Edwards won't be setting up his Luton side to sit back for a draw in first leg at Sunderland

Luton boss Rob Edwards has declared he won’t be setting his side up to sit back and play for a draw during their play-off semi-final first leg at Sunderland tomorrow.

The last four encounters between the two sides have ended 1-1, both Championship encounters this term and the two League One fixtures back in the 2018-19 season

You have to go back to 1973 in Division Two when Luton actually won at Sunderland, some 18 games and 50 years ago, that a 1-0 Division Two success when Barry Butlin scored the only goal.

Although Edwards isn’t expected to go gung-ho on Wearside, with the Hatters unbeaten in 12 matches on the road, a run spanning over five months, recording six wins and six draws, with six clean sheets, although the second leg is still to come at Luton in a few days time, Town certainly won’t be heading up with a negative attitude either.

The Hatters chief said: “We always try and keep it tight in whatever game.

"The game’s about trying to score one end and keep it out the other, so we’ll always try and keep it tight, but we’ll always try and win the game as well.

"We’ve got our way of trying to do it and Sunderland have got theirs and I’m sure it will be an exciting couple of games.

"But we’re not going up there to just sit and wait and let them come on to us, that’s just not how we play.

"If a draw is a good result only time will tell on that, but we’re not going up there looking for that at all.”

After Saturday's clash, Luton welcome the Black Cats to Kenilworth Road on Tuesday night in what should be a raucous evening under the lights in Bedfordshire.

On whether there was any bonus about being at home for the second game, Edwards continued: “I don’t know, I think it’s supposed to be when you’re finishing third or fourth, but it just is what it is.

"It’s going to be a huge occasion for them, they’ve arrived in the play-offs on the last day, really exciting and they have got a brilliant fanbase, regardless of what’s going on.

"Now they’re in the play-offs, it's going to be even more wild.

"We experienced a little bit of it when they got the equaliser late against us a few weeks back and the stadium really caught fire then.

"It was a really good experience to be able to draw on as well, so we’ve witnessed it a little bit, but I’m expecting a little bit more than what we saw as well.

"Whether it’s an advantage or not, I don’t know, time will tell.

"We've got them away first and we’ll deal with that.”

What Edwards does know is that his players are going to have to keep their heads in either environment, whether it’s in front of over 45,000 supporters at Sunderland or the 10,000 fans roaring them on back in Luton.

With the play-offs capable of throwing up any kind of scenario and result, he added: “There’s times where the games could be a little bit uncontrollable, we’ve got to be ready for that.

"I think both stadiums are going to be loud and proper atmospheres as well, so the lads are going to need to be calm in certain situations, or all the time.

"There’s going to be lots going on, a load of noise, but we’ve got to try and be what we have been consistently now for a long, long time and that’s what’s brought us success.

"We don’t need to deviate from anything, it’s try and stick to our plan and be really good at what we do.

“I think they’re looking forward to it, I think it’s going to bring out the best in them, I think these lads will really rise to the occasion.

“I hope that the great atmosphere, which we know it’s going to be, brilliant fanbase, brilliant stadium, it’ll hopefully really inspire us to a great performance.”