Shea calls on Luton Town fans to be the Hatters' 13th man during derby clash

Luton keeper James Shea has called on Town’s fans to not just be the 12th man, but the 13th as well, during their eagerly-anticipated derby clash against Watford tomorrow.

The Hatters supporters have been waiting 17 years to get the chance to roar their players on during a match against their sworn enemies at Kenilworth Road, with the last match a 2-1 defeat back in January 2006.

Although Luton have hosted the Hornets since then, winning 1-0 in April 2021, the coronavirus pandemic meant it was played behind closed doors, with no fans allowed to attend.

A red-hot atmosphere is expected with the two teams going head to head and with that in mind, Shea said: “It will be buzzing, it will be absolutely rocking on Saturday at half twelve, there’s no denying that.

“Not many teams like going to Kenilworth Road so we’ve got to use that to our advantage and hopefully they won’t like it.

“Our stadium helps us, we have our twelfth man and it could even probably be our thirteenth man on Saturday, so we’ve got to make it as hostile as possible and not make it comfortable for them.

"That’s what they’ll want, they’ll want a comfortable game, and we can’t give them that.”

The keeper also has his own personal reasons for wanting to win as well, as he continued: “I’ve got a neighbour who’s a Watford fan so I’d love to have the bragging rights over him.

"On their day they can beat anyone, we just hope if we turn up and play to our 100 percent max, I’m sure we can get a win.”

Shea will be one of seven members of the match-day squad still at Kenilworth Road from the last time Town went up against Watford back in April 2021, James Collins’ late penalty with his first touch ensuring the hosts collected all three points.

Although it was played out in front of an empty stadium, Shea still knew just what a big moment it was for the entire town, saying: “Of course, it was weird, as Covid was a weird time, not just for us, but for the whole world.

"You knew how much it meant to the boys to win though.

"We can use that, as there’s still a good bunch of the boys who are still here, so everyone knows what it means to not just us, but the club.”

Both sides will be well rested going into the contest, the Hatters after an exhausting week that saw them remain unbeaten when travelling to both Sheffield United and Sunderland, while hosting Bristol City in between.

They picked up seven points in that time to make it six matches unbeaten, with Watford, now managed by Chris Wilder, on a run of just two victories from 11.

Shea, who is now back following a serious knee injury, felt the rest came at just the right moment, saying: “The boys were running on empty at the end of the Sunderland game and it was the perfect time for everyone just to have a little break, have a little reset, enjoy having some family time and it’s back to work now.

"We go again for this final stretch of games to get us over the line.

“This is the time of year where everything matters, this is what the whole season sets you up for and these are the games you want to be playing in.

"The sun is coming out a bit now, it’s getting a bit warmer, days are getting a bit longer, so it’s the time of year where you want to be playing.”

Although the former Arsenal youngster is expected to be on the bench for the contest once more, Ethan Horvath due to start after coming back from international duty with the USA, he does have experience of other derbies during his career to call on if needed on the day.

Shea added: “I played for AFC Wimbledon against MK (Dons), it was good to be part of the first Wimbledon team to beat MK.

"We beat them in the JPT there and then we beat them at home in League One, which was a good night.

"It was a real hostile night, we knew what it meant to the fans at the time and it will be the same here.

"We know what it means and we want to win, you’ll do anything just to get that win and get that three points.”