RIP Spike a stalwart of the 606/262 football site and a friend who sadly passed away on Saturday 29th April 2017. How nice to arrive in Accrington without that dulling fog we experienced in the FA Cup game that I still reckon was a 1-1 draw & that nobody got sent off: how can anybody see in such fog? Anyway, this was my fourth visit in three seasons to this very likeable northern town and welcoming Wham Stadium. A nice club run on something of a shoestring budget and a dedicated crafty manager in John Coleman; a guy who tries to play football in what I call the right way. Pre-match was in the superb Peel Park Hotel directly opposite the old Accrington Stanley ground which has long since gone. A really pleasant couple of well-kept beers brewed by the Cross Bay brewery a few miles up the road in Morecambe: almost becoming a local at that particular watering hole. For the game, Nathan was this time forced to tinker due to the absence of Danny Boy who next season will be sponsored by Clintons Cards and the injured D'Ath. Of course, we knew about Hylton, replaced by Palmer, but the absence of the in-form D'Ath was an unexpected blow. The first half was a fairly average offering in terms of entertainment; not poor but at the same time not vintage with both sides trying to move the ball forward. Accy started fairly well and moved the ball around decently in midfield without causing any excessive problem for our defence. Once over that early stage, the Hatters came more in search of a goal and a really great left foot free kick from Sheehan would have brought that goal had it not been for a splendid save high to his left by the Accy keeper Rodak; he will dine out on that one for a while. The Hatters did take the lead on about the half hour mark when Justin raced on to a through-ball from Palmer to beautifully tuck the ball past Rodak and just a few minutes later from an almost identical position, had an opportunity to shoot again but this time the ball seemed to bobble and the shot skied over the bar. Accrington drew level a few minutes before half time and surprise surprise it was from a corner that our defenders were collectively beaten by. Should Moore have come out, should Sheehan & Rea grow another two inches? In the second half we took a comical lead when the otherwise reasonable Beckles, ex-St Albans, managed to head the ball back to where he thought his goalkeeper was but sadly for him keeper Rodak was somewhere else. Just to keep things bubbling away, Lee sent a good ball down the right to Palmer who cut the ball across goal for the speedy Vassell to fire into the net for his 12th goal of the season. It has to be said that Palmer was having a very decent game and is a much more intelligent footballer than I had first thought. During this entertaining second half, it was by no means a story of Luton’s domination as Accrington continued to cause problems with balls into the box and also some shots from range that Moore capably dealt with. In fact, Moore was overall having a very good game and made an excellent stop from an Accy player through on goal with only the keeper to beat. The game was finally closed out when substitute Marriott raced onto a cheeky ball from Lee to slot away his 10th goal of the season. Overall Impression This was a nice win against an in-form side that likes to play football but to my mind, the scoreline was a bit flattering to the Hatters but I will take that any day. The impressive parts for us were that we managed to put away our chances; ok we did miss a couple but four goals away from home can't be bad. The less impressive aspects were our vulnerability at dead ball kicks and a short period where our midfield went absent but thankfully returned. Bring on Stevenage please, or even Cambridge for that matter in the semis. A few thoughts on individual performances: Moore: another good game with some very decent saves; should he have come for the corner? Justin: a good game and it was so nice to see him score his first league goal for the Hatters: well done young man! Cuthbert: it's getting a touch monotonous writing the same words but he is just so solid. Rea: some good parts some sloppy parts in his passing but overall ok. Sheehan: not a man to be beaten and gave a very mature performance including a splendid free kick that almost brought a goal. Potts: another fine defensive game from Potts. Lee: mostly good in my opinion. Ok, a few moments where he just tried to take too much time but what an improved player compared form in the cup game at Accrington. Gray: in and out of the game all afternoon and looks a touch lacking in self-belief. Pelly: reasonable game plus did some decent work in defence. Vassell: he troubled the Accy defence all afternoon with his blistering pace; I thought he had a really good game. Palmer: I would say probably his best overall game for Luton; heavily involved in two of the goals. The Subs: Marriott: good to see him get a goal and did well. Smith: what you see is what you get: I can't help but like the guy. Gambin: looked full of energy and I would have brought him on much earlier as Gray was not making a lot of headway.
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Hi there, welcome to my site where I chronicle various things about the Hatters, a team I have followed since the mid 60’sArchives
December 2017
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