks and take all three points back to Bedfordshire.

If only it was that simple.

Commentary on West Brom v Luton Town is on BBC Three Counties Radio

Image source, Getty Images

After an injury-ravaged season, Luton Town's match-winner Shandon Baptiste says he is relieved to have given something back to the club.

The midfielder has only been able to start seven Championship matches so far this season, with a further nine appearances as a substitute, because of hamstring and calf injuries.

But Baptiste came off the bench to score a last-minute goal against Coventry on Saturday which lifted the Hatters out of the relegation zone with one game remaining.

"It's been a long old season for me and I'm just happy to be able to help the team in a way which was needed and that was with a goal," the 27-year-old told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"I'm happy to give that to the fans, my team-mates and the gaffer, because when I've been in the treatment room they're the guys who have been working and putting in the performances to get us to this point."

Baptiste was introduced as a 78th-minute substitute with the game against the Sky Blues goalless and capitalised on a defensive mix-up between goalkeeper Brad Collins and Liam Kitching to score the winner.

"It was a moment of two players thinking different things and I anticipated where the ball was going to land, I saw the open goal and I was glad to score and get the three points," he added.

Luton will finish the campaign at West Brom on Saturday (12:30 BST) knowing a win would guarantee their Championship status.

Image source, Getty Images

Boss Matt Bloomfield praised Luton Town's patience after Shandon Baptiste's 90th-minute goal earned a dramatic win over Coventry City in an eventful game that saw both side's finish with 10 men

The win moved the Hatters out of the bottom three with one game left to play.

"The industry we are involved in is going to throw so many challenges your way and you have to try and stay calm and think clearly," Bloomfield said.

"We had the momentum, we hit the post, their goalkeeper has made a couple of incredible saves, but the ball doesn't go in so there's a risk of frustration.

"All of those things go into the pot and for us to find a moment right at the end is incredibly pleasing.

"Shandon [Baptiste] is a boy who is really diligent about his work. I think he's a fantastic player and for him to have that moment after some of the disappointments he's had this year is fantastic."

Luton Town picked up a vital win over Bristol City last time out and will need to repeat their heroics against another play-off contender in Coventry City on Saturday (12:30 BST).

While Monday's victory wasn't enough to see them out of the bottom three, it did put the Hatters level on points with Derby County above them, giving them a possible shot of escaping the relegation zone this weekend.

But Coventry's play-off battle could also go down to the wire, with Middlesbrough in prime position to oust them from their sixth spot should they fail to pick up points at Kenilworth Road.

Having lost to bottom dwellers Plymouth Argyle in their previous match, the Sky Blues will be looking to stop a second successive defeat to a lower-table team just as much as Luton will be seeking a double upset at the top.

• Luton have lost just one of their last 10 league games against Coventry (W4 D5), though it was in the reverse fixture in October (3-2).

• Following their 3-2 win in October, Coventry are looking to complete their first league double over Luton since 2005-06.

• Luton have won consecutive league games for the first time since September. They last won three in a row in March 2023.

• Coventry have lost three of their last four away league games (D1), having won four in a row on the road before this.

• Haji Wright has scored five goals in his last seven Championship appearances, while he also scored Coventry's 90th minute winner against Luton in the reverse fixture.

Geoff Doyle
BBC 3CR sports editor

Image source, Getty Images

Two wins out of two over Easter has given Luton's chances of staying up a massive boost.

They know that if they beat Coventry on Saturday in the early kick-off they will be outside the relegation zone come the final day of the season with their nearest rivals Hull and Derby playing each other later that day. What an incentive. What a turnaround.

The Hatters went into the Good Friday match at Derby knowing that anything less than a win would almost certainly mean relegation. Luton dogged that one out and then they produced a fine performance on Easter Monday against Bristol City to achieve maximum points across the long weekend.

This is a different team to the side which struggled for the first six months of the season where the players had a touch of the Premier League prima donnas about them and a manager struggling to cope.

Matt Bloomfield has imposed his style on the team and brought a structure and shape required in the Championship. Most importantly he's offered clear and precise instructions and tactics.

It's absurdly simplistic; the players seem to know what they're doing now - what the plan is - whereas before they looked confused and at a loss as to why they were so off-form.

That malaise was allowed to deepen which led to further, wider problems. Poor attitudes, lack of motivation, lack of care, feeling sorry for themselves.

Bloomfield has addressed all that and gone back to basics. He also recognised immediately the unmotivated players weren't fit enough. It may have been a reason as well for so many muscle injuries Luton were picking up before he arrived. Stamina levels are much much better now.

Luton are still likely to need at least four points from their remaining two games and as we've seen with the Championship all season you can never predict results in this league.

Because of the other match, no matter what happens on Saturday it will go down to the final game next week for Luton. The job is not done yet but it looks a hell of a lot better than it has done for most of the season.

Commentary on Saturday from 12:00 BST on BBC Three Counties Radio

Image source, Getty Images

Luton Town are comfortable with their Championship survival hopes having been written off, says boss Matt Bloomfield.

The Hatters have won their past two games, and only goal difference is keeping them in the relegation zone.

"We've been written off many times, which is fine," Bloomfield told the BBC's EFL podcast 72+

"Football is all about opinions, but to lead a life in football, resilience is a crucial characteristic, and every time you get knocked down, you have to pick yourselves up and keep fighting."

Luton have two games of the season remaining, at home to Coventry on Saturday (12:30 BST) and then away at West Brom on 3 May.

"We're still below the line and know there's a huge amount of work to be done to get ourselves above it by the end of the season," added Bloomfield.

"We're very pleased with the way the last couple of months have gone, but there's lots more work to be done - we've got our feet firmly on the ground, we've got two really tough games coming up, but we believe in the work we're doing."

You can listen to all episodes of 72+ on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Rex Features

Luton boss Matt Bloomfield said that his side's victory over Bristol City was "possibly the best" since his arrival.

The Hatters scored three second half goals to win 3-1 but still remain in the Championship's bottom three.

"It's possibly the best result and performance since I've been here." He told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"It was edgy in the first-half but we stayed calm with it at half-time and spoke to the players about a couple of tactical things we wanted to adjust.

"It's a big result - I've felt we've been due a big home win because we've had some good performances and not got the rewards I've thought we should have so I'm really pleased we've managed to do that.

"We've got to focus on our own work - we'd all like results elsewhere (today) to be different but games are running out and we have to make sure we focus on ourselves and facing Coventry on Saturday."

Image source, Rex Features

Luton Town boss Matt Bloomfield spoke to BBC Three Counties Radio after the Hatters beat relegation rivals Derby County 1-0 to give their hopes of Championship survival a major boost.

"I thought first half, for an away performance, we were excellent," he said. "We passed the ball incredibly well, we had a goal threat and the only disappointment is that we didn't come in two or three up to kill the game off.

"It was always going to be a tough second half with Derby supporters right behind their team and creating the noise they do here.

"But to put on that kind of defensive display, I'm so proud of the lads. We took a real punch on the nose last Saturday in the defeat against Blackburn, but I didn't want it to ruin the momentum we had been building.

"It was important that we kept our heads today, because if we got too uptight and anxious, and built it up to be too much, then we weren't going to come and perform. It was really important that we stayed calm in this situation.

"I've just delivered the message to the boys that nothing is done yet, just like it wasn't over last Saturday when we were beaten by Blackburn.

"We have to show that fighting spirit at the Kenny [Kenilworth Road against Bristol City] on Monday."

Only one defeat in their past seven games and a tally of 14 points from a possible 21 has given Derby County under John Eustace a real chance of staying up.

The Rams are one point clear of the drop zone with four games to go.

Luton are scrapping to avoid a second straight relegation after a troubled campaign and know a win over Derby, although not enough to get out of the bottom three, would take them level on points with the Rams and behind them only on goal difference.

It's a huge game at lunchtime on Good Friday (12:30 BST) for both sides' chances of being in the Championship next season.

• Derby are unbeaten in their past 10 home league games against Luton (W5 D5) since a 3-2 defeat at the Baseball Ground in May 1990.

• Luton are looking for their first league double over Derby since the 1989-90 top-flight campaign.

• Derby have won each of their past four league games on Good Friday and are the only team to win on that day in every season between 2020-21 and 2023-24.

• Luton have won two of their past 14 league games on Good Friday (D7 L5) but are unbeaten in their past two (W1 D1).

• Derby's Jerry Yates has scored nine Championship goals this season, only in 2022-23 has he ever reached double figures in the competition (14 with Blackpool).