Cornick: We've been bigging up Hornets clash all week

Luton attacker Harry Cornick admits the Hatters players have spent the week ‘bigging up’ their clash against fierce rivals Watford this afternoon.

The Hatters taken on their sworn enemy at Kenilworth Road for the first time since 2006, looking to record a first triumph on home soil since August 1993.

It will be the second time Cornick will experience the biggest game for all Town fans, as he was part of the side beaten 1-0 at Vicarage Road earlier in the campaign.

Even though there were no supporters present due to Covid-19 restrictions that day, Cornick knew there was something different about the contest from your usual Championship fixture, as speaking to the Luton Town Supporters' Trust podcast, he said: “I could tell it was a different game and we've been speaking all week about it.

“We've been bigging it up, Mick Harford has been banging on to us about how he scored the hat-trick in 1986 and we know it’s a massive game for the fans, there's no two ways about it.

“I’ve had messages all week and throughout the season saying this is a huge game, we know it is.

“Obviously it would be a little bit tastier with the fans there, and that would spur us on, but it would spur them on as well.

"So we've got to make sure we’re putting our all in on the pitch and letting them know how much it means to us as it means to to them.

"The big games we do get right up for and Saturday will be the biggest game of our season for sure.

"If we can get a result against them it will mean so much to us a club and to us as players, as when we lost to them away from home it didn't go the way we wanted to.

"We do owe these one as it's a big derby for us and we need to make sure we don't lose two to them and get the result.”

Although the fact that there won’t be over 10,000 supporters inside the ground creating a red-hot atmosphere is a frustration for Cornick, but having faced such circumstance for the majority of the season, means it won't make it any less of an occasion for the players.

Barring just two matches played in front of a crowd this term, the winger has had to get used to empty stadiums, as on being able to get himself up for the games this term, he continued: “Not at all, it's not less motivational.

“The boys and the management team make sure we’re up for every game and if you’re not, you'll know about it in the first few minutes because you'll have someone shouting at you and letting you know.

“It's hard with no fans there, it does spur you on, and gives you that little bit more energy, but the motivation is always there before every game.

"It's been a hard season for us knowing there's going to be no fans even away from home.

“When we go away from home I always feel we can hear the away fans more than the home fans, that's what I think as the Luton fans are so good.

"They always travels in their numbers, even in League Two, through the divisions, they've always travelled in their numbers and been brilliant.

"It does feels like a development game though, like when I played for an U23 team, it was so quiet.

"So when it goes back and I hear the fans roaring it will be nice and not hearing the gaffer shouting at me on the sidelines!”

The visitors arrive at Kenilworth Road with promotion back to the Premier League in their grasp, sitting second in the table, seven points clear of Swansea City in third with five games to go.

Cornick would love it if the Hatters were able to throw a spanner in the works though, adding: "We’ve got to do our part, but it would be nice to turn over our rivals and to stop them from getting promoted, if we can do that then we'll try our best to do that.

"We don't fear anyone as a club, I think that's part of the reason we are who we are.

"We're Luton Town, we're going to go out and try our best and implement our style of game on them.

"We've done it this season, going away to Bournemouth and turning them over which was brilliant, even going away to Chelsea, I thought we went toe-to-toe with Chelsea for large parts of the game.

"I think we've started to grow into ourselves and started to get a style of play we're comfortable with we all enjoy playing.

"Watford are a great team, but as Luton Town as a club, we know we can get a result, so I think they should be coming here fearing us."