Luton Town v West Ham United
Pre-Season Match, Kenilworth Road, Saturday 23 July 2022, 3pm BST
West Ham United hit the road again on Saturday for their penultimate pre-season match ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.
EFL Championship Play-Off semi-finalists Luton Town will play host to David Moyes' squad at Kenilworth Road in a 3pm kick-off.
The Irons will be seeking to produce an improved performance after going down to a 3-1 defeat at Scottish Premiership side Rangers in Glasgow on Tuesday evening.
The Londoners will not have it easy in Bedfordshire, though, as Nathan Jones’ Hatters enjoyed a superb 2021/22 campaign, finishing sixth in the Championship before being edged out by Huddersfield Town in the Play-Off semi-finals.
The game could also see West Ham come face-to-face with a number of former Hammers in defenders Dan Potts and Reece Burke and midfielders Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu and Henri Lansbury.
Saturday's game is one of seven being played in the build-up to the start of the 2022/23 campaign, which begins with the visit of Premier League champions Manchester City to London Stadium on Sunday 7 August and will see the Hammers participate in four different competitions at home and in Europe.
Tickets…
West Ham United’s allocation of 1,580 standard tickets for Saturday’s game has sold out.
Wheelchair and Accessible (AEA) tickets are available priced at £15 for Adults, £8 for O65s/U22s, £6 for U17s and £1 for U10s. Please call our Ticket Office team on 0333 030 0174 or email [email protected]. Personal Assistants are issued free of charge.
For full ticketing details for our 2022/23 pre-season matches, click here.
How To Follow…
- Saturday's match will be streamed live on our YouTube channel, on whufc.com and our official mobile app. You can follow the action via our live blog on whufc.com and our app and across our social media channels. We will also have highlights and reaction for you after the final whistle.
Travel...
If you are driving to Kenilworth Road, the address for your sat nav is 1 Maple Road, Luton LU4 8AW, but please note Away supporters will be situated in the Oak Stand.
Oak Road is closed to traffic on matchdays and parking in the streets surrounding the stadium is very limited, so supporters are urged to park at Luton railway station, which is a 15-minute walk or free shuttle bus away.
Driving from east London, head for the M25 then take the northbound M1 at Junction 21.
Exit the M1 at Junction 11, proceed along A505 dual carriageway. After one mile, take the second exit at the roundabout, then go straight across two sets of traffic lights and down the hill. Follow signs to the Town Centre/Station and park in the 756-space multi-storey car park at the station.
If you are coming by train, Luton is on the Thameslink line from London St Pancras which also stops at Farringdon and London Blackfriars.
Matchday Information...
Away supporters will be situated in the Oak Stand.
Click here to read our detailed Over Land and Sea guide for travelling supporters.
Team News...
West Ham United will likely be without summer signing Nayef Aguerd, who suffered an ankle injury in Tuesday's defeat at Rangers.
However, with just two pre-season matches left to play, manager David Moyes is otherwise likely to name a strong starting XI at Kenilworth Road.
Craig Dawson's fitness will be assessed after the centre-back missed the pre-season matches at Reading and Rangers.
Opposition…
Founded in April 1885, Luton Town became a founder member of the Southern Football League in 1894, then did likewise when the United League was formed in 1896, before joining the Football League in 1897.
Three years later, with the costs of facing predominantly northern opposition prohibitive, Luton returned to the Southern League, where they would face West Ham United for the first time.
In 1920, Luton returned to the Football League, where they have remained almost exclusively ever since.
The Hatters - Luton being known for its hat making industry - have enjoyed standout moments, with striker Joe Payne holding the record for the most goals scored in a single League match (ten against Bristol Rovers in 1936/37), and Ray Harford leading the club to successive Football League Cup finals in 1988 and 1989, defeating Arsenal in the first to win the club's first and only major trophy to date.
In between, David Pleat led Luton to the top-flight for the first time as Second Division champions in 1981/82.
The Hatters dropped out of the Football League in 2009 but have since surged up the divisions during two spells under current manager Nathan Jones, reaching the Championship in 2019.
Off the pitch, the club hopes to open a new 17,500-capacity stadium in the town by 2024.
Previous Meetings...
We have faced Luton Town 101 times in competitive matches, including war-time fixtures, but it is over 28 years since our most recent visit to Kenilworth Road.
That was in an FA Cup sixth-round replay, when Scott Oakes famously – or infamously – inspired the Hatters to a 3-2 win over Harry Redknapp’s Hammers.
Our most recent victory at Kenilworth Road was in January 1992, when Mike Small scored in a 1-0 win in the old First Division.
The Irons’ first visit to Luton’s historic home was in January 1906, when future Olympic Gold medallist Harry Stapley scored in a 1-1 draw in the Southern League.
Our overall record against the Hatters stands played 101, won 42, drawn 25, lost 34, with our biggest victory being a 5-0 FA Cup fourth-round replay win at the Boleyn Ground in January 1991.
