England beware... the David Silva of League Two is out to get you: Luke Gambin set to make dream a reality when he lines up against Harry Kane

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Luke Gambin of League Two side Luton Town, an Englishman playing for Malta, will fulfil an unlikely dream when he shares a pitch with Harry Kane and the rest of Gareth Southgate's star-studded side on Friday.

It should have happened last October when England beat Malta 2-0 at Wembley but Gambin, then a Barnet player, was suspended after a red card in his previous World Cup qualifier against Scotland and had to follow the game on his team's coach travelling back from a defeat at Doncaster.

'The English boys on the bus were giving me a ribbing,' he says. 'When England scored, there was a big cheer and the standard football banter.

Luke Gambin will take on England with Malta in a World Cup qualifier on Friday night

The central midfielder will fulfil a dream when he takes on Harry Kane and the Three Lions

'Fortunately it only happened twice which was creditable for Malta. I spoke to our players and they loved the whole experience. These are the games you cherish and I can't wait to have my turn in Valletta.'

Occasionally, international football throws up remarkable stories like that of Gambin, who goes into the England game after warming the bench as an unused substitute in Luton's 2-2 draw with Mansfield.

He had been unaware of his family history until an eagle-eyed representative of the Malta FA spotted him on BT Sport scoring for Barnet against Dover and recognised the surname was popular in Malta.

'I was at Victoria Station trying to get through the barriers when a call came through with a number I didn't recognise,' says Gambin of the career-changing moment.

'When I arrived for training at Barnet, the manager Martin Allen called me over. He told me Malta had been in touch.'

Gambin did his own family research. He got the back story of how his grandparents had emigrated to England and established a bakery business that remains in family hands today.

Gambin, who plays for Luton in League Two, has made nine appearances for Malta 

He was on the books of Barnet before making the switch to League Two

He made his debut against Czech Republic in May 2016 shortly after his grandfather Paul had passed away, adding to the emotion of the occasion.

'A lot of people in Malta remind me of him, which is nice. The way he spoke English with an accent, a short guy with a husky voice, expressive, loved his food,' says Gambin.

'My grandmother Rita had passed away when my dad was young. Then my granddad died just before my first game. I think about them every time I pull on the Malta shirt.'

Gambin has now won nine international caps including a friendly win against Ukraine.

At club level, having signed for Luton in January for £150,000, he has been switched from a winger into central midfield. 'The manager Nathan Jones called me the League Two David Silva at the end of last season,' he says with a laugh.

'I think I'm more effective centrally than just standing on the wing and in some ways international football is more suited to me than League Two.

'The World Cup qualifiers can be more like chess, you have to try and break teams down and if you make a mistake, you're going to be punished.'

Gambin used to go past Wembley Stadium every day when he travelled from the family home in south London to Barnet.

He missed out playing there twice last season, first when his retaliation against Scotland's Robert Snodgrass got him suspended, then when Luton lost a League Two play-off semi-final to Blackpool.

 Gambin has researched his family history after being called up by Malta

It will make this week's encounter in the 'old country' even more special and he can claim to have faced one England player before. 'I was doing my scholarship at Barnet when we played QPR and they had this 15-year-old kid called Raheem Sterling who played at a higher age group.

'He was phenomenal to be fair and you could see why there was a buzz around that he might join Liverpool.

'It's crazy to face him again in a World Cup tie.'

Malta are ranked 190th in the world between Bangladesh and Djibouti and have lost all six World Cup qualifiers to date.

But Gambin says the Falcons are better than results would suggest.

'We were drawing 1-1 with Scotland until they scored a controversial penalty and we had a man sent off,' he says.

'Of course we are underdogs but we have to stand up. We have nothing to lose.'

Looking beyond his football career Gambin hopes to take over the family bakery in Epsom.

But this week won't be about the dough. 'My mum and dad are coming to Valletta to watch the game. They'll probably have to shut the shop,' he says.