EDWARDS: HATS OFF TO OUR REFEREES

LUTON boss Rob Edwards leapt to the defence of Premier League refs – days after VAR Stuart Attwell was accused of being a Hatters fan.

Nottingham Forest, locked in a relegation battle with Luton, made the startling claim on X after losing 2-0 at Everton on Sunday, when they were denied three penalties.

But Edwards (above) said of the attack on Attwell: “It was strange and obviously it made headlines.

“From my point of view, mistakes are going to be made. It’s difficult – the game happens so quickly. There are always opinions.

“People see things slightly differently and we want as much consistency as possible – of course we do.

“But we can never call into question the integrity of our officials. No-one in the game can question the integrity of our officials and who supports who.

“Luton have been brought into it, and I understand why – we’re in the mix.

“I wouldn’t be able to ref. It’s such a difficult job. It’s tough. Mistakes can happen, people can feel aggrieved and maybe we should stick to that rather than question anything else.”

Edwards, who takes his Hatters to Wolves today in search of survival points, added: “I completely understand why people get frustrated and concerned.

“VAR has gone for and against us and you have to accept that. We always have.

“Because of VAR, more decisions are looked at and people look at mistakes in more detail. Before the technology came in, people would have been more likely to accept those mistakes.

“There’s more noise around mistakes, and there certainly has been this season. I’ve not seen anything like it.

“But in the end we’ve all got to control what we can – and that’s our own performances.”

Luton are in the bottom three, one place and one point behind Forest, who are in 17th spot, hovering above the drop zone as they await tomorrow’s visit by Manchester City.

Edwards believes Everton, in 16th with 33 points after wins over Forest and Liverpool this week, are out of danger. He said: “I think they’ve done enough.”

Luton have suffered a fresh injury blow – wing-back Issa Kabore, on loan from Manchester City, will miss the rest of the season with ankle damage.

But striker Elijah Adebayo (circle), out with a thigh injury since February, could be back before the end of the season.

Edwards said: “Eli is getting closer but the Wolves match will be too soon.”