Stockport County star makes 'abuse' claim after Luton Town draw | OneFootball

The on-loan Stockport man has had his say on the Luton Town support from Saturday

Luton Town and Stockport County played out a competitive 1-1 draw in a preview of their Vertu Trophy final last Saturday at Kenilworth Road.

Manchester City loanee Emilio Lawrence's incredible first-half strike was cancelled out 12 minutes from time by a trademark Ollie Norwood free-kick to ensure that the spoils were shared.

As we head into the final weeks of the League One campaign, the point didn't do much for either side. Stockport's points gap between themselves and the chasing pack for the top six was halved, while Luton lost ground on the play-offs, now sitting five points behind.

However, the game was tightly contested, and a good preview of the matchup at Wembley on April 12. Both sets of fans did their part, and on-loan Stockport midfielder Ben Osborn relished the atmosphere throughout the game.

Ben Osborn makes "abuse" claim towards Luton Town fans

Luton's slide from the Premier League to League One in consecutive seasons has been well-documented, but Osborn has been on a similar route, personally, too, having played alongside the Hatters in the top-flight with Sheffield United two seasons ago, and in the Championship last year with Derby County.

Now, he finds himself on loan at Edgeley Park from the Rams, and the trip to Kenilworth Road on Saturday marked the third meeting with Luton in his career. Coincidentally, all three have been in Bedfordshire.

Posting on his Instagram after the game, the 31-year-old jokingly credited the "abuse" that the home fans gave him, saying, "Always a tough place to go, but I do enjoy the games at Kenilworth. Proper ground with character and can always count on some abuse from the home fans."

Osborn is one of the more light-hearted characters in League One currently. After the recent England squad announcement, the County man joked that he was "seriously tempted" to announce his international retirement — despite it being over a decade since he last represented his country at youth level.

Therefore, the 31-year-old evidently thrives in a hostile environment where he can enjoy himself and perhaps give a bit back, if he ends up on the right side of the result.

Ben Osborn will hope to have the last laugh at Wembley in EFL Trophy final

Kenilworth Road almost prides itself on being a compact ground, where the fans can almost feel on top of the players at times.

So while Osborn may not be able to hear the jeers and shouts from the Luton fans as clearly when the two sides meet yet again in the Vertu Trophy final next month, there'll definitely be more fans present to make up for it.

Luton announced that their initial 25,340 allocation at Wembley was sold out within days, and the Hatters of Bedfordshire may end up filling the entirety of their half when they take on the Hatters of Greater Manchester.

Osborn's personal record against Jack Wilshere's side sits at one win, one draw and one defeat, with him picking up an assist in the sole win while at Sheffield United in the Premier League.

He'll be wanting to come out on the right side of the result and pick up the trophy on April 12 to have the last laugh over Luton. Then, there'll be the hope that Dave Challinor's side will return to the capital in May in the League One play-off final.