Luton Town have punched above their weight in the Championship for so long now that it feels almost a bit remiss to label the Hatters as underdogs in the promotion race.
But the surroundings of Kenilworth Road feel a million miles away from the glitz and glamour of the world that Luton aspire to reach: the Premier League.
The club's resurgence since earning promotion back into the football league after a five-year exile has all the hallmarks of a blockbuster Hollywood script - and USA international Ethan Horvath has been at the forefront of the latest chapter in Luton's bid to muscle their way back into England's top-flight.
Horvath has been virtually ever-present for Luton this year. But the 27-year-old's own story in football was almost over before it had even begun until some divine intervention from a Premier League legend.
Growing up in Colorado, Horvath was never a part of a professional football set-up and played for Real Colorado, a US Soccer Development Academy side. But after catching the eye during one of the bi-annual showcase games played between teams across all states, the American international - who was just 15-years-old at the time - was offered the chance to embark on a European adventure which could lead to a professional career.
It was through that opportunity that he was spotted - and signed - by former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer during his first stint at Molde. But just before the Norwegian outfit made contact with Horvath, who also had trials in England with Manchester City and Stoke, the youngster was ready to park his dreams of making it big across the pond after weeks without any movement.
"I had to go back to the US for the national team camp and that's when [interest from] Molde resurfaced," Horvath tells Mirror Football . "During that camp, everything was a little bit up in the air, though: there was nothing set up, so I had no idea what was going to happen. I'm pretty sure if nothing had come up then I'd have gone back home to Colorado. But Molde came back, so after the international camp I flew back out to Norway."
Horvath admits that leaving the States at such a young age, even with his parents by his side, to head to a country where had no understanding of the culture was difficult. Horvath was only allowed to stay in the country at such a young age because his parents gave up their lives in the States to follow him. But on the pitch, he couldn't have have had a better mentor courtesy of Solskjaer's outstanding man-management skills.
"Going there at such a young age, the expectation wasn't to play straight away, it was more like a case of getting used to everything building up over a couple of years. But with Ole, it was really, really good. He's a really top guy and a great manager. Every moment with him there, I enjoyed it.
"He's brilliant with the guys. He takes an interest in you and he's always there if you're having a bit of a down day; he'd pull you into his office to check if everything's okay and to see if there's anything he could or the club could do to help if you seemed a bit off.
"He was a real personal manager and really cared about everybody as well. [We still keep in touch] here and there. When I went to the World Cup, he congratulated me and I sent him a message on his birthday a while ago."
After working with Solskjaer in Norway and cementing a first-team berth, Horvath went on to play in the Champions League in Belgium with Club Brugge before eventually landing a move to England via Nottingham Forest last summer. But after a frustrating year playing second fiddle to cult hero Brice Samba, Horvath has truly come into his own while on loan at Kenilworth Road.
He's missed just one of the Hatters' 38 league games (a 2-0 defeat against Stoke back in November) and only Coventry City's Ben Wilson [17] has accumulated more clean sheets than the 16 that Horvath has accrued this season.
"I've been really, really happy with the season so far from a personal point of view," he continues. "I couldn't be happier with how things have gone. Mentality is more important than anything for a goalkeeper: when there's three games a week throughout the month, sometimes you're a bit more tired than others, but that's normal; you're never going to be 100 per cent playing all 46 games. I've just been really happy to be playing week in week out and I've been preparing as best as I can to help the team."
Horvath has certainly played his part in Luton's remarkable promotion push. The Hatters managed to find a route into the play-offs after operating on a shoestring budget under ex-boss Nathan Jones last year. Following his decision to join Southampton earlier in the season, former Forest Green Rovers head coach Edwards has slotted seamlessly into life at Kenilworth Road.
"Not much has changed really [since Edwards came in]. Coming in, that was one of the first things he said. Certain things are working for you guys, so why take that away and go in a different direction? We've been doing one or two different things that Rob and the coaching team want us to do, like playing a little bit more."
Consistency is a trait that Horvath believes his current team and last year's play-off winners have in common. Last May, he came on for the final minutes of Nottingham Forest's remarkable triumph at Wembley: the culmination of a Hollywood-esque turnaround from Steve Cooper, who arrived when Horvath and his old team were rock bottom of the Championship.
Staying consistent over 46 games is no mean feat in the Championship. And Horvath believes there are similarities between the relentless cut and thrust of England's second tier and the competition reserved for Europe's elite.
"We've done a great job of pretty much being consistent throughout the whole year. I think the turning point for us was around the Christmas period when we won those three games (against Norwich, QPR and Huddersfield). If we didn't have that run, maybe we'd be in the chasing pack right now. I think that really catapulted us up there and we've just kept on going from there.
"I'd kind of compare it to my time at Brugge in the Champions League. Even though you're not playing that exact standard here, it's kind of the same in terms of having the grind of a three-game week.
"For example, in Brugge, that first part of the season where you're in the Champions League is a grind because you've got your league game, midweek Champions League game where you have to fly to Russia or Turkey and then fly back for your next league game on the weekend.
"The Championship is definitely a difficult league and you have to be prepared mentally and physically for it. You're not going to play 46 games at your best - that's impossible."
If there was ever a weekend to be at your best, though, from a Luton Town perspective, then this is surely it. The Hatters will face arch-rivals Watford at Kenilworth Road in front of fans for the first time in 17 years. The only previous meeting between the two sides which has been played at Luton's ground took place without fans during the covid pandemic and there is the added caveat of Edwards, who had a brief stint at the helm before he was ruthlessly axed after just 10 league games by the Watford hierarchy earlier in the season.
But Horvath insists that Luton, who are sat fourth in the league with a healthy seven point gap over the Hornets, cannot let the occasion distract them from the ultimate goal: promotion.
"I know this is a massive game as a derby, but I think we've done a good job of not letting that interfere with our main objective [promotion]. Everyone here is so determined this year after coming so close last season. We can't let one game get in the way of that, but everybody's ready for it [Saturday].
"We're in fourth place and there's a seven-point gap, so for us, it's another three points up for grabs. But you don't have to tell the boys twice what the game means. It's been 17 years since they've had this game at the Kenny and we want to make the fans proud."
A second promotion to the Premier League in as many years would be the icing on the cake for Horvath, who was part of the USMNT that took part in the World Cup in Qatar earlier this year - an experience he admits was "beyond words".
"Growing up, you stay up to watch all the games and we were still doing that ourselves at the hotel. To actually be involved in it myself was absolutely surreal. We're a super young group and we've all been together for such a long period. We do everything together off the field and I think that shows on the pitch too.
"To have the World Cup in the US in four years time, everyone will be four years better and four years wiser and we can do even better in our own backyard."
2026 is still some way off, but Horvath will have a decision to make over his own future sooner rather than later. He admits he hasn't had much contact" with Nottingham Forest - but he is determined to get his crack at the Premier League one way or another.
"After the season, we'll see what happens, but with the year that I've had, I don't see why I can't play in the Premier League. I'm not talking about going to Manchester United or Chelsea right away, but I don't see why it wouldn't be possible that I couldn't play for someone else there. At the same time, we'll have to see what happens at Luton, too.
"There'll be lots of questions and discussions to be had this summer but I haven't really been thinking about it. One game at a time is where I'm at."
