Well, the forecaster got the weather conditions correct, a dreary yet wary wet December day with the rain getting heavier into the evening: the drive down could not have been easier but what a lot of water on the way back home after the match.
Pre-match was as enjoyable as ever with a couple of pints, this time a couple of pints of Wherry in the company of many Hatters fans whose expectations have been adjusted marginally downwards since that wonderful opening day’s 3-0 win at Plymouth. As ever whilst enjoying a beer we eagerly awaited the twitter announcement of the team selection; of course, we all expected diamonds are forever but hang on a moment! Our canny Jonesy made three changes from Saturdays line up against Solihull. The side on paper had a rather strange look seemingly packed with centre backs: Cuthbert, Sheehan, Mullins & Rea (holding midfield role) with the full backs being Potts who himself played well as a centre back at Swindon on Tuesday and on the right the two-goal hero from last weekend, O’Donnell. We’ve talked about the conventional midfield going missing a lot this season. Well to deny us that discussion Jonsey decided to remove a couple of them totally from the equation just leaving Cam as the creative type and in an almost Dr Who Tardis return to the Paul Buckle days, starting with three strikers: Marriott, Vassell and Hylton. Wow, what a change from the much-lamented graphite formation that crumbled under the slightest pressure. So with the team selection and the lovely Wherry to fuel our wet trudge to the beloved Kenny, the consensus was that Olly could not be bullied as he was on the bench but with Gilliead and Pelly also sitting it out as potential game changers, the game had a draw written all over it. After all this Carlisle team have a reputation for being really well organised and were the last team in the football league to have their first defeat and in total have only lost one game all season and were hovering on the magical two points per game average that will guarantee promotion. Well once the game was underway we did not have long to wait to find ourselves a goal behind within a few minutes; the third time in eight days we have conceded a goal before 5 minutes ticked by on the clock. This time the error firmly sits with young Walton who failed to hold onto the ball from a header and spilt it into the path of Kennedy to take the simplest of chances. Oh here we go, is it all uphill from here? Well the uphill struggle did not last too long following a really sweet move over on the left with Potts getting the ball out wide passing inside to Vassell who then slipped the ball to Marriott who made some space in the area before squaring the ball to Hylton for him to swivel, turn and slot the ball into the net. Goal number fourteen for “super Danny Hylton”; what a great signing this guy is turning out to be. This was turning into an entertaining open and fast flowing game with both sides showing plenty of spirit and Luton’s tough guy formation refusing to be bullied out of it; that in itself was just so pleasing to see. We then had a decent effort from Sheehan well held by keeper Gillespie before a rather bad miss in front of goal by jack Marriott from a good cross from O’Donnell. Unfortunately, Jack completely mucked up the chance and uncharacteristically headed the ball into the ground for the grateful Gillespie to catch the bounce up under the bar: should really have been 2-1 to the Hatters at that time. Carlisle continues to show why they are up in the top three; they move the ball, they are tough yet combine that with all the tricks the uglier side of 4th tier football. So having said that about our opponents, it made it all the more pleasing that this was one of our better first half performances of recent months. Early into the second half, Glen Rae had some room just outside the Carlisle area for a shot at goal; I am sure he did not hit the ball exactly as he had wanted to and his effort was saved by the keeper. Oh, what a lovely start to the second half that would have been had he found the top corner! The game continued to be open with the Hatters pressing and Carlisle breaking at speed when in possession particularly with the impressive No 10, Nicky Adams, am experienced midfielder who gained promotion with Northampton last season, involved in every charge. We then had our own version of a WW1 tank, Cameron McGeehan, using ever bit of his strength and power to try to physically shift the ball into the net. The keeper managed to hold onto the ball but was frustrated that the referee had not given a foul or stopped play for his fallen teammate: he kicked the ball out for a throw so his mate could get attention then gave his opinion to the referee and earned himself a booking. From the throw that went to Hylton, the expectation was that Hylton would knock the ball out for a goal-kick but evil Danny boy simply kicked the ball out for a throw to keep the pressure on Carlisle. I rather think that started a touch of niggle between Hylton and his old teammate at Oxford, Michael Raynes. Jones had to make a forced substitution with Gilliead replacing the injured Sheehan as he attempted an interception in a Carlisle move that came close. That substitution meant that we reverted to a back four with Gilliead adding a touch more guile to try and break Carlisle down. Should we have taken the lead when Cuthbert met a Gilliead corner and headed the ball with immense power; no come now, that would be silly, we don’t score from corners! Then Carlisle were reduced to 10 men with about eight minutes of normal time remaining. Hylton's old teammate from his Oxford days, Raynes, was spotted by the assistant referee to elbow Hylton and on the advice of the assistant referee received a straight red. As Raynes walked from the pitch his stare was firmly fixed on our Danny. Nothing sinister I am sure, just considering a polite chat over a post-match beer. We did have a couple more opportunities if not clear chances involving both McGeehan and Vassell. McGeehan's shot went over the bar and Vassell did not manage to pull the trigger and get his shot away. Pleasingly for Walton, there was an added time excellent save that balanced out his earlier spill that gave Carlisle their goal; I am sure he feels a lot happier now. Lots of added time but that’s how the score remained the points shared with a tough experienced Carlisle side that know and use all of the lower league tricks to manage the game. Overall Impression: I have to say I really enjoyed the game; yes it would have been great to win and on balance, I think we just about deserved a win but small margins etc. can make the difference in these hard-fought encounters. We certainly were not bullied in the way we have been many times this season and to be honest, I rather like the formation with a back three although maybe Jones was being a touch overly brave playing “Buckle style” with three strikers. We remain in 5th place in the league but really we have to start going on a run of wins. We have won three of our last ten games, lost once and drawn six times. We really need to convert some of those draws into victories as an average of 1.5 points a game just will not fuel a top seven spot. We have the likes of Wycombe, Barnet, Cambridge, Yeovil and Blackpool putting runs together and ghosting up the league: we really need to push on a touch. Will the three centre-back formation be used again or will NJ revert to his preferred style? An interesting one but as I see it now, we are not quite top three material but who knows what a change of formation and an experienced midfielder in January could change. The Sunday Rant: Did I miss the diamond at home? No, I certainly did not: our players, especially whoever plays at left back and the “Mary Celeste” midfield just don’t seem comfortable with it in the majority of games. I reckon that promotion from this ugly league can come down to fine margins and to be fair, we are doing pretty well in 5th place so maybe a little rant is a tad unfair. However, considering the season and not yesterday's game in isolation, we have three sections of the team: a very decent defence, a good attack lead by Hylton and that soft flaky midfield. Just a fine bit of tweaking from Nathan may just make us serious candidates for escape from this league to the promised land of league one where gifted players and diamonds, even rough ones, may flourish. As ever some impressions on our players performances: Walton: unfortunately fumbled a ball that was gratefully thumped away for Carlisle’s goal but redeemed himself in injury time for a save with his legs. O’Donnell: every ready to charge down the wing and attack. His crossing certainly seems to be improving and when Gilliead came on in the second period they linked up well. Cuthbert: superb solid game; when he is on form he is as good as any other centre back in the division.Very strong in the air and also made some good interceptions on the deck. Mullins: Mullins is Mullins; a decent centre back, never overly outstanding, never overly bad. Sheehan: more comfortable yesterday than when he has been strictly as a left back. Potts: decent and determined in defence but whatever we make of Dan, he is just not a natural wing back. Rea: introduced himself to the Carlisle players very early in the game to earn a booking: an ok game but not his best. McGeehan: I felt that McGeehan had his best game for several weeks; a good player in there we just need to bring it out a touch more and keep him involved in the game. Vassell: his electric pace gave the Carlisle defence a few anxious moments. He has lots of promise and may turn out to be a real star but I would have him back in the afternoons for relentless shooting practice. Marriott: decent hustling and bustling game and worked himself into some good positions: should really have put that header away in the first half. Hylton: no side in this league can relish the prospect of playing against Hylton a complete handful of a player that scores goals and typically yesterday was never out of the game. The Game Changers: Gilliead: looked good and gave us some skilful width when he came on. Pelly: tried a few clever passes that were unfortunately just a little overhit; like Vassell, when he sees the goal he really needs to pull the trigger. Cook: not on long enough to make an impression whether in many of his previous 90 minute appearances or yesterday's 7 minutes: boo, unfair on Cook because he is good in training; yes I know but we really need more from him and bit appearances from the bench rather than starting is best for now. The Teams; Luton: Walton, O’Donnell, Potts, Mullins, Cuthbert ©, Sheehan (Gilliead 62), Rea, McGeehan, Hylton, Vassell (Cook 90+5), Marriott (Pelly 67). Carlisle: Gillespie, Grainger © (Gillesphey 70), Joyce, Raynes, Kennedy, Jones (Lambe 34), Wyke, Adams, Brisley, S Miller (Devitt 81), T Miller.
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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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