Edwards insists Town 'need to be united' after Hatters fans roar Luton on to wonderful Watford win

Luton boss Rob Edwards insisted the Hatters’ need to be united’ after witnessing the perfect example of just what can be achieved when that is the case during Saturday’s magnificent 3-0 victory over local rivals Watford.

Since taking over back in November 2022, the Luton chief has enjoyed a superb relationship with Town’s supporters, leading the club to the promised land of the Premier League via the play-offs, that bond remaining during a tough 12 months in the top flight, which saw an injury-hit Hatters give staying up a real go, only to eventually suffer relegation back to the Championship.

Going into the new campaign, the support remained for Edwards and his players, but following tough start to life in the second tier, there were the first few signs of cracks starting to appear, culminating in the manager himself coming in for some criticism from the travelling faithful following the insipid nature of their 2-0 defeat at Sheffield United, a fifth loss from nine matches.

It had to some trepidation from the home support when turning up to see Luton take on a Hornets side on Saturday, the visitors in sixth place themselves, with boss Tom Cleverley unwisely threatening to ‘inflict some pain’ on derby day. However, Kenilworth Road responded magnificently to the occasion, as did the players as well, turning in a complete 90-minute performance, easily their best showing of the season, as they were just far too good for their shell-shocked rivals in every single aspect, Jordan Clark, Carlton Morris and Jacob Brown on target to seal a memorable victory.

With the appreciative home supporters roaring them on at every opportunity, cheering every block, tackle and header won, of which there were many, then speaking afterwards, Edwards knows that has to be blueprint for the rest of the season now, saying: “The whole club united today. The spirit of the fans was amazing and it’s been difficult for them as well because it wasn’t hard to get up for the stuff in the Premier League last year, but it’s been hard probably for everyone and maybe they understand as well a little bit of the psyche of the players as well, as today wasn’t difficult for anyone to get up for this game.

"It probably was the perfect game for us after the disappointment a couple of weeks ago. We know we’ve got to give the supporters something to shout about and they responded, I thought they were brilliant today. We need to be united. Just because we won today, it was a big game and a good performance, we haven’t done anything yet. We need to be united, it’s a long season, we need to stick together, I just need everyone to understand that.”

In the build-up to the fixture there had been rumours, unsubstantiated, that Edwards was about to leave the club during the international break, although that quickly just turned out to be purely internet gossip. With social media speculation having the capacity to catch on like wildfire these days though, often taken as gospel, it was something that chief executive Gary Sweet referenced in his programme notes ahead of the match, when also calling for supporters to remain onside.

He added: “Today, we are all Luton. That’s one of the things that makes this club so unique. We stand together when times are tough, and that’s what has seen us rise from the depths – as we did under the guidance of that great man, John Still – to the heights, under another great man, Rob Edwards. Every second of Rob’s consciousness at the moment is totally dominated by finding solutions to help us improve, little-by-little, and, like most of you, Rob feels the intense pain when our performance levels don’t meet the high standards we have set ourselves.

“I’m immensely proud of the manner in which Rob and his team has gone about their work these last few days, addressing meticulous detail, leaving no stone unturned, and it’s this approach that will make us stronger, more resolute and more determined to get it right. Our coaching staff and players are doing that under today’s relentless commentary on social media, too. Generally, I, and we, tend to choose to avoid social media because it can be a distraction to the clarity and focus of us being efficient in our work.

"On occasion, however, it’s impossible to filter everything out and, whilst constructive supporter opinion is really valuable to us, being thick-skinned has to come with the territory. I think we can all see both the good and the bad in the variety of platforms of opinion the internet provides – which is mostly good, of course.

"However, I often question the purpose, validity and balance of some usage – especially when it’s blatantly ‘fake news’ or ‘opinion’ created to attract clicks to boost an ego or to crave attention with no care for its accuracy, or consideration for its subject matter. While we can’t change social behaviour, those of us in the club can and will remain united in our unwavering support of our squad and coaching team while we learn and progress to our next goal. I would urge every one of you all to join us.”