Buckle: We can end our York woe

Hatters and the Minsterman have already met four times this season, with City winning three, with the other a draw.

Luton’s recent history isn’t much better either, the 5-0 triumph over a 10-man York last season is their only victory in 10 matches.

Buckle said: “We’re a different Luton now, the games before have no relevance at all.

“They faced up against a Luton that was running out of steam for whatever reason on 75 and 80 minutes.

“We saw a little bit of it when I first came in, but we’re not going to run out of steam on Sunday.

“The lads are getting fitter and fitter, we’ve not come off the fitness side of things.

“If you look at the clean sheets, and the way I want to play the game we’ve got to be fit.

“It was a gamble to really up the ante in training, but we had to do it. I just think we’re a totally different side now.”

Although Buckle has been preaching about the need to view the match as just another game, he was left in no doubt as to how vital it was.

He continued: “I don’t need to say to the players how important the game is.

“It can’t get much bigger. This after the one for the Premiership for me. I think it’s huge, the Football League, everybody wants to be there.

“This club is a Football League club and we’ve earned the right to be there.

“I want to make sure the players go and enjoy it. The only way they can enjoy it is to make sure they are prepared. They will be, they’ve worked very hard and taken no liberties.

“We’ve prepared for this massively on and off the field. There can be so many distractions when you get to Wembley, but I used my experience.

“We’re ahead of the game where that’s concerned.

“We haven’t changed too much from what we’ve been doing the last five or six weeks now.

“The intensity in training hasn’t dropped. We’ve worked very hard and I really feel we’ll be ready come three o’clock on Sunday.”

Town will be cheered on by almost 30,000 supporters at the home of English football and Buckle was humbled by the fans’ backing.

He continued: “When you actually see it for the first time, it made me massively proud for the first time I walked out as manager.

“It was the same against Kidderminster. When we really did need the backing of the town we got it in abundance, it was incredible, they pushed us home, they really did.

“Gary (Sweet) said to me when I came, if we get to the play-off final we’ll take 30,000.

“I think we have to treat it like a home game, it’s not their home and not our home, but at the same time it’s just down the road for us.

“We’re going to have an incredible following, we know that already by the ticket sales.

“It’s certainly going to help. It’s not going to make us win it, because we’re going to need to be good enough on the day.

“York are a dangerous team, they’re there on merit and we need to be at our best.

“It will be a huge help to us though, Luton fans turning up will be massive.

“They’ll be very, very loud and that’s what we need.”

To read a special eight page play-off preview, see the Luton News/Dunstable Gazette on sale this Wednesday, while for all the latest Luton Town FC news, reports, stats, player profiles, live match updates, prediction table and a complete fixture list, visit our Hatters Microsite.