The Town take to the field for the final time before the big man comes down the chimney when they make the short trip around up the M4 on Thursday night.
It’s Reading away, on the telly, on a Thursday night. And we’re here for it.
Let’s get into it, shall we?
Christmas Royalties
Mariah Carey, Slade, Wham. Can they do it on a cold pre-Christmas Thursday night at the Madejski Stadium? The answer is, probably, yes. Just listen out on the PA.
As for the Royals, it’s been a season so far plagued horribly inconsistency. An overall record of nine wins, eight draws and nine defeats in all competitions tells its own story and they come in Thursday’s game off the back of two straight League One defeats against Peterborough and Bradford.
However, home is where the heart is and the Royals – now under the stewardship Leam Richardson – have reserved their best form in front of their own fans. Among the positive results was a 1-0 win over Stevenage. That said, that win came just days after they had let a 2-0 lead slip to National League Carlisle in the FA Cup.
Either way, this is League One, and a quick glance at the form of all 24 clubs suggests calling any game in this division is nigh on impossible with the Hatters themselves aiming to end a run of three straight draws.
Played for both
Thomas Holmes and Taylan Harris, both currently out on loan, have signed for the Hatters from the Reading in recent seasons but there have been plenty of others to have worn blue and white hoops and our own orange (and/or white), including promotion winners Jack Stacey and Gabe Osho.
There’s also a former Town man in the Reading ranks and he’s definitely one to watch. Jack Marriott joined the Town in 2015 from Ipswich and after two seasons the striker was off to Peterborough where he netted 33 goals in 56 games – a record which propelled Posh to promotion. A move to Derby followed but he’s led a bit more a nomadic career since, joining the Royals from Wrexham in the summer. He’s started well too: scoring six goals in 11 games.
In charge
Edward Duckworth’s the man in the middle on Thursday night. 20 games, 80 yellows, three reds. The whistler oversaw our 2-1 defeat at Bradford earlier this season. Now in his fourth season, it will be the first time he’s taken charge of a game involving Reading.
When the ball hits the goal it’s not Shearer or Cole, it’s Showunmi
There was once a club – ok club is perhaps pushing it – let’s say a cult following – devoted to Town of striker Enoch Showunmi. A frontman who was paid to scare defences solely on expenses, he was picked up by Mike Newell on a free in 2003. The big man’s ability and attitude was quickly lapped up Hatters fans far and wide and soon, with a little bit of help from a certain Michael Harford, was knocking in goals in the third tier. Just like he did on 18th December 2004 – 21 years ago – in the dying moments at Ashton Gate against Bristol City, securing a last-gasp 2-1 victory. We still see it. A ball from the left from the ridiculously underrated Paul Underwood causes confusion in the Robins backline and our hero is there to knock it in as City faff around trying to clear. Thank you for the memories, Enoch.
Press conference chat
Did you know you can watch Jack Wilshere talk about Thursday’s game for 18 minutes and 47 seconds? You better believe it because that’s what the boss did on Wednesday afternoon when he sat down and spoke to the media.
Want to know something even better? It’s free to watch. Just click the video below.
Town team news
If you did sit or scroll with a cuppa and watch those 18 minutes and 47 seconds of the boss’ most recent press conference, you can skip this bit as you’ll already know. But if you didn’t, here’s a squad update in nutshell: Reuell Walters had a slight groin issue, which wasn’t too serious…but then he fell ill. He’s a maybe for next week. There’s still no Hakeem Odoffin or Izzy Jones, although the pair have resumed training. Jake Richards is also a no for Thursday but Jordan Clark and Nahki Wells are well in contention for more minutes after substitute cameos in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Port Vale.
51°25′20″N 0°58′58″W
Reading then! On a Thursday night! On telly! Did you know we played in the first competitive game at the Madejski Stadium when it first opened in 1998? Don’t be too excited, we lost 3-0. Steve Davis, below, did have this header though. Our last game at their old Elm Park ground wasn’t much fun either – we lost that one 3-1.
Our record at the ‘Mad Stad’ (not our words) hasn’t improved much. Just three wins in the following 11 trips – although we have won in two of our last four visits, and drew 1-1 last time out in April 2023. That point secured our place in the Championship play-offs.
For our final game before Christmas over 1,100 Town fans have thought ‘READING, THURSDAY, YES PLEASE’ but if you’re still interested in attending, please be quick – contact the ticket office as soon as possible to get your ticket. More information, including pricing, disabled ticketing and parking, can be found here.
Last call for Christmas
While we’ve got you, don’t forget if you’re in the market for a last-minute Luton Town stocking filler for that family friend, head to the club shop. Final post is the 19th so get your skates on. Click this link for our festive gift selection but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The retro collection (the old Pony gear from the late 90s – for some reason we’re picturing Phil Gray?) is proving ridiculously popular.
Tune in, turn on
Simon Pitts will be at Reading to call the action as it happens, live and uninterrupted on LTFC+. More subscriber info can be found right here, but it’s just £10 for a match pass if you’re overseas. The game live on TV in the UK, so if you do have access to Sky, that’s your best bet.
You can also follow our social media channels for live updates as they happen, plus photos and behind-the-scenes content during the 90 minutes. Stick around post-match on lutontown.co.uk for a full report, post-match reaction and the highlights.
And finally...don’t be THAT fan.
Now the serious bit. A reminder to all supporters, no matter who you are, how old or who you’re supporting on the night, to go about your time at the game with respect. We continue to support the Love Football, Protect the Game campaign.
Luton Town Football Club has committed in its customer charter to providing safe match-day experiences for all supporters regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability or sexual orientation, and this applies equally to home and away fixtures.
In the event that any Luton supporters make discriminatory chants, the Club will work with the police and football authorities to help identify such individuals. Any such fans would then face the strictest club sanctions, including football banning orders that would prevent them attending any matches, in addition to any criminal charges.
Furthermore, we would like to warn against pitch incursions and the use of pyrotechnics or missiles – which could lead to potential prosecution.
We can also be held responsible for the behaviour of its supporters, which could lead to substantial fines being imposed.
As a diverse and inclusive football club, we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our fellow EFL clubs in supporting the FA’s ‘Love Football. Protect the Game’ campaign and call on all fans to enjoy the game in a positive spirit.
If you are offended by any discriminatory abuse of any kind at any of our games, you can report it by clicking HERE, or by contacting your nearest steward immediately.
Alternatively, email myvoice@lutontown.co.uk or report the incident via Kick it Out's free, confidential reporting app on the App Store and Google Play.
We're all Luton.
This week we're mostly liking...
Yeah, as if there’s anything more aesthetically pleasing in the world right now than a slow-motion Cohen Bramall free-kick.
See you at Reading.
Up the Town.
