Luton Town

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On the latest episode of BBC Three Counties' Luton in the Prem podcast, commentators Geoff Doyle and Simon Oxley discuss the Hatters' break in Dubai and new signing Tom Holmes.

Rob Edwards' team have made the most of their mini winter break from the Premier League by setting off for some warm weather training.

"It's a funny sort of break isn't it because some had it last week, some have it this week," Oxley said.

"They've headed off - managed to fit it in between FA Cup commitments. They had to change their travel arrangements, staying in Manchester after the Bolton replay and flying to Dubai from there.

"Obviously they were determined to go. Look at it now, it's freezing old outside, training pitches won't be in the best condition - go out, get some rest, get some warm weather for what is to come.

"There's everything to play for so they need to be in the best shape to do that. If that means jetting off to sunnier climes then so be it."

Listen in full on BBC Sounds

Geoff Doyle, BBC Three Counties Radio

Luton Town just needed to get the job done at Bolton Wanderers in their FA Cup replay and that is pretty much what they did.

Manager Rob Edwards went for a bold, attacking, aggressive stance (when else may they get the chance?) and it ultimately paid off. The approach did leave them open a bit and Luton were helped with a Bolton disallowed goal incident near the end that VAR may have looked at in the Premier League.

When I spoke to Edwards afterwards, he told me he wants his side to make that next progression of becoming a team who, when expected to win, do have a favourites' attitude and go and perform really strongly. They are getting closer to that, but that still may come with a bit of time.

Luton have now travelled to Dubai (can any Hatters fans have imagined this 10 years ago?!) for some warm weather training as they have a break from Premier League duty.

That has not stopped them making their first January signing. Reading defender Tom Holmes fits the usual Hatters criteria of being talented, in his early 20s and with three full Championship seasons under his belt.

The Dubai experience is more likely to be a chance to rest and recover and as Edwards told me to let their hair down a tad and have "a bit of a laugh".

Luton are currently on a run of one defeat in six in all competitions. When they return, it’s back to FA Cup action before the midweek game against Brighton and then another long trip to Newcastle United.

The players deserve their rest and have earned the right to have some sunshine on their backs.

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Luton Town have confirmed the signing of defender Tom Holmes from Reading for an undisclosed fee.

The 23-year-old has also been loaned back to the League One side until the end of the season.

Holmes is a product of the Royals' academy and has made nine league appearances this season.

Reading are struggling both on and off the pith, with owner Dai Yongge told to either fund or sell the club by the EFL after fan protests led to Saturday's match against Port Vale being abandoned, and reportedly need to sell a number of their promising young players.

"He's a proper defender, but is someone who can take the ball as well and we think he's got a high ceiling for someone who is still young and developing," said Luton boss Rob Edwards.

"We are really looking forward to working with him and we welcome him to the club, but we feel the right thing for him is to stay at Reading on loan for the rest of the season and continue to help there."

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Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson says Luton Town boss Rob Edwards will want to take momentum from Tuesday's FA Cup third-round replay win over Bolton Wanderers into their Premier League survival bid.

"On the list of priorities at the start of the season, the FA Cup would not have been anywhere near the top," Robinson told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.

"Staying in the Premier League is the objective and a tie against Everton or Crystal Palace in the next round probably isn't too appealing.

"What is appealing though is a six-game run with only one defeat, which is of huge importance to them. He [Edwards] wants to take that performance - what they've shown in the FA Cup - into league points to keep the run going because a winning run is just as difficult to get out of as a losing one.

"Momentum-wise, absolutely he wanted to come here and get a result. He made five changes from the team that drew at Burnley, but it was still a very strong team.

"Ross Barkley was the anchor of everything, he was brilliant again - a class above everyone else on the pitch. He really is showing his credentials and why he was bought to the club."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

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Luton Town boss Rob Edwards says he is "pleased" his side edged past League One side Bolton Wanderers in their FA Cup third-round replay, despite being "sloppy in too many moments".

The Hatters came from 1-0 down to win 2-1 and will now face either Everton or Crystal Palace in the fourth round.

Speaking in the post-match news conference, Edwards said: "Tonight was about winning. We were not at our best.

"We had to manage a few tonight - but we try to win every match we go into. We found a way to win tonight.

"We just dropped a bit, and you can't do that. Bolton are a big club, but when we are favourites, we took our foot off the gas and Bolton could have punished us. But lots of good play by us, just a little sloppy in final third."

Luton will not play now until their fourth-round tie on 27 January and Edwards is relishing the chance to spend time with his squad.

"We're going away for some warm weather - getting training in and time together," he added.

"It has been a tough season so far."

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Emma Smith, BBC Sport

Job done for Luton - but not without being pushed hard over three hours of football by a third division side.

Rob Edwards' side huffed and puffed for long periods over both games, despite dominating possession and chances.

Although they responded quickly to Bolton's opener, Luton never felt in control of a very open game in which both sides struck the woodwork.

Eventually Premier League quality told, with league regulars Ross Barkley and Carlton Morris heavily involved in the build-up for Chiedozie Ogbene's winner.

Luton's fight against relegation has been thrown into uncertainty this week by potential point deductions for Everton and Nottingham Forest.

In comparison, the certainty of an FA Cup run - and the potential morale boost it could bring - is clearly being welcomed by Edwards.

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Premier League side Luton Town came from behind to beat League One's Bolton in their FA Cup third round replay.

Dion Charles raised the roof by putting the third-tier hosts ahead on 11 minutes, but Tahith Chong equalised just four minutes later.

An exciting end-to-end game was decided by Chiedozie Ogbene, whose goal puts Luton in the fourth round for the fourth successive season.

Luton will now visit Crystal Palace or Everton on 27 January.

Were you at Toughsheet Community Stadium or did you follow the match from elsewhere?

Hatters fans - let us know your thoughts on the game here

Follow all of the reaction here

Bolton Wanderers are hosting Luton Town at Toughsheet Community Stadium in an FA Cup third-round replay, with kick-off less than an hour away.

Get all the build-up followed by live text updates here

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Luton Town midfielder Jayden Luker has joined National League Woking on loan until the end of the season.

The 18-year-old, who signed a contract extension in November, has been an unused substitute on four occasions for the Hatters' first team this season.

He played for Lambeth Tigers growing up before joining Luton in the summer of 2022.

Luton Town boss Rob Edwards has been speaking to the media before Tuesday's FA Cup third-round replay at League One Bolton Wanderers.

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On possible rotation: "We have the opportunity to [make changes], but we will select a side capable of winning the game and one which will go into the game with the right mentality. But it doesn’t matter what team I pick, we need the right mentality to be on it."

• When asked about his side's recent late goals, Edwards says it "shows very good character, good fitness, and shows we’re able to change the game tactically or from the bench". He added: "Hopefully we can get a few more early on and still continue to get some late as well."

• On Tuesday's opponents: "Bolton are a good team, especially at home. They'll fancy they can win the game, and why not? They came to our place and drew and performed well. We’ll respect them and prepare accordingly."

• On switching focus from the relegation battle: "To be honest, it’s human nature to get up for Premier League games, but the mentality, focus and attitude needs to be right for the cup games – and that’s how the lads have trained."

• On continuing with the right mentality, Edwards added: "Let’s go do that. We’ve still had a bit of a break, that’s no problem. It's a game we’re looking forward to."

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Alex Howell, BBC Sport

There's been reports linking him to the club but Luton Town's Teden Mengi is not a player that's being considered as a future signing for Crystal Palace at the moment.

The Eagles have Joachim Anderson and Marc Guehi - who are their first choice partnership - and Rob Holding and James Tomkins as back ups in the position.

Mengi has been impressing for Luton this season and manager Rob Edwards said that his team would not weaken themselves in the transfer market this window.

We asked you for your thoughts on Friday's match between Burnley and Luton Town.

Here are some of your comments:

Burnley fans

Richard: A brilliant performance by Burnley in a tough fixture against a very good Luton team. What an appalling decision for the Luton goal. Should we now be looking for a secondary VAR review to review VAR's many mistakes? Laughable.

Dave: Yes it was a poor decision by the ref/VAR, but it was also a poor decision by James Trafford to come for that ball with so much in front of him. Too many players seem to have accepted that we are already down. Either that or they don’t care. A poor performance overall, but credit to Luton, they played well, with Barkley bossing the midfield.

Paul: The draw felt like a defeat. We were poor tonight. That equaliser would have been disallowed in any other game. It feels like there are two sets of rules -one set for us and another for every other team. That said, we probably didn't deserve the win.

Colin: I'm not convinced that James Trafford has the height or physique to command the penalty area at set pieces.

Luton fans

Kevin: The Town dominated the game for long periods and overall were the better team. Fully deserved a draw and possibly more. Vincent Kompany was probably more upset with his own team than the VAR referral. Burnley were very limited despite massive spending on players.

Phillipe: For the away side, they had far more possession and were more of a threat. A draw in the end was a fair result but Luton were marginally the better team. Barkley a class above the rest.

Dave: Putting up a real fight, true underdog fighting spirit! Keep this up and we will survive.

Nigel: Luton's approach play and pressing was excellent. Their wide players were always available as an excellent outlet for the ball. I also feel that sometimes they could improve in the final third. The final ball occasionally is not as good as they would like. Barkley though is really coming alive, which is a massive plus.

Gary Lineker introduces highlights and analysis from Saturday's two Premier League fixtures, as well as Friday night's match between Burnley and Luton

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up on the action on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to Saturday's BBC Radio 5 Live match commentary in full on BBC Sounds:

• Newcastle 2-3 Manchester City

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Luton boss Rob Edwards to BBC Sport after his side drew 1-1 to Burnley on Friday night: "I'm really pleased with the late point. I feel we deserved at least that. The performance was excellent. Any point away from home is welcome.

"It was a real mixture of feelings and emotions at half-time. We were dominant. But I was frustrated we were 1-0 down. We didn't play as well in the second half as we did in the first but we kept trying to do the right things.

On Ross Barkley's performance: "We love him. He's loving his time here. Continue to do what he's doing and I know he'll get a lot of plaudits. There's a lot around him playing really well."

On their controversial late equaliser: "I think if I'm being honest if it's against me I'd be very disappointed like they are. But if it had been disallowed it would have been quite soft. It's a difficult one. I'm pleased they made that decision clearly because it got us a point but I understand their frustrations.

"It's hard. It comes down to opinion. I'm glad it's gone for us tonight. That's the fault if there is one [with VAR] that it comes down to opinions. I'm pleased it's gone for us."

• Burnley have now dropped 18 points from winning positions in the Premier League, with only Brentford dropping more (20). They’ve only won two of their last seven games when taking the lead (D2 L3).

• Luton have scored 10 goals in the final 10 minutes of Premier League games this season – only Liverpool have scored more (13).

• Luton’s Alfie Doughty registered his fifth Premier League assist via a cross this season – only West Ham United’s James Ward-Prowse has as many assists from crosses (also five).

• Carlton Morris ended a run of 13 Premier League appearances for Luton without a goal, netting his fourth goal of the season and first since September against Everton.

• No player has more Premier League goals for Burnley this season than Zeki Amdouni (4 - level with Lyle Foster). The only Swiss players with more goals in a Premier League season are Xherdan Shaqiri (8 in 2017-18, 6 in 2018-19) and Granit Xhaka (7 in 2022-23).

• Burnley’s Johann Gudmundsson became the fourth Icelandic player to reach 150 Premier League appearances, after Hermann Hreidarsson (332), Gylfi Sigurdsson (318) and Eidur Gudjohnsen (211).

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Neil Johnston, BBC Sport

They might be in the bottom three but Luton's fighting spirit remains unquestionable.

Not for the first time they left it late to rescue a point, this time against fellow strugglers Burnley at an angry Turf Moor.

Home fans were disgruntled as Carlton Morris' header was allowed to stand after claims keeper James Trafford had been fouled.

A lengthy VAR check followed and jeers rang around the ground as it was allowed to stand.

The point was enough to see the Hatters join Everton on 16 points.

Will there be new faces in the squad when Luton are next in Premier League action on 30 January?

With the playing future of Tom Lockyer uncertain following his cardiac arrest last month and midfielder Marvelous Nakamba out with a serious knee injury, boss Rob Edwards could move to bolster his squad.