Luton Town get their pre-season campaign underway on Saturday afternoon with a meeting against non-league outfit Hitchin Town.
At a time when the Hatters were achieving a mid-table finish in the Championship, Hitchin remained on the sidelines after the Southern League Premier Division Central was brought to a premature end due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Match preview
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While Luton ended last season with three games without success, it did not take away from the fact that the Hatters had enjoyed one of their best campaigns in recent memory.
Less than a year after surviving in the second tier on the final day, Luton feel like an established Championship club who now want to progress to the next level.
Some notable names have departed Kenilworth Road, including three-time top goalscorer James Collins, but Jones will be delighted with the calibre of players which have been brought in over the past couple of weeks.
The acquisition of Henri Lansbury on a free transfer catches the eye with the playmaker looking to rediscover the kind of form which has earned him big moves in the past.
However, as well as the arrival of Hull City defender Reece Burke, the trio of Allan Campbell, Carlos Mendes Gomes and Fred Onyedinma will all add something to this group of players.
This game is the first of six matches for Luton before they get their 2021-22 campaign underway with a home clash against Peterborough United on August 7.
As far as Hitchin United are concerned, they have not played a competitive game since bowing out of the FA Trophy at the second-round stage in December.
The Canaries plan to play 11 fixtures before they return to seventh-tier action next month, and manager Mark Burke will be grateful for the schedule as he looks to put together a promotion-challenging squad.
Hitchin won seven of their 14 competitive fixtures last season, four of which came in the FA Trophy before they were thrashed 4-0 by Peterborough Sports.
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Team News
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Luton will be without the trio of Simon Sluga, Tom Lockyer and Joe Morrell, who have been representing Croatia and Wales at Euro 2020.
However, barring any late fitness issues, the seven fresh faces in the senior squad should be available for selection.
Amari'i Bell and Cameron Jerome complete that list having joined from Blackburn Rovers and MK Dons respectively.
Burke is likely to hand game time to the majority of his squad, who resumed training on June 24 after a three-week break.
We say: Hitchin Town 0-3 Luton Town
At this stage of pre-season, games could realistically prove far more competitive than anticipated. Nevertheless, Hitchin may take some time to get up to speed over the summer, and we think that Luton's superior strength-in-depth will take over in the second half.
