Edwards on Burke, home 'cup finals' and fans playing 'a huge part'
- Published
Manager Rob Edwards has been speaking to the media before Luton Town host Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday (15:00 BST kick-off).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Edwards is "hopeful" defender Reece Burke will be available but no other injured players will recover in time.
Midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga remains sidelined but is "pushing" to return for the Brentford game on 20 April.
Elijah Adebayo and Chieo Ogbene "are progressing" but need longer.
On whether he will be forced to rush them back to help the team fight against relegation: "It is not on my mind right now and it is something the players would have to buy into as well because it is their bodies. They are really keen to push and they are. It will be rational and educated risks, but we will see when we get to the latter stage of the season."
He said the four remaining home games "are like cup finals" and "the supporters will play a huge part" in helping the Hatters grind out results.
On opponents Bournemouth: "It is not going to be easy but we know we can win. We can take some confidence from things we did well in the reverse fixture and learn from things we didn’t."
Edwards said he "wants to see the players wear their hearts on their sleeve" and "give it everything" to get points.
On survival hopes and pressure: "As difficult as it will be, a win against Bournemouth would put us in a fantastic position. We’ve been really focusing on this game because it can give us more belief and confidence. Three points at this stage would be really important."
He said "the players have accepted the pressure" of the seven remaining games and added: "We have to do our job and try to control our destiny."
