Luton Town v West Ham United
Premier League, Kenilworth Road, Friday 1 September 2023, 8pm BST
West Ham United will conclude the first block of Premier League fixtures with a short trip to face Luton Town on Friday evening.
The Irons are heading into September, and the first international break of the 2023/24 campaign, with seven points from three league matches played so far. An opening day draw away at AFC Bournemouth has been followed by consecutive 3-1 wins, at home to Chelsea at away versus Brighton & Hove Albion.
It has been 29 years since the Hammers and the Hatters have met in competitive action, in an FA Cup quarter-final replay back in March 1994, with an incredible rise in recent seasons bringing Luton to the English top-flight.
Having secured promotion via the play-offs, Luton’s maiden Premier League campaign has started with consecutive defeats against tricky opposition in Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea, but a first home match of the season at Kenilworth Road will be a big opportunity for manager Rob Edwards and his team.
Tickets…
Our allocation of 1,151 tickets for the match away to Luton Town sold out to Bondholders, Away Scheme Members and Season Ticket Holders with 37+ Points.
Travel…
If you are planning on taking the train, fans are advised that industrial action planned by trade union ASLEF is anticipated to widely affect available services on Friday 1 September.
While Luton is on the Thameslink line from London St Pancras, no trains are expected to run due to the industrial action, and alternative travel arrangements will be required.
The action is also anticipated to impact London travel operations on C2C, Greater Anglia, Southeastern, South Western Railway and all GTR services.
Click here to plan your journey on the Transport for London network, or here for National Rail services.
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.
How To Follow…
Friday evening's Premier League game will be broadcast live on television in the UK by Sky Sports and will be shown across the world by the Premier League's international broadcast partners.
You can listen to commentary in the UK on talkSPORT, BBC Radio London 94.9FM and worldwide on whufc.com and our official app.
You can also 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 exclusive reaction for you after the final whistle.
Team News...
Mohammed Kudus has joined up with his new West Ham teammates this week and the Ghanaian international will be eager to make his Hammers debut on Friday away to Luton.
Tomáš Souček was forced from the pitch due to a knock in the first half of our win at Brighton & Hove Albion, but the Czech Republic international will be hopeful of an immediate return at Kenilworth Road.
Manager David Moyes revealed last week that new defender Konstantinos Mavropanos has been dealing with an injury, but the setback is not thought to be a serious one.
Luton, meanwhile, will definitely be without former Academy of Football graduate Dan Potts on Friday. The defender, along with Jordan Clark, has been ruled out for the foreseeable future by manager Rob Edwards.
Gabriel Osho is also out of action with a knee injury but a former Hammer, Reece Burke, could be in line for his first Premier League outing of the season of the season after returning to training in the last week.
Opposition…
What a 15 years it has been for Luton Town!
Not even the most optimistic of Hatters fans would have been able to predict where their club would be in 2023 when the side was relegated to the Conference Premier League in 2009.
It took the team five attempts but finally, in the 2013/14 season, Luton returned to the EFL pyramid when they won the Conference Premier title with three games to spare. In 2017/18, another promotion saw Luton moved up from League Two to League One, before a consecutive promotion to the Championship after winning the League One Title in 2018/19.
Luton’s redemption was completed last season when, having finished third in the Championship table, they defeated Sunderland across two-legs before facing and beating Coventry City in the final, securing a 6-5 victory on penalties at Wembley Stadium to earn a place in the Premier League for the very first time.
The 2023/24 campaign will therefore seem like the stuff of dreams for Luton Town player, staff, and fans, but those involved will be keen to ensure it does not become a nightmare campaign as the realities of a season filled with difficult tests come to light.
In Rob Edwards, Luton have a manager who has only been in place since last November, following a short stint with Watford and a year with Forest Green Rovers. The 40-year-old will be hoping to make an impact on the English top flight, having won two promotions in his young managerial career so far.
Preparations for the campaign have seen Luton add experience to the squad in the form of former Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley and goalkeeper Tim Krul, while additions like Ryan Giles from Wolverhampton Wanderers, Tahith Chong from Birmingham City, and the permanent signing of Mavelous Nakamba from Aston Villa add even more talent to the side.
Previous Meetings…
While the Hammers and Luton Town have met over 100 times competitively, including war-time matches, it has now been 29 years since we played the Hatters in a competitive fixture.
That match came in March 1994 when the Irons travelled to Kenilworth Road in an FA Cup quarter-final replay. That day, Scott Oakes got a hat-trick that saw the hosts run out 3-2 winners over Harry Redknapp’s West Ham.
In competitive football, 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.
West Ham’s most recent visit to Kenilworth Road came last summer when the Irons faced the Hatters in a pre-season outing. Tomáš Souček grabbed our goal with a powerful header that afternoon, with Sonny Bradley netting the leveller for the home team in second-half stoppage time.
Match Officials…
Referee: Paul Tierney
Assistants: Neil Davies & Scott Ledger
Fourth official: Craig Pawson
VAR: John Brooks
Assistant VAR: Steve Meredith
Paul Tierney has been named as the referee for West Ham United’s trip to face newly-promoted Luton Town on Friday evening.
The 42-year-old official from Wigan has been a Premier League referee since 2014 and has notably taken charge of the 2019 Championship play-off final between Aston Villa and Derby County, the 2021 EFL Cup final between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, and most recent the 2023 FA Cup Final which saw City defeat Manchester United.
Tierney has refereed one Premier League match so far this campaign, officiating the 2-2 draw between Arsenal and Fulham on Saturday.
He took charge of two West Ham Premier League matches last season in the English top flight; the 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in October 2022 and the 1-0 victory against Southampton in April.
Click through here for more information about this Friday's match officials at Kennilworth Road.
