Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray dismisses ‘little Luton’ story and insists the Hatters will be formidable opponents as they prepare for the semi-finals of the Championship play-offs at the Stadium of Light
- Aided by Blackburn, Sunderland snuck into sixth while Luton was third
- Sunderland were promoted to the Championship in last season’s play-offs
- Luton boss Rob Edwards looks ahead and up in the run-up to the semi-final
Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray insists Luton will be formidable opponents as they prepare to face each other in the semi-finals of the Championship play-offs.
Helped by Blackburn’s victory against Millwall, the Black Cats crept into sixth place while the Hatters took third.
Both sides have recent play-off experience, with Sunderland promoted to the second tier with a win against Wycombe in last year’s League One play-offs.
However, Luton missed out on the chance to earn Premier League promotion after losing to Huddersfield in last season’s semi-final, but Mowbray insisted the Hatters would aim to ‘put that right’.
He said: ‘Luton also had a play-off run last year. It’s easy sometimes to have a story about “little Luton”, but last year they were in the playoffs too, so they’ll have the experience.
Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray insists Luton will be formidable opponents in play-offs
Aided by Blackburn’s win against Millwall, the Black Cats crept into sixth place
“They will be disappointed that they didn’t get through last year, but they will try to rectify that.
“These games are all big games and the mentality of our group – because of the injuries, because of the setback – was to express ourselves, play the way we play, do what we do best and see where it takes us. I see no reason to change that.’
The first leg will take place in front of a sell-out crowd at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, with their two championship encounters this season having ended in 1-1 draws.
The most recent clash came in March when a late penalty from Amad Diallo negated Alfie Doughty’s attack in the second half, and Mowbray knows how strong the Hatters are.
“They were a very strong, very robust, very athletic team,” he said. “It takes you out of your rhythm. I think all these games shouldn’t be 90 minutes on Saturday; even if we win, lose or draw, there is still 90 minutes.’