Proud Edwards expects 'butterflies and nerves' as he gets ready for his first Luton game

New Luton boss Rob Edwards expects to feel some ‘butterflies and nerves’ when taking his place in the Hatters dug-out for the first time at Middlesbrough this afternoon, but can’t wait to get back into the thick of things.

The former Forest Green manager took over Town’s arch rivals Watford in the summer, only to find himself sacked after just 11 matches in charge, his last game coming in a 2-2 draw with Sunderland on September 17.

Appointed as Nathan Jones’ successor last month, with the season having stopped for the World Cup in Qatar, it meant that during Edwards’ first three weeks in charge, there weren’t any matches for either him or his players to get their teeth into.

However, that will all change at the Riverside this afternoon, as on his emotions about stepping back into the dug-out after three months away, he said: “I’m really looking forward to it, it’s going to be a special day for us.

"I’ve missed that buzz of match day.

"It was five or six weeks for me before this break, so I’m really looking forward to it.

"I think there’ll be a few butterflies and nerves, the first game it’s a big occasion, but I always have that anyway for every game.

“I think that’s good, I think it shows that we care and that we’re desperate to do well.

"I’m sure the players will be like that as well.

“We’ve all missed those nerves.

"The supporters will have the same sorts of feelings as well.

“It will be great to be out there again and to see some of our fans who, again, have travelled a long, long way.

"Hopefully we can repay them with a really good performance as we’re raring to go like the rest of the group.

"Its been a long break, strange time for everyone, it’s unique to have this long a period off and I think it will be really interesting.”

Although it will be the first time that Town’s travelling fans will get to see Edwards in action, he did meet a number in person at the Hatters’ festive celebrations prior to their lengthy trip north.

The manager felt it further strengthened his desire to do well in his new role, continuing: “I’m extremely proud, I was really lucky to meet a lot of our supporters, had a nice Christmas get together, got to meet some people and chat.

"It’s such an honour and a privilege for me, something that I won’t take for granted.

"I’ve got Richie (Kyle) and Paul Trollope who are new to the club as well who feel exactly the same.

"So we really want to continue the great work that’s going on here and give absolutely everything to this football club to try and make everyone proud to watch the team.”

One of Edwards’ few fixtures in his brief sojourn at Vicarage Road came against the same opponents as he faces today, engineering a 2-1 victory thanks to a last-minute winner.

With the hosts also under new management now, Michael Carrick replacing Chris Wilder in October, it isn’t a game he will be using as part of his preparation, saying: “We won’t look at that one at all.

"Michael Carrick has changed things, they’re in really good form.

"We’ve looked at the games since he’s come in and they’ve had a really good effect.

“It’s going to be a really tough game for us, but the same outcome again would be quite nice.”

Focusing too much on the opposition isn’t something that Edwards will do either in his reign as Hatters boss, as he added: “We like to think that we try to make everything, as much as we can, about ourselves, because we’ve always got to have something to fall back on.

“Whether things are going well, or not going well, this is what we do.

"Obviously, we have so much information these days, whether it’s data or video, to be able to watch and learn about the opposition.

"We do get a lot of information, so we’ll always have a game plan and try to base things on how we play, but then this is what it means for this opposition and this team.

“There will be little tweaks for every single game, but we’d like to think that 80 or 90 per cent is about us and what we do.

“But of course, in this day and age, when you know so much about opposition teams, you’ve got to do your homework.”