Wilshere hopes Wembley final will boost the Hatters' spirits
Town head to the home of English football next month
Luton boss Jack Wilshere is hoping that an upcoming trip to Wembley Stadium in the Vertu Trophy final gives his players the boost that is needed in their bid to reach the League One play-offs this term.
The Hatters defeated Northampton Town 2-1 in front of a raucous Kenilworth Road on Wednesday night, as they set up a trip to the home of English football when taking on League One rivals Stockport County on April 12. Before then, Town have eight games to contend with, starting at home to fellow top six rivals Reading this afternoon, before trips to Doncaster Rovers on Tuesday night and Wycombe Wanderers next weekend.
Asked if the feelgood factor at Kenilworth Road, which has been in such short supply for much of the campaign, due to Luton languishing in 10th place having been expected to challenge for automatic promotion, given to them by having the opportunity to win a competition they last did in 2009, can help the Hatters players during the run-in, Wilshere said: “We hope so because at times the fans have been frustrated this season, and me, the players, the staff, we completely understand it.
"We’re trying our hardest to try and turn it around. We’ve picked up a nice rhythm at home where we seem to be able to find qualities to win games, with the fans helping us as well, we know we need to be better away from home, but Wednesday was a really nice evening for everyone. We talk about the players deserving it, but there’s a lot of people at this club who have been through some tough moments over the years with how everything’s gone.
"We talk about the fans, the fans are the most important people at the football club and we have a duty and responsibility to make them feel inspired what they see, and we’re trying really hard to do that. We’ve not always got it right this season, but Wednesday was a nice evening which hopefully we can use moving forward. A Wembley final lifts everyone but there’s a lot of football to be played before that. There’s a nice bounce in everyone’s step now. We worked hard for that and my message to the players afterwards, in my opinion they deserved that moment because it’s not always been easy and it won’t always be easy.
"We’re working hard to solve a lot of things that we know we need to get better at, but when you have a night like that, especially after you’ve been through some tough moments together, but always stuck together, it gives everyone a boost. Hopefully it can help us in the upcoming games before we go there. We have eight games before then, so as good a feeling as it was and as proud moment it was for me, your attention soon goes to the next game.”
Although Town have that final to look forward to in just over a month, Wilshere intends to focus minds on their hopes of reaching Wembley for a second time via the play-offs , as he continued: “My job is to say to the players, enjoy it, because moments like that don’t come around often in football and a lot of players in the group won’t have played at Wembley and they have an opportunity to go there, but then that being said, we also have a game.
"So my job was to manage how much they enjoyed it and quickly refocus them but also capture that moment as we have to go again as we know the situation we’re in at the moment and we have to turn that around. Every game (is important), especially at this part of the season, but especially with how we’re trying to work, how we’re trying to climb the table, it’s always the next game is the most important and that’s always my message to the players, trying to make them understand that.
"Wednesday’s done and we need to take the good things out of that game and the experience, but we quickly move on as we know we’ve got another game, a big game, against a team that are above us. It’s also about us and how we approach the game, trying to win a game of football and once that’s done we’ll go on to Tuesday and try to win that game.”