Thank you very much for joining me.
Ed Aarons was at Kenilworth Road and has kindly provided a match report.
Dara O’Shea: “I think we won all our individual battles which set the platform and allowed our attackers to express themselves.”
Josh Brownhill: “We worked really hard in pre-season, we’ve learned a lot from him [Parker]. A lot of different tactics and every game will be different. He motivated us by telling us how much it means to everyone.”
Full time: Luton 1-4 Burnley
Burnley were the far better team from start to finish and Luton could not cope with the variety and efficiency on offer. Luton look like they need to recruit because they were too naive.
90+4 mins: Everyone is drifting out of Kenilworth Road apart from the hearty away the supporters who are set for an enjoyable, if somewhat long, journey home.
90+2 mins: Slapstick comedy at the back from Luton as they fail to clear a cross, with Doughty eventually passing it straight to Massengo but Mengi manages to precent further damage.
90 mins: Six minutes added on.
Odobert departs, McNally is on.
88 mins: Mpanzu is on for Baptiste. I am not sure this is going to be enough to turn it around.
A lot of going through the motions now.
86 mins: Weghorst is in the box causing mischief. This is what he is here for. The corner misses everyone in the end.
84 mins: It turns out Massengo came on for Pires. TV lied to me.
82 mins: Vitinho absolutely loved that moment. A lot of these players’ experiences in England football were getting beat week in, week out last season so they will be pleased by this.
Weghorst is on! He replaces Foster. Massengo comes on for Odobert, too.
GOAL! Luton 1-4 Burnley (Vitinho, 80)
Foster takes the ball from the edge of his own box to the edge of the Luton box before playing it to Vitinho who does the rest.
Updated
78 mins: Doughty tries to send a cross into the box but it bounces off Pires straight back into his face and he is not happy. He looks a bit dazed and the medics are over.
76 mins: Vitinho drives inside from the right and pings a left-footed shot from 20 yards but it flies past the post.
74 mins: I think that is pretty much game over. I imagine we will see a few quick subs from Luton. Edwards is having a natter with his staff to come up with a plan B.
GOAL! Luton 1-3 Burnley (O'Shea, 72)
Pires is the man to take the corners from the left, too. He finds O’Shea on the edge of the six-yard box, allowing the defender to steer the ball into the far corner.
Updated
71 mins: The resulting free-kick comes to nothing because O’Shea is offside. All a bit pointless. This is where Parker earns his money, trying to get Burnley through the next 20 mins.
70 mins: Zaroury is blocked off by Ogbene on the edge of the box.
68 mins: It is another Burnley corner on the right. Pires swings it in once more but it does not meet the first man. He gets another chance which is a lot better but Menghi heads away. Do not worry, the Brazilian then decides to shoot but Kaminski holds on.
66 mins: Koleosho is heading off and Zaroury is coming on.
65 mins: It is all Luton at the moment and Burnley are camped in their final third. The pressure is relieved when Morris misscontrols a throw-in, giving away a goal kick.
Koleosho is down with cramp. It is his first competitive match in months, to be fair.
63 mins: Cullen is on his knees protesting to the referee after being penalised for a foul on Morris. The midfielder wins the ball but the referee thinks is is worthy of a yellow. No idea why.
61 mins: Brownhill lumps a free-kick into the box but Kaminski claims to remove the threat. I wonder … is it time for big Wout?
59 mins: Nelson is next up to have a shot but it flicks off Cullen, making it easier for Trafford to save.
Pires is irked by Walters shielding the ball out for a goal kick and gets booked.
57 mins: Kenilworth Road is alive and Burnley are on the back foot. They need to see out the next five minutes.
GOAL! Luton 1-2 Burnley (Chong, 55)
Burnley could have been out of sight but Luton are back in it after Doughty heads into the path of Chong to steer home from close range.
Updated
55 mins: A well-worked free-kick gives Vitinho a chance from three yards but the Brazilian hits the post on the stretch.
53 mins: Lucas Pires swings in a free-kick from the right. It almost defeats everyone but Ogbene volleys behind. The Brazilian is given another chance from the corner which Kaminski palms away but Burnley recycle the ball, resulting in O’Shea pinging a shot towards the corner which the Belgian saves in stunning fashion.
PS Nelson was booked for trying to pull back Koleosho.
51 mins: Koleosho drives Burnley forward, making a mockery of the Luton midfield before laying it off to Odobert who sees his shot blocked.
49 mins: Morris receives the ball in the box, cuts inside and shoots but his effort is blocked. It is a very promising start to the half for Luton.
47 mins: Luton get the ball up the pitch quickly from kick-off. I think they know changing it up is necessary. Trafford comes to try and claim a cross but he misses it and Adebayo gets his head to the ball, only to see it bounce off the bar into the goalkeeper’s arms.
A timely reminder that Trafford is pretty mediocre when it comes to dealing with crosses.
Second half
Here we go again!
It must be nice for Burnley fans to be back in the Championship, enjoying a nice full season of winning games and going up. Their promotion is already sealed for me.
Half-time reading:
Half time: Luton 0-2 Burnley
Scott Parker is loving life back in the Championship, it seems far more fun than being pummelled 9-0 in the Premier League. His new charges are looking lively and efficient. Luton on the other hand have been naive and little errors have cost them.
45 mins: Trafford is booked for timewasting. I am not sure why he needs to, to be honest.
Two minutes added.
43 mins: Doughty is standing over a free-kick once more. It is just on the edge of the box but to the right after Koleosho upends Morris. Doughty decides a shot is the best course of action but pings the ball against the knees of the wall.
41 mins: Burnley are playing some neat football at times but then have the ability to change things up and be more direct. Parker will be Bayern manager in no time.
39 mins: Will we see some changes at half-time from Edwards? Townsend seems an obvious choice to add experience to the XI.
GOAL! Luton 0-2 Burnley (Odobert, 37)
That really is too easy. A ball over the top is chased down by Odobert who gets away from all the defenders before calmly slotting home.
Updated
36 mins: Luton are looking a bit flat and Kenilworth Road is feeling similar at the moment.
34 mins: Baptiste does well to intercept a pass inside the box but then loses possession and dives in on Foster to give away a free-kick in a dangerous area around 30 yards from goal but it comes to nothing.
32 mins: I did think this last season so this is not based on half an hour of football but Esteve is an excellent centre-back. I suspect he will be back in the Premier League next season whether it’s with Burnley or another team.
30 mins: Chong spins and let’s fly from 25 yards but it is an appalling effort that balloons wide and just about avoids going out for a throw.
28 mins: A Luton cross is deflected behind for a corner. Doughty is the man to take once more from the right but Trafford reads the flight and punches clear.
26 mins: It’s been a pretty even game but Burnley look the more likely to create the next chance. They are getting a lot of bodies in the final third but need to be a bit quicker in possession.
Chong is fouled by Cullen, giving Doughty another free-kick, this time from a central position but he picks out Morris in the box who is offside.
24 mins: Doughty and Ogbene have swapped sides for a bit. Will it work?
22 mins: Doughty is back on set-piece duty in the corner but Burnley scramble the ball away at the back post.
Ogbene is on the deck in pain after being pinged in the stomach by a Roberts cross.
20 mins: Morris is clipped by Brownhill on the left flank. It is a dangerous position for a cross and Doughty comes over to take the free-kick but he fails to beat the first man. Unfortunately for Burnley, Pires cannot control the ball and gives away a corner.
18 mins: Trafford, unlike last season, is allowed to go long, which was a big no no under Kompany. Variety is the spice and life. It should also mean they will not get in needless trouble.
16 mins: Vitinho is playing down the right with Odobert in the middle and Koleosho on the left. I suspect Parker wants some extra defensive cunning from the Brazilian as Doughty poses a threat down the left.
14 mins: Doughty pings a free-kick from the right out to Morris, he controls it well but his pull-back is blocked without fuss and the move breaks down.
12 mins: Doughty swings in a corner which is head back across goal by Morris. Trafford comes out to palm it away from danger and Burnley manage to clear.
10 mins: Luton are keeping their cool and knocking the ball about as they look to find a gap in the Burnley midfield.
8 mins: Pires has showed himself to be more useful than anyone who played left-back for Burnley in the entirety of last season and he’s only eight minutes into his debut.
Down the other end Adebayo gets a chance on the edge of the box but his shot is lacking power and Trafford gobbles up.
GOAL! Luton 0-1 Burnley (Brownhill, 6)
Speaking of how good Brownhill is … the central midfielder makes a great run to get away from Nelson, allowing him to latch onto a perfect pass from Pires and roll the ball through Kaminski’s legs.
Updated
6 mins: Nelson shows great composure on the ball in the centre of midfield. He is up against Brownhill and Cullen who are two of the best in this league.
4 mins: Neither side has mustered anything close to an attack in the early stages. Maybe they are conserving energy until the sun goes down.
2 mins: Burnley are passing it around at the back which was one of their big downfalls last season. Luton will press them, that’s for sure.
Luton are doing pretty similar but without the rush to break the press.
Kick off
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
The players are out. Luton are wearing last season’s orange home kit which they have kept for a second season.
The pitch is being watered which is useful because it is very much the hottest day of the year in the UK. Keep hydrated out there, lads.
And …. you’re sacked.
Luton academy graduates Joe Johnson and Zack Nelson start tonight.
“I’ve liked the look of us in pre season,” says Rob Edwards. “Tonight is a celebration of our academy, we’ve got two of those players starting, and two more teenagers on the bench. They’ve performed really well in pre season.
“I can see a really good performance. I think there will be mistakes, from both sides, but that’s fine. We’re evolving as a football club and we want to bring through our own players. They have earned their starts.”
Sky have created a montage that gives the impression they were close to staying up. They were completely out of their depth, sadly.
Sander Berge is missing for Burnley tonight through a small injury.
Scott Parker has got a new job as your cool music teacher and spends his weekends surfing in Cornwall.
I saw 11 Burnley matches last season, I believe. It will be interesting to see how they change under Parker. I am working on the assumption he will play Vitinho in central midfield which will be an intriguing plan. He has two excellent wingers in Odobert and Koleosho. It is especially good to see the American back; he looked an excellent prospect in the Premier League but injury brought a premature end to his season.
If you want to hear my voice listen to today’s Football Weekly.
Obviously we should all be discussing the fact that Wout Weghorst is still a Burnley player and very much on the bench tonight. He must be looking to move.
The fun has already started at one Lancashire club.
Starting lineups
Luton (5-3-2): Kaminski; Ogbene, Walters, Menhi, Johnson, Doughty; Baptiste, Nelson, Chong; Morris, Adebayo
Subs: Shea, Bell, Woodrow, Mpanzu, Taylor, Holmes, Townsend Francis-Clarke, Chigozie
Burnley (4-3-3): Trafford; Roberts, O’Shea, Esteve, Pires; Vitinho, Cullen, Brownhill; Odobert, Foster, Koleosho
Subs: Hladky, Rodriguez, Benson, Twine, Zaroury, Weghorst, McNally, Hountondji, Massengo
Preamble
The Championship has started in style and what better way to conclude the opening weekend of the season than with a match that was a Premier League fixture in 2023-24?
Luton are back in the second tier but in far better shape that when they broke through the glass ceiling 15 months ago. The revitalised Ross Barkley and loan players have headed back to their parents clubs but otherwise Luton have a squad that gave it a ruddy go in the top flight and aspirations to go back under Rob Edwards.
Burnley are more of an unknown quantity. Vincent Kompany shocked the industry by trading the Clarets for Bayern Munich in the summer, leaving them to scratch out for a replacement, eventually plumping for Scott Parker. The former Fulham boss was greeted by 40 professionals a month ago and has the complex job of creating a cohesive unit out of what Kompany left for him. The Clarets steamrollered the Championship but were desperately poor for much of their year in the Premier League. It will be interesting how the look tonight.
Here’s to a cracker!
Kick-off: 8pm BST.
