Luton Town

Image source, EFL

Puma's Rainbow ball will return to the English Football League as part of an on-going campaign against discrimination and homophobia.

The special edition rainbow ball was introduced in 2024 to mark LGBTQ+ History Month and will be used at every EFL game from 20 February until 1 March.

Manufacturers Puma will make a donation to Football v Homophobia for every goal scored with their rainbow ball across the Championship, League One and League Two.

The donations will help support education against homophobia and promote inclusion across the season.

The EFL have released a video, external to coincide with the campaign which features a Preston North End fan who was charged with a hate crime following homophobic chanting during an FA Cup fixture against Chelsea.

The rainbow ball will also feature in EFL partner EA Sports' FC 26 video game.

"The rainbow ball is a powerful symbol of the values we uphold across the EFL all season long," EFL chief executive officer Trevor Birch said.

"It not only reflects our longstanding commitment to ensuring the League is representative of all its diverse communities, but also reminds us that we all have a role to play in creating an environment in which everyone feels they truly belong."

Luton boss Jack Wilshere says Saturday's away game at League One leaders Cardiff City will be a good "marker" to assess the team's progress since his appointment in October.

The Hatters have won 11 of Wilshere's 24 games in charge, losing seven, and are seventh in the table, but away results have not matched those at Kenilworth Road.

"It's a game that excites me," he told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"We've struggled away from home with teams that are direct and put balls in the box - I'm not saying they [Cardiff] won't put balls in our box but they'll try and do it in a different way, which we have to be ready for.

"It's a good challenge for us, a good marker to see how far we've come since I've come in and for us to test ourselves against the top of the league."

He continued: "Our challenge is to go there and try to make them defend for long periods and try and limit the time we have to defend."

Wilshere believes the transfer-window arrival of striker Devante Cole from Port Vale will give the Luton attack an added dimension.

He added: "I like our balance of striker, I like what Nahki (Wells) has brought to us, Ali (Al-Hamadi) is on his way back and Devante has just come into the team and is starting to work out how we play.

"We know what Devante brings and we need to help him understand the moments to run in behind, but he definitely gives us something different."

Image source, Shutterstock

Luton Town midfielder Jake Richards says the Hatters do not fear anyone with a trip to League One leaders Cardiff City looming at the weekend.

The 18-year-old scored from 20 yards in Saturday's 2-1 home win against Bradford City, but their past two away games have ended in single-goal defeats by Plymouth Argyle and Huddersfield Town.

Luton are seventh in the table, four points off the play-off places.

"They're in good form at the top of the table but we believe we can beat anyone with the players we've got," Richards said of the challenge at Cardiff.

"We brought in really hungry players (during the transfer window), boys that really want to get promoted and I think that's the whole group collective (mindset) now, to push to get into that top six and try to get promoted."

Richards now has three goals from 12 league appearances after joining from Exeter City last summer and is enjoying playing alongside vastly more experienced team-mates like Jordan Clark and more recent arrival Kasey Palmer.

"Every opportunity you get under this manager [Jack Wilshere], you've got to take," he said.

"I've done that a few times but I've just got to keep humble, keep working, keep trying to impress in training and hopefully they'll come.

"They [Palmer and Clark] are top players and I can learn a lot from them. Having that quality next to you, you can trust them on the ball, you know they'll find you and it's a brilliant midfield to play with."