Clark is confident Town can fight back to reach play-off final after first leg deficit

Luton midfielder Jordan Clark can’t wait to set about trying to overturn the one goal deficit in their play-off second leg against Sunderland at a packed out Kenilworth Road this evening.

The 29-year-old was part of the side who lost out 2-1 at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, as despite taking the lead through Elijah Adebayo’s 10th goal of the season, went on to suffer a narrow defeat in their first leg clash.

However, 90 minutes is now between the Hatters and a place at the home of football to move one game away from reaching the Premier League, as Luton head into the game knowing exactly what they have to do to make the dream of making the top flight a reality.

Clark said: “Our fans will be at it on Tuesday night.

“We’re still in the game, we know we’re a good side, we finished third in the league for a reason, the league table never lies.

"We’re just positive, we’ll have a meeting and go through what we need to go through and put right what we can for Tuesday.”

Although the stakes are incredibly high for both teams, Clark insists Town’s squad will cope with the pressure of the occasion, as he continued: “We’re good enough to beat anyone at our place.

“Everyone’s so full of confidence, even though we lost the game we’re still in it, but everyone just can’t wait to get going on Tuesday now.

“It’s the play-offs, it’s to get to the promised land, it’s one of the biggest games in everyone’s career, barring a few players who have played in the Prem.

"But this is what you play football for, this is what you dreamed of as a little kid, playing to get into the Premier League.

“This is the stage you want to play on, you get different kinds of nerves, but it’s only 2-1, it’s all to play for.

"If we’d had drawn the game we’d still have to win the game, so just looking forward to it, I really can’t wait."

Having seen just what kind of benefit a 46,000 sell-out on Wearside gave the Black Cats on Saturday, Clark now knows Town fans can do just the same for their players in the return leg this evening.

He said: “It was always going to be hard as there’s so many here, 46,000, but the gameplan was brilliant.

"I thought we pressed them really well, but when we won the ball back, we didn’t create, or open up like we wanted to.

"We were so comfortable I never saw us losing the game, so fair play to them, but Tuesday night will be a completely different game.

“We've just got to make it a typical Luton game, get the crowd off their seats and make it a real atmosphere and an atmosphere for us this time.”

Clark got the nod to start in midfield, chosen ahead of Allan Campbell, Luke Berry and Luke Freeman, as he was happy to get the opportunity in such a big game for the Hatters, adding: “These are the games you want to play in, the manager’s got faith in me which I really appreciate, so I've just got to repay him with a performance on Tuesday night now.

"We know at our place it’s going to be a different game, we’ll make it difficult.

"It’s a big pitch (at Sunderland), the fans were really good for them, made it a really good atmosphere, but I’m just really looking forward to it, I can’t wait.”