Luton Town

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Luton Town have confirmed plans to organise a testimonial for departing club legend Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu.

The Hatters announced on Friday that midfielder Mpanzu will be released at the end of his contract next month.

His exit will bring an end to his 12-season stay at Kenilworth Road.

During that time Mpanzu has made 412 appearances for Luton and played a major part in their nine-year rise from the National League to the Premier League.

Luton chief executive Gary Sweet said: "We'll miss him greatly but wish him every success with whatever comes next.

"And when the time is convenient for Pelly and his career, he will be honoured with a testimonial here to thank him for such wonderful service."

Jobi McAnuff
Former Reading winger on Football Daily 72+: The EFL Podcast

Image source, Rex Features

I think it's a prime example of a club that got promoted, maybe one or two players feeling they were going to stay in the Premier League. That didn't quite happen.

I actually thought by keeping hold of the likes of Carlton Morris and a couple of the others that they would have more than enough to be so competitive at this level. They just haven't been able to do it.

They just took too long to get themselves going. Matt Bloomfield came in and really got that team spirit and organisation back. Really hard to break down but in the end they just left themselves that little bit too much to do.

That last 10 games before the West Brom game, they were as good as any team in terms of wins and points, take away the top two or three.

They gave themselves a chance but it was just too little, too late and in the end I think it was a lack of team spirit, togetherness, and ultimately that's cost them their place.

Jobi McAnuff was talking on BBC's Football Daily 72+: The EFL Podcast.

Listen to the latest episode on BBC Sounds.

Luton Town make their final bid to escape relegation when they visit West Bromwich Albion on Saturday (12:30 BST).

The Hatters are hovering just one point above the drop zone with an unhealthy goal difference.

However, they are ending the season strong under boss Matt Bloomfield, having won their past three game with the latest two against teams currently in play-off positions; Bristol City and Coventry City.

It means they are unlikely to be intimidated by Albion, who are winless in three to see them out of a play-off contending position.

• West Brom have lost just one of their last nine league games against Luton Town (W5 D3), a 2-0 away defeat in February 2022.

• Luton Town have failed to win any of their last four away league games against West Brom (D1 L3) and overall have won just two of their last 20 (D3 L15).

• West Brom have won two of their last three games on the final day of a league season (L1), as many victories as across their prior 16 such fixtures between 2006 and 2021 combined (D7 L7).

• Luton have failed to win any of their last seven away Football League games that have fallen on the final day of a league campaign (D3 L4), since a 2-0 victory over Shrewsbury Town in the fourth tier in 2002.

• Luton have scored the fewest goals of any Championship side so far this season (42), though they have netted 11 of those strikes from corners – a joint-league tally alongside Coventry City, Derby County, Leeds and QPR.

Image source, Rex Features

Former Luton Town manager David Pleat says cool heads could be the key to Championship survival at West Brom on Saturday.

Matt Bloomfield's Hatters finally climbed out of the relegation places by beating Coventry City last weekend, making it three wins in a row, and will retain their Championship status if they match or better Hull City's result.

They are level on points with Preston North End and Derby County, the two teams immediately above them, but have an inferior goal difference compared to both.

Pleat famously danced across the pitch at Maine Road after Luton avoided relegation from the top flight in 1983 by beating Manchester City 1-0.

"You've certainly got to keep the players calm, they mustn't get over-excited because the worst thing that can happen in any game of this magnitude is getting a player sent off or too hyped up that he reacts in a different way to what he would do normally," he told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"They must try to get the ascendancy in the first 20 minutes to quieten the home crowd because the last home game of the season, for any team, is important - a home win gets the supporters thinking about their season tickets.

"West Brom will want to play well in their last game and Luton, they've had a good away record recently, in the last couple of weeks they've played with great spirit, real tenacity and I think it's possible for them to do it.

"Try and treat it as a game and not an occasion. It's difficult to get the right balance but I imagine they'll play a very similar team that's won the last three game and I'm pleased the boy (Liam) Walsh got his ban overturned so he'll be able to play, if selected."

Listen to the full David Pleat interview here.

"If you would have said that, three or four weeks ago, Preston are going to have to go to the last day of the season to get a result, you'd be like no, no chance," former Reading midfielder Jobi McAnuff tells the 72+ podcast.

McAnuff and Aaron Paul are joined by former Barnsley manager Darrell Clarke as they discuss the upcoming Championship relegation fight and who they think is most at risk.

For McAnuff, it's Hull City and Preston North End that "are in trouble".

Hull sacked former boss Liam Rosenior after finishing seventh in the Championship last season, but have struggled since his departure and are currently sitting in the bottom three, a point away from safety.

Meanwhile, Preston are among three teams just a point above and have been dragged into the relegation fight after a winless run of seven games - and it's the Lancashire side Clarke is most concerned about.

"I just think to myself, they've dropped off a cliff, they've got Bristol City away, I fancy Hull to get something at Portsmouth," Clarke said.

"Fratton Park is a difficult place to go to... but they are on holiday aren't they?"

Listen to the full episode and more on the Football Daily podcast.

Geoff Doyle
BBC 3CR sports editor

Image source, BBC Sport

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So it's one final push for Luton Town.

A win at West Brom guarantees Championship football next season, a draw could be good enough and even defeat might not mean relegation if Hull slip up at Portsmouth.

Three wins out of three has helped put the Hatters in this situation as has the longer spell of decent form - one defeat in nine.

But it still always comes down to fine margins. On Saturday, at a tense Kenilworth Road what made Coventry goalkeeper Brad Collins inexplicably attempt to punch the ball 16 yards from his goalline with a minute to go?

And even after that misjudgement, how did Luis Binks not manage to clear Shandon Baptiste's resulting shot off the line? That's football.

Around 2,500 Luton fans will now head to The Hawthorns believing their side can pull off another great escape like they did 35 years ago at the Baseball Ground when Kingsley Black scored the winner against Derby and 42 years ago at Maine Road when Raddy Antic's goal led to David Pleat's famous jig.

Those were very special days as was the Championship survival five years ago when Luton looked doomed as Covid hit.

After the enforced break the Hatters produced similar form to this time around but the supporters didn't get the chance to celebrate the achievement.

It's in Luton's hands and if they do stay up the club should toast the success but then quickly analyse what went wrong this season in preparation for the next campaign.

Luton need to make best use of the final parachute payment money which gives them such an advantage over the majority of the other clubs.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Luton need to get the job done.

They come up against a West Brom side short of morale and confidence after missing out on the play-offs.

The atmosphere among the home supporters could be hostile after the previous match there saw them ship three to another relegation candidate Derby.

Luton fans don't want to worry about what's going on at Fratton Park. Take care of business against the Baggies, play as they have been doing for the past eight weeks and take all three points back to Bedfordshire.

If only it was that simple.

Commentary on West Brom v Luton Town is on BBC Three Counties Radio

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After an injury-ravaged season, Luton Town's match-winner Shandon Baptiste says he is relieved to have given something back to the club.

The midfielder has only been able to start seven Championship matches so far this season, with a further nine appearances as a substitute, because of hamstring and calf injuries.

But Baptiste came off the bench to score a last-minute goal against Coventry on Saturday which lifted the Hatters out of the relegation zone with one game remaining.

"It's been a long old season for me and I'm just happy to be able to help the team in a way which was needed and that was with a goal," the 27-year-old told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"I'm happy to give that to the fans, my team-mates and the gaffer, because when I've been in the treatment room they're the guys who have been working and putting in the performances to get us to this point."

Baptiste was introduced as a 78th-minute substitute with the game against the Sky Blues goalless and capitalised on a defensive mix-up between goalkeeper Brad Collins and Liam Kitching to score the winner.

"It was a moment of two players thinking different things and I anticipated where the ball was going to land, I saw the open goal and I was glad to score and get the three points," he added.

Luton will finish the campaign at West Brom on Saturday (12:30 BST) knowing a win would guarantee their Championship status.

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Boss Matt Bloomfield praised Luton Town's patience after Shandon Baptiste's 90th-minute goal earned a dramatic win over Coventry City in an eventful game that saw both side's finish with 10 men

The win moved the Hatters out of the bottom three with one game left to play.

"The industry we are involved in is going to throw so many challenges your way and you have to try and stay calm and think clearly," Bloomfield said.

"We had the momentum, we hit the post, their goalkeeper has made a couple of incredible saves, but the ball doesn't go in so there's a risk of frustration.

"All of those things go into the pot and for us to find a moment right at the end is incredibly pleasing.

"Shandon [Baptiste] is a boy who is really diligent about his work. I think he's a fantastic player and for him to have that moment after some of the disappointments he's had this year is fantastic."