Jack Wilshere prepares to take on his first Wembley final as Luton Town manager
Luton Town face Stockport County in the Vertu Trophy Final this Sunday
Luton Town’s manager Jack Wilshere is set to take charge of his first final at Wembley Stadium, as the club faces Stockport County in the Vertu Trophy Final this Sunday.
The former Arsenal midfielder won two FA Cups at Wembley as a player, and will return there, this time leading the Hatters out as a manager.
Wilshere said: “My job is to try and focus on the process of how we win the game and give the players all the support and clarity they need, but there's no getting away from that it's a really proud moment for me.
“To get a little trip to Wembley, and hopefully lift a trophy at the end, will be a really nice thing because of the dedication and the hours that we put in to try and help the players”, he adds.
Over recent years, the club has suffered back-to-back relegations falling from the Premier League – but Wilshere hopes Sunday’s final will be “a big step to where we want to get to”.
Adding that, “It has been a tough couple of years and at times this season, rightly so, the fans have been frustrated.
“we've really tried hard to fix that and try and connect again with them, and I feel like we've done a really good job and that's credit to the players and credit to the fans.”
Luton have gone unbeaten in their last six games, most recently beating AFC Wimbledon 3-0 away from home on Good Friday.
Wilshere says, “It form doesn't make that much of a difference, but of course we'd much rather be sat here in the position that we are - after a good run, finding a little bit of momentum to go into an important game.”
The Hatters won the competition back in 2009 when it was called the Johnstones Paint Trophy, after suffering 30 points deducting during the 2008/09 season.
Mick Harford steered the club to victory in that year, he said: “It was a fantastic day for the football club, a major honour and we had 45,000 fans there – and again, we'll be followed by over 30,000 fans.
“The good thing about this trophy is all the lads who played in that final will be in attendance. So, it'll be great to see them get back together and hopefully celebrate a win.”