Edwards denied Gerrard battle

Dave Edwards’ dream of going head-to-head with one of his footballing idols when Luton aim to dump Liverpool out of the FA Cup tomorrow has been ruined.

The former Shrewsbury Town midfielder is hopeful of lining up for the League One club against Rafa Benitez’s Premiership giants in one of the ties of the third round.

Edwards was champing at the bit to pit his wits against England star Steven Gerrard in the midfield engine room during the 4pm televised encounter - but the Anfield captain has been ruled out with a calf injury.

But that won’t take the gloss of the occasion for Edwards, who is optimistic about the Hatters’ chances.

“We are all looking forward to a big game and can’t wait to take on Liverpool,” said 21-year-old Edwards, who has scored four times for Luton since his £400,000 switch from Shrewsbury last summer.”For me, it would have been great if Steven Gerrard had played because he is someone I have admired a lot over the last few years and has been a real role model.

“Playing for Wales in Germany was probably the highlight of my career so far, but this is a really big game and hopefully we can cause Liverpool some problems.

“I remember watching a few years ago when Luton played Liverpool and eventually lost 5-3 - but they gave them a real scare.

“Hopefully they will have a few nightmares about that. We’ve been doing well recently and passing the ball very well in the right areas.

“So if we perform as we can, who knows what can happen.”

Edwards and the remainder of the Hatters squad have been plagued by financial uncertainty over the last two months after the club was placed into administration - and with it punished with a 10-point penalty.

But the midfielder - who has been heavily linked with a move to Nottingham Forest - insists the off-the-pitch problems haven’t proved a distraction on the field.

“The problems have been well documented and it has been difficult over Christmas but we have stayed focused and, if anything, it has brought us closer together,” said Edwards.

“I think we are due to find out shortly what the plans are over the wages but the Liverpool game will obviously help the finances of the club - and even more so if we can get a result.”