Luton midfielder suspended for FA Cup trip to Everton as Edwards want to maintain 'feel-good factor'

Luton midfielder Jordan Clark is out of Saturday's FA Cup fourth round trip to Everton due to suspension.

The 30-year-old had only recently broken into the Hatters’ starting XI having missed the opening few months of the season with ankle ligament damage picked up during the friendly clash with Vfl Bochum in Germany, beginning the 1-1 draw at Burnley in the Premier League and 2-1 third round replay victory over Bolton Wanderers. However, having been booked when coming off the bench in the stalemate at Kenilworth Road, Clark picked up another yellow during the latter stages at the Toughsheet Stadium, which will see him absent at Goodison Park tomorrow.

With a top flight fixture against Brighton & Hove Albion just three days later, boss Rob Edwards said: “He got a yellow in both the Bolton games so he’s suspended now for this one, which is a blow, just as we’re getting him back and fit and firing, but it gives other people opportunities. We’re still missing Mads (Andersen), he’s going to be a few weeks, but other than that we’re there or thereabouts. There’s one or two we’re going to have to manage as we've got a huge game a couple of days later obviously, so we’ll be looking at that, but we’ll be going into this picking a team that’s as strong as possible to try and win the game.”

Clark had been used in the wide left attacking position at Turf Moor, before playing slightly more centrally when facing the Trotters in the replay, his incisive pass setting up Tahith Chong to make it 1-1 after Luton had fallen behind. On his different role against the Clarets, the Town chief continued: “It was really, really positive from Clicks, I thought his positional sense was great, really tidy and clean with the ball when it came into him in some of those areas, those pockets. I thought he was bright, thought his pressing intensity was great as well and a big reason why I thought the performance was so good was our pressing intensity, our regains as soon as we lost it. That allowed us to have the ball and dominant the game with the ball, so Clicker was a big part of it.”

Edwards named strong sides for both matches against the League One Trotters recently, but with a crucial Premier League encounter with the Seagulls on the horizon, asked if that will affect his strategy this time, he said: “No, I know there’s a game in a few days time, but we’ll deal with that. I’m aware of it, there are contingencies in place and we’ll always talk about scenarios and what we may need to do during the game, but honestly our focus is about trying to win this game and that is it. I’m well aware of what is coming next week, with Brighton and Newcastle, two extremely difficult games in the Premier League, but all our focus is on Everton right now. Our intentions are to keep our performance levels high, our form high and we want to try and win the game.”

With Luton in a decent run of form ahead of the international break, with one defeat in six from all competitions, taking seven points from a possible 12 in the league, then Edwards wants that to continue on Merseyside, adding: “The league is the most important thing, I’m not going to shy away from that, but as this is the next game, this is the game that we’re preparing for now.

"All our focus is on it, we want to win the game, we want to go as far into the competition as possible. It’s an amazing competition, so we’ll take it very, very seriously and for us to continue keep building on our performances and to try and keep that feel-good factor by getting positive results and performances, this is the next opportunity to do it. We’re really looking forward to it, going up against a brilliant football club in a great stadium, so the motivation is there for us.”