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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Only a brief set of match notes today as it’s a fairly busy reporting day on the sister Whittler site: Stockwhittler (link on the about me page).
It’s just so nice to exit the sub fridge temperatures of the winter and enjoy the spring sunshine for a game of football. I don’t think we have had anything other than sunshine since the away game at Colchester a few weeks back; simply so much better than sitting cramped up on a very cold “bum freezing” plastic seat on a winters day in January. Tinker man Jones only made one change from the side that started at Mansfield on Monday with Ollie Palmer coming in for Isaac Vassell who moved to the bench: a chance for the tall Palmer to convince Jones that he should be offered a contract at the club. It was definitely not a dull start to the game with both sides seeking to go forward and try to create chances. Our first real chance came via some powerful play from Pelly who surged into the County area and I thought he was on for a crack at goal but he cleverly released the ball to Potts on the left side of the box for Potts to send a left-foot shot the wrong side of the post: a nice move that maybe should have brought the opening goal. After six minutes a goal did come but unfortunately not for Luton. It was one of those frustrating defensive moments when firstly our right flank did not hold allowing a County player to knock a ball to the edge of the area and secondly the fact that Hewitt had so much space to volley his shot past Moore in the Luton goal. It’s a fact that we are fairly mean in terms of goals conceded but that stat hides the fact that the odd sloppy goal has converted so many winning situations into drawn games. Fortunately, it did not take the Hatters long to hit back after a surprise Hylton long-range shot hit the crossbar only for Palmer to do really well and head the ball into the net despite the attempts of Collin in the County goal. The game continued in this open fashion and it was just nice to sit there in the stand and see some entertaining football after a home season sadly lacking in football pleasing to the eye. Hang on though, then we see Danny Hylton a little needlessly colliding with the County keeper who sadly made the most of the situation that got Danny boy his 14th booking of the season: is that a record for a Luton player I wonder: maybe he will get some kind of trophy for the achievement! After some good other attacking moves that came close, the Hatters eventually then took the lead just before half-time when Pelly, who had had a couple of shots blocked earlier in the half, received a pass from D’Ath and struck a ball from the edge of the area into the corner of the net to send us into the break ahead. I don’t think that Pelly actually struck the ball as he intended to but who cares and on the balance of play we deserved that lead. It was good work by D’Ath who was heavily involved in the game and only Pelly’s second goal of the season; if only he would pull the trigger a little more often. The entertainment continued into the second half and we really could so easily have run up another three goals to the scoreline. Firstly Hylton to my mind should have killed the game when from a good position he shot just wide of the post. Then the unlikely Palmer spotted the County keeper way off his line and attempted a type of long-range chip from about 40+yards but the ball went the wrong side of the post. County lived on their fortune and could have equalised at around 60 minutes when a good shot from range was tipped over the bar by Moore: a really decent save from a keeper ever growing in confidence. Then back up the other end, Hylton had another good chance having been put through by the on-form Pelly but keeper Collin did well to block Hylton’s effort. It’s not great for the playoff nerves just being the odd goal in front when other chances could have been snapped up and we could have been dragged back to 2-2 had Stuart Moore not made his second high quality save of the afternoon leaping to his right to send a powerful shot away for a corner. It must have been a complete surprise to us all as Hylton was fairly needlessly booked again, his second yellow of the game and he marched off the pitch to applause from the Luton faithful: really unfortunate two bookings for our Danny in one game: still, the rest will do him good. Overall Impression: Maybe Jonesy has been right all along and we will prove strong late in the season even if game 43 is leaving it a touch late but let’s enjoy the moment: we played well. I was nice to see so many players having decent games all within the same match. Cuthbert was his usual immense self, Pelly has woken up again and Lee had his fifth influential game on the trot. Overall, a good three points and very importantly all the players turning in a good performance and pleasingly also entertaining the home supporters as well. So, it looks like the playoff places are booked and we really look destined for 4th place which I reckon could well give us an away game in Stevenage on the 14th May; that would be my choice. A few thoughts on individual performances: Moore: well done NJ, your 4th consecutive decent young keeper on loan following in the footsteps of Mitchell, Walton & Macey. Moore has done well to recover from his Cheltenham nightmare and made two really high quality saves yesterday. I would be happy to see him at Luton for next season if NJ can arrange it. Justin: after a nervous start he improved as the game went on and I think that next season after some rest and consolidation over the summer months, we will have a top quality right back on our hands. Cuthbert: another solid strong game from the commanding Cuthbert. Rea: it looks like his better form may be returning to him after it’s winter absence and maybe that’s due to him being used in a position that suits his skills more: centre back. Sheehan: brave as always in a game against one of his former clubs. Potts: some of the crowd do have a go at Dan Potts but to my mind, he is a class defender trying to learn a bit of wing play: I thought he did well at Mansfield and again well against County. Lee: as mentioned above, another good game from Olly Lee. He was always looking to pick out a team-mate over distance and also made some decent interceptions. D’Ath: Mr continual motion D’Ath does the simple stuff well: good game. Pelly: maybe the fire has again been lit under Pelly’s bum! He had a good creative, powerful game. Palmer: he did really well following up McGeehan style to head the Hatters equaliser and overall had a good match. Hylton: what can you say? He drives you mad with his needless yellow cards yet if you change his game would he be the same player? A good shot to aid that first Luton goal but he should have scored at least one goal himself in the second half. The Subs: Gray: did well enough but looks like he needs time on the pitch. Vassell: as expected he gave the County defence some real problems with his pace; good guy but needs to wake up to the fact that sometimes another player is better placed to take a shot on goal: it will come as he develops. The Teams: Luton: Moore, Justin, Rea, Cuthbert, Sheehan, Potts, Lee, Pelly, D'Ath (Gray 61), Hylton, Palmer (Vassell 72). Subs: O'Donnell, Smith, Marriott, Gambin, King (GK) Yellows: Pelly Reds: Hylton (two yellows) County: Collin, Dickinson, Duffy, Hollis, Ameobi, Milsom (Yeates 81), Grant, Hewitt, Clackstone, A Campbell (T Campbell 90), Stead (Forte 72). Subs: Smith, Thompson, Searson-Smithard (GK), Howes Yellows: Grant, Dickinson, Hollis, A Campbell Referee: David Webb I can’t really say that Mansfield is the cultural capital of Nottinghamshire but being a Lutonian, it’s places such as Mansfield and Stevenage that convince you that my dear old home town is not such a bad place after all. As ever the great attraction at Mansfield yesterday was not the One Call Stadium, an example in how not to redevelop a ground with wide open corners that give an excellent view of Mansfield; but rather the attraction was the excellent Railway Inn.
The Railway Inn is a very old fashioned town pub that keeps it’s ales so well within a good cellar and has a kitchen that produces fine quality meals: everything at Midlands value; steady, I could just get to like Mansfield. Of course, the pub being so popular draws a lot of football supporters from both the home and away sides but never a problem, just a good if crowded atmosphere. After such a super lunchtime and with the sun trying to shine, what could possibly go wrong! For the game, our little tinker man made two changes. Firstly, favourite “dematerialisation man” Cook, unavailable through injury and secondly the struggling for form Marriott dropped to the bench. Their replacements were Dan Potts coming in for his first game since Carlisle and Isaac Vassell. The first half was really looked like a contest between two fairly average mid-table sides each struggling to create a worthy chance on goal. Ok, we can feel a touch hard done by for the referee not giving us a penalty following some good work by Pelly and a cross into the box that made contact with that long hand like limb that stretches down from the shoulder but these things have a way of evening themselves out. Now, as much as Luton did not look a threat, neither did Mansfield yet it was Mansfield who took the lead after about 25 minutes when an initial shot was blocked only to rebound out to Potter to hit the ball past Stuart Moore; maybe our closing down could have been a touch better. So for the first half that was about it for excitement; virtually no service to Hylton or Vassell yet with the Hatters looking fairly comfortable in the defence, winning some of the midfield but incapable of any creativity; it really did not look like the quality you would expect to see from a promotion contender. Fortunately, the second half was much better with both sides going for the win. In terms of luck with penalty decisions, the balancing of said luck came about when the referee awarded a penalty for handball and Hylton very calmly slotted the ball right down the centre with keeper Kean diving over to his right. I would say that between the time of that equaliser and the 80th minute we had our best sustained period of the game and unlike the first half, chances were actually being created with a couple of decent headers from Hylton and Vassell coming close. All in all, that was a good period of the game for the Hatters with some of the midfield actually linking up well and creating something for the strikers. In the final 10 minutes of the game Mansfield really upped a gear and came at Luton and whilst we occasionally looked a little stretched on the flanks, we defended well. In that final period, each side could have snatched the winner with Mansfield coming the closest when Green almost connected with a nice low cross from our left flank and Moore did well to divert away a powerful shot. So, that was it a point apiece for the painted lady Evans and our little tinker-man. Overall Impression: It was a fair result on the day between two average L2 sides with promotion ambitions but possibly without the quality to deliver on those ambitions. Our defending was good but the service from midfield to our strikers only functioned occasionally. When you look back 9 games ago when for a moment promotion was within our hands without having to rely on others fouling up, our form has been poor with 11 points from those 9 games whereas Portsmouth who were promoted yesterday, managed 22 points from their last 9 games. Unfortunately, those numbers tell the tale of our season in terms of a top three place. At the start of the season, I would have been happy enough with a playoff place and that’s where we are likely to be so let’s get on and enjoy it. Yet I can’t help feeling that with a little less Jones stubbornness, a little less tinkering and better mentoring by an experienced assistant we could have done better in this rather weak L2. Yet in the end, the three quality clubs have been automatically promoted and good luck to them. A few thoughts on individual performances: Moore: I thought he did well enough in handling anything that reached him. Justin: competent game and tried to get forward when he could especially in the second half. Cuthbert: he really had his work cut out against some giant Mansfield players and did very well. One thing he really does need to try to avoid is that grabbing hold off opponents in the area. Rea: very determined game and I thought he did well. Sheehan: brave as ever and that left clog always tries to get a move started: recovered well from one horribly misplaced pass late in the game to make a good clearance. Potts: had a good defensive game: he could be quite a star in a 442 formation but unlikely to happen with the Hatters. Lee: after three good games could we expect a fourth? Well almost; he did quite well and also took several corners all of which were so much better than Cook’s usual efforts. D’Ath: played well; he really does work hard for the team: decent signing in my opinion. Pelly: a day for the flip-flops and the beach possibly: time for a fire to be lit under Pelly’s bum! Vassell: tried hard but unable to really get a break through. Hylton: please just button it; that’s my first comment. As for his play, a fair game but he looks really knackered. The Subs: Palmer: he always looked a danger when he came on against one of his former clubs. O’Donnell: did ok in his few minutes on the field replacing the cramp victim Potts TheTeams Mansfield: Kean, Bennett, Benning, Pearce, Taft, Coulthirst, Potter (Hamilton 77), White (MacDonald 60), Byrom, Whiteman, Rose (Green 80). Subs: Jensen (GK), Collins, Howkins, Arquin Yellows: Rose, Kean Luton: Moore, Justin, Rea, Cuthbert, Sheehan, Potts (O'Donnell 84), Pelly, Lee, D'Ath, Hylton, Vassell (Palmer 64). Subs: Smith, Gray, Marriott, Gambin, King (GK) Ref: Mark Brown: not that good to be honest. Following a super pre-match get together with friends over a couple of beers we got the team news from tinker-man Nathan who is presumably still using the scratch card approach to team selection. Nathan had recalled “in fine, fine form” Cook, dropped O’Donnell in response to concerns voiced by the Bury Park shopkeepers regarding footballs landing on the fruit & veg stalls and additionally Vassell was rested and given a place on the bench. Well, what’s to worry about? We, after all, were playing against an almost relegated to the National League side; indeed a side who were fielding youngsters and having real difficulties paying their players. Demoralised Orient’s form has been dreadful of late losing 9 of the last 10 games and conceding 28 goals as ever, what could possibly go wrong!
In addition to tinkering with a winning side that had in the last two games dominated Blackpool from the 91st minute and scraped a very fortunate win at Barnet, NJ/PH reverted away from that winning formation to his “007” theme of diamonds are forever: why oh why? I suppose our management duo’s thinking is along the lines of “if you give a monkey a bar of soap and put him in a bathroom shower, then eventually one day, the monkey will stop eating the bar of soap start washing with it”; similarly if you keep using the diamond at home then it’s bound to work one day. Anyway, onto the game: well the first half did not produce the avalanche of goals that we may have wished for but to be fair we did create some chances. One lovely move in which Cook cutting in from the left placed a beautiful teasing ball that ran across the front of goal and only needed the slightest of touches but other chances were to follow. The returning Cook suffered an injury after about 20 minutes and had to be replaced by Gambin and I would guess from the way that Cook left the pitch that will be his season over. We did take the lead through an absolutely superb long ball “Glen Hoddle Style” to Hylton from Olly Lee. Now Hylton showed real skill as he controlled the ball, ran into the area and slotted the ball into the corner of the net; lovely move, lovely goal. We did have other chances in the first half including two shots from Gambin one of which was met by a very good save from the Orient keeper. So, there the first half passed with the Town winning by a single goal but not really dominating Orient as much as we may have wished. Now what happened at half-time is anybody’s guess; did Paul Hart give the type of inspirational talk that he gave post-game; who knows? What we do know is that in much of the second half we were just not there. Orient equalised with a penalty when a shot from range made contact with Rea’s arm and the referee judged penalty. Orient then took the lead with terribly sloppy defending down our left-hand side but to be fair a class finish from Abraham: oh, dear not going to plan! Thankfully complete embarrassment was avoided when substitute Vassell ran onto a lovely pass from Hylton to slot the ball past keeper Sargeant. So there we have it a draw against another of the bottom of the table clubs. Yet Orient could still have won the game when in a breakaway in injury time, the Orient substitute ran through on goal and looked certain to score only for Justin to make a superb last-ditch tackle to keep intact our point. That tackle was up there with other great tackles in my opinion: Fraser Franks at Macclesfield and Alex Lacey at Braintree. Overall Impression: We were ok the first half but not dominant. In the first 25 minutes of the second half we were just downright poor and once again the midfield became a wilderness for LTFC players. Yet, despite managing to avoid victory against a poor National League elect side, we remain in 4th place as other teams looking to take a place in the playoffs also had a bad day. So we stumble on towards the playoffs and it really is a stumble yet thankfully other teams are also stumbling. After a terrible six-match run starting with Stevenage when promotion was within our own hands, we ride our luck a touch and collect 7 points from the last 3 game; yet it is really not convincing stuff. As we are now 6 points clear of the 8th placed club, we will probably find it difficult not to qualify for the playoffs but you never know with those scratch cards. So, we are in with a chance and to my way of thinking it’s our turn to have that little bit of luck in the play off’s and despite our horribly boring presentation this season, particularly at home, I reckon we will do it. I should say that the views I express are as I see our performances: I tell it as I see it and am not a member of either the "happy clapper club" or the "we are doomed club" but comments such as post-Newport “Newport is a difficult place to come to” just drive me wild: never mind, onwards and upwards! Some thoughts on individual performances: Moore: coped well with things he had a chance with: he had no chance with that well-struck penalty. Justin: his passing was off target in the first half and often over hit but his saving tackle in injury time preserved a point. Cuthbert: a bit of a mixture; sometimes looking heavy-legged other times making good clearances. Rea: did ok for the most part and maybe the penalty award was a bit harsh. He is still not showing the consistency and quality we saw in the first 3 months of the season. Sheehan: one of our more thoughtful performers yesterday but he left his shooting boots at home it seems. Lee: third game on the trot that I have been impressed with born again Olly: beautiful pass to Hylton for the opening goal and that was not the only impressive pass: keep it up mate, you are winning me over! Pelly: not a good game from our Pelly, one he will want to forget. D’Ath: looks like he will be a decent player for our club and gave a lot of effort yesterday. Cook: one nice bit of skill early on with that ball across the area but picked op what looks like an early season end with that injury. Marriott: great turn and shot just over the bar in the first half but otherwise not his best day. Hylton: where would we be without our best player both in terms of his individual performance and his team contribution. The Substitutes: Gambin: decent game and unlucky not to score; always looking to get involved. Vassell: wished he had started the game; just how tired did Nathan judge him to be after Barnet? Gray: only had a few minutes on the pitch. Luton: Moore, Justin, Cuthbert ©, Rea, Sheehan, Lee, Pelly (Gray 85), D’Ath, Cook (Gambin 24), Hylton, Marriott (Vassell 66). Subs: O’Donnell, Potts, Smith, King (GK) Yellows: Gambin, Cuthbert Orient: Sargeant, Kelly ©, Collins, Mezague, Semedo, Pollock, Adeboyejo, Dalby (Abrahams 46), Alzate (Koroma 80), Ochieng (Moncur 88), Clark. Subs: Grainger, Liburd, Alderson, Happe Yellows: Ochieng, Sargeant Ref: Brett Huxtable On a beautiful sunny day it was nice to have a mini tour around the capital and also have lunch at nice restaurant chain that I have a modest investment in: all in the cause of market research but more of that later on my sister site Stock Whittler. From Franco Manca it was off to the Black Lion in West Hampstead to meet up with friends in a sweltering pub garden; absolutely fabulous weather for April. Then back onto the travels to meet up with more fellow Hatters in the enormous away supporters bar at Barnet. The Barnet ground does come in for some criticism but to my mind it’s ok for a club of modest support and over the last few seasons they have definitely improved the ground. I wish I could say the same about the over the top stewarding; maybe they should take a trip to London neighbours to see how it’s done: I will miss Orient next season, a club wrecked by the management of incompetent owners.
As expected, Nathan apart from the departed Macey who was replaced by Stuart Moore, kept the same starting outfield players that took the field against Blackpool: the right thing to do in my mind. Both teams were pushing forward where they could during the opening exchanges with fairly open play but as far as the Hatters were concerned little in the way of chances. In fact Barnet had the more goal opportunities in the first half with their CB sending one header from a corner over the bar as our defenders felt the pressure from the taller members of the Barnet side; not all giants but enough big lads to cause problems. Stuart Moore in the town goal looked nervous in the first few minutes with a couple of crosses that came over, one was well cleared by Sheehan under pressure from Akinde and another at waist height that thankfully without contact from goalkeeper or player continued wide of the post. Akinde should maybe have done better with a couple of first-half efforts. The first tamely hit at Moore as the Barnet striker got away from our centre backs and the second after getting away from Cuthbert in the chase for a long ball Akinde was unable to beat Moore who managed to save with his legs, a good bit of goalkeeping. Chances for ourselves in that first half? Well, not much to say really, a Vassell effort but little else. We could easily have been behind at half-time as the allegedly weaker Barnet side that included some raw youngsters were ahead on efforts on goal if not actual goals scored. In the second half, the match became very scrappy for a period with the hatters marginally having the better of the play. Moore's confidence got another's boost with a splendid diving save high to his left to beat away a header from a Barnet header that came from one of the many free kicks given away by the Hatters in rather dangerous situations. At least as the second half wore on we were having plenty of attacking play and doing particularly well down the left flank where Vassell’s pace was a threat but sadly little in the way of chances were created. Nathan did react to bolster up the right flank by taking off O'Donnell who was not having his best afternoon, moving Justin to RB, Sheehan to LB and essentially going more into a 442 formation with Gambin on the left against his old club. Our other super Olly of the Palmer variety took Vassell's place alongside the totally knackered Hylton. From the edge of the area Lee passed a ball to Palmer and with the ball pinging around in the Barnet area Olly Lee managed to get a connection with his left foot to send the ball wide of the diving keeper and into the corner of the net; time for an Olly song but a much nicer one that was sang to him at Colchester & how he celebrated, beautiful! We tried for another without looking massively threatening then it was Barnet's turn to push us back and turn up the heat on this scorching afternoon. Again Barnet came close to scoring when a striker got free on the left of the penalty area to send a shot past the onrushing Moore only for Rea to make a superb last-ditch clearance to prevent Akinde being presented with an open goal. Very late in the game that man Akinde was presented with another chance, this time a header that he should have placed better but nevertheless it was well taken by Moore. Late on Smith came on for D'Ath whose effectiveness demonised as he tired in the warm conditions. Overall impression: We worked hard to carve out a win and can in fairness have Moore to thank for a couple of excellent saves that not only boosted his own confidence but also restored the fans faith after the Cheltenham nervous start. Please don't think we looked brilliant as we were certainly not but a win is a win and a very welcome one at that. Had Akinde been a better striker or at least on form, I doubt that we would have been talking about a win or maybe even discussing a draw. Lovely overall day out in the sunshine and although we won I felt we played a touch better last season at Barnet when we lost 2-1: the starting 11 that day were: Mitchell, O’Donnell, Cuthbert, Magnus, Sheehan, Rea, Smith, Pelly, McGeehan, Marriott, Benson and a certain Luke Gambin scored against us that day. NJ really needs to get into the players the silliness of some of the cheap free kicks that we tend to give away that lets sides with strong physical giants put us under pressure. Still, we must not grumble about a welcome three points and truthfully have Moore to thank for helping us secure those points. Did we look like a promotion side capable of storming through the playoffs to Wembley glory; well no we did not. We need to move up a gear or two if we are to achieve that goal and get closer to the type of fluent play we showed at Yeovil; we have certainly stuttered since that marvellous win. So we stumble on rather unconvincingly to what looks like a playoff place as the automatic promotion boat has sailed away without us on board. Thankfully our playoff place cause was helped by just about every result for other playoff hopefuls going in our direction. I wonder if Good Friday will bring a first of the season in terms of achieving three consecutive victories? A few thoughts on individual performances: Moore: believe me, Stuart Moore played really well and I am very pleased for him and the team; let's get behind him. O'Donnell: as ever some good bits and some poor bits. His crossing was poor and he struggled to hold the right in the second half. Cuthbert: a fair game from the captain but rode his luck on a couple of occasions in the first half including when beaten to a long ball by Akinde who really would have scored had Moore not been on hand to make a very good save. Rea: a determined display by Rea including a super clearance in the second half that kept the lead intact. Sheehan: made some good tackles and was always Mr reliable when the ball was got out to him on the left. Justin: overall played well both in terms of his defensive duties and when passing the ball around the pitch including a superb left to right cross field pass to O’Donnell in the first half. Lee: a second consecutive good game from Olly Lee and really an all-round decent performance from Olly including placing that shot for the winning goal against his old club. Pelly: a very muck bits and pieces game where he never really got his game effectively going and often let himself down after doing good initial work. D’Ath: fairly effective in the earlier part of the game but tired later in the second half in the heat. Never reached the standard he set last week against Blackpool. I thought Jones may have given him a rest a bit earlier than the 89th minute as he had drifted out of the game. Vassell: used his pace well particularly down the left side of the pitch was replaced by Palmer later in the second half. Hylton: gave all he could on batteries that seemed to be about 50% charged, I really expected him to be taken off at about the 70-minute mark as he looked to be totally exhausted. That tiredness probably did not help him with a clumsy tackle that brought booking number 13?? For the season. The Subs: Palmer: does he really need that extra foot in height as his best work seems to be on the ground? I thought he did quite well when he came on. Gambin: decent but not outstanding on the left against his old club. Smith: a late cameo performance closing down the midfield by our Smudger. The Teams Barnet: Stephens, H Taylor, Santos, Clough, Johnson, Vilhete, Bover (Amaluzor 69), Weston , Campbell-Ryce, Shomotun (J Taylor 60), Akinde. Subs: McKenzie-Lyle, Nelson, Akinola, Coulson, Tutonda. Yellows: H Taylor, Campbell-Ryce Luton: Moore, O’Donnell (Gambin 62), Rea, Cuthbert , Sheehan, Justin, Lee, Pelly, D’Ath (Smith 89), Hylton, Vassell (Palmer 62). Subs: Cook, Marriott, Musonda, King Yellows: Rea, Hylton Just like last Saturday, a beautiful sunny day for a game of football but unlike last week the foul odour of the Colchester ground was for the group I was with, replaced with the aroma of a roast lunch served in the Eric Morecambe. I can’t believe that for two consecutive seasons I have managed to use my diamond hospitality as I normally let it drift despite the club kindly sending me reminders.
So having been well fed it was time to negotiate Kenny’s equivalent of the Hampton Court Maze and try to find the seats: will Power Court will be so entertaining I wonder? Our visitors Blackpool had been in splendid form of late, taking 16 points from the last 18 points on offer including wins against the impressive Stevenage and a “Luton style” 3-0 away win at Plymouth, oh those were the days! Whereas our recent form has been more reminiscent of an England cricket middle order collapse with just 6 points from the last 18 on offer. More worryingly since that wonderful victory at Yeovil the players seem to have been gripped by stage fright as the prize of automatic promotion rapidly drifted from our control to reliance on others collapsing; would we be able to re-emerge as a team over the next 7 games and take a playoff place? Well let’s not panic Captain Mainwaring, corporal Jones has confidence in the troops and the ability to shuffle the pack. Today’s shuffle saw super Danny Hylton discarding the bubble wrap and returning to the starting eleven along with Olly Lee and James Justin. Those making way from last week’s starters were the injured Cook along with Marriott and Gray. To me the line-up looked quite pleasing with players just about selected in positions they are suited to; three centre backs and on paper at least, a touch more availability in midfield. This formation put Justin at left back where he is good but for me, his best position is right back but with jack Senior still unavailable due to injury and Sheehan held together with duct tape, the options were a touch limited. Compared to the post-Yeovil games, the first half was a big improvement with players playing for one another rather than a bunch of individuals who had only just met each other. The Blackpool manager Bower made the same mistake that Morecambe’s Bentley made and chose not to close Olly Lee down. Now although Bower is a touch smug, that tactic was a real mistake. Most times Olly has played he has been nullified by speedy close attention; yesterday he was given the same Morecambe freedom and was able to knock some superb passes around the field. With D’Ath showing lots of energy in midfield; he also had a very good second half at Colchester, he combined that energy with the taking of corner kicks and also some very decent tackles in midfield. The first half saw us come close on a number of occasions particularly with a shot from Hylton well saved by goalkeeper Lyness. Lyness was in truth having a very commanding game for such a vertically challenged keeper but part of that may have been down to the many crosses that were simply placed just far too close to the keeper: that in itself was a shame as although O’Donnell had stopped aiming for Beech Path, his placing was just to kind to Lyness. In that first half Blackpool also had their moments firstly with Macey making an acrobatic save to divert a well-placed shot around the post for a corner then a beautiful chance for the perfect hat-trick man Cullen. That chance for Cullen was probably the best chance of the first half when the little chap somehow evaded Cuthbert in the air and sent a misplaced header past Macey’s left-hand post. All in all not a bad first half’s entertainment when compared to the offerings of the last five games. The first period of the second half seemed to have goalless stamped all over it with both sides probing but not really getting close creating a meaningful chance on goal. Then the Blackpool version of Vassell made a spectacular overhead kick from a few yards out that Macey somehow managed to react to so splendidly and divert the ball onto the top of the crossbar and over for a corner kick: that was one splendid save. Straight away the action moved to the other end of the pitch with Pelly cutting in from the left inside the penalty area to see his nicely placed shot splendidly saved by Lyness. Both managers made substitutions with Jones bringing on Palmer for Vassell, Marriott for Hylton and finally late on, Gambin for O’Donnell as Jones went for the points. In fact, the substitution of O’Donnell led to a rather amusing moment with Pelly barking instructions to the relaxed Justin to “please move to right back, there is a good chap”. Finally, just at a time when we had probably all settled for the fact we would not get a winner, a winning goal emerged from the giant substitute Olly Palmer. It really was great credit to Palmer that he battled his way like an unstoppable tank through the physical Blackpool challenges to lay the ball out to Gambin whose low shot was parried by Lyness but only into the path of that unstoppable Palmer tank to smack the ball into the net from close range. Oh just how wonderful it is to win a game. Overall Impression: I thought that the changes to formation and style paid off for the Hatters and we just looked so much more comfortable then we have looked in recent weeks. Ok, it was not an earth-shattering performance but nevertheless a great shift from the tatters of that first half effort at Colchester. So to my estimation, we need say 9 points from the remaining 6 games: can we do that? Well if the next 6 teams give Olly Lee as much freedom as he was given yesterday then that would be a great help. I also like the look of D’Ath who was constantly in the game; if he plays and helps keep that midfield engine running then the others will surely benefit. Finally, it was really nice to see our crowd applauding Mark Cullen as he was substituted. Mark appreciated the applause and returned likewise to all sides of the ground: nice and as it should be for our hero of the battle of Cambridge: doubt I will ever forget that goal celebration. Some thoughts on individual performances: Macey: well I keep saying I like the guy and reckon if we get half a chance to land him on a permanent contract then we should take it. A couple of good saves yesterday coupled with that super save from Blackpool’s Vassell. O’Donnell: I always seem to write the same words about SOD and I am not his greatest critic. He gives you bags of energy but lacks that consistency in terms of quality delivery that could turn the corner for him. Cuthbert: decent game but he must be wondering how he lost Cullen for that first half header. Rea: doing what he does best i.e. playing as a defender and not a drifter of a centre-half in the deep midfield wilderness: a very decent game. Sheehan: thankfully the duct tape holding Sheehan’s limbs & other bits & pieces together held together for the 90 minutes for the brace defender. Justin: had a decent game on the left and continues to develop but probably best at right back. Incidentally, I reckon Jones is doing the right thing with the likes of Justin in terms of a bit of exposure at a time followed by bench warming; similar to how Pleat developed Mitchell Thomas. Pelly: how do we turn Pelly’s good game into a stunning one? On so many occasions his superb surges forward were executed so well until it came to that last touch; I reckon he will get there. Lee: give him the freedom that Morecambe and Blackpool offered and he will play; let's hope that other teams in the remaining fixtures do similar. Olly is not a holding midfield player Nathan simply a lad with a Hoddle type passing gift if given the space. D’Ath: looks to be another decent signing by Jones; been there, done it and now the rust has been removed from his season of on the shelf storage, looking a decent midfield player. Vassell: not a bad game particularly in the first half but faded in the second half. Hylton: as Hylton is so important to us, a 50% fit bubble wrap Hylton is of more use that no Hylton at all. Given his fitness, he had a very decent game and almost tucked one away in the first half. The Subs: Palmer: yes, the Palmer tank was indeed a game changer and takes full credit for that winning goal. Strangely for such a giant he seems better on the ground than in the air. Marriott: had a few good cross-field runs at the Blackpool defence: a goal or two would work wonders for his confidence. Gambin: a late substitute and it was his shot that the keeper parried to Palmer to grab the points for the Hatters. The Teams: Luton: Macey, O'Donnell (Gambin 86), Cuthbert, Rea, Sheehan, Justin, Pelly, Lee, D'Ath, Vassell (Palmer 66), Hylton (Marriott 75). Subs not used: Moore, Bakinson, Famewo, Smith. Blackpool: Lyness, Mellor, Robertson, Potts (Odelusi 86), our ex-Hatter hero Cullen (Vassell 66), Flores, Aldred (C), Osayi-Samuel (Delfouneso 66), Daniel, Payne, Danns.. Booked: Danns 52, Lee 75. Attendance: 7,968 (418 away). Referee: Christopher Kavanagh. What a beautiful sunny day for an easy drive along the A12 for a visit to Colchester and easy parking in the high-tech well managed park & ride. With the Colchester manager declaring that his side were decimated with injuries, what could possibly go wrong! Well, let’s see. Firstly, this rather hideous ground will I am sure, look fairly awful by the time it’s half the age of our beloved Kenny. The queues for food and beer pre-match were almost legendary whilst the travelling masses were entertained by a band admittedly trying their best, as they belted out from within a steel shipping container outside the ground. If Carlsberg or even Fosters designed football grounds then…….Nice helpful Essex folk in Colchester that made us welcome but maybe finishing touches to the ground could make some difference.
Inside the ground, the policy seems to partly anesthetise the away supporters with the hydrogen sulphide odour from the septic sewage that emits from I suspect, from an ill-managed pumping station. If the foul smell in the air does not get you then the unwary traveller, having consumed an ale or two, could easily become a victim of the steep poorly configured steps at the away end: personally, I saw a few legendary Hatters followers take a tumble. So, onto the game for which Nathan made three changes from the sub-standard Newport eleven being without the injured Hylton and Mullins and dropping Palmer to the bench: replacements were Gray, D’Ath and Marriott. This enabled two forgotten D’Ath and Gray to be given an opportunity to restart the engine room with “he has to turn up” Cook. Well sadly within that first 45 minutes the Cook virus; note the comments “has to turn up” are from NJ, had obviously taken hold of the majority of the team and we were just dreadful and I mean truly dreadful: second to every ball, disinterested, feeble and disorganised. Within four minutes a nice cross from the left was well headed by Porter as once again the Luton defence demonstrated their vampire vulnerability to crosses: if only we had a defender or two in the coaching staff! With half an hour of the game gone, Nathan decided it was time to make a change and bring Justin on; truly Nathan was spoilt for choice in terms of which midfielder to take off apart from Pelly who was at least showing a will and some urgency. Gray was selected as the lucky departure although it could easily have been the invisible man Cook or D’Ath. Justin to his credit was immediately into the game, initially in midfield, giving us two midfielders, Justin & Pelly, who seemed interested in the day. This performance in the first period was simply embarrassing and easily on a par with that Marx Brothers effort at Bristol Rovers last season. A second goal followed when Macey could not stop a Porter shot from just going over the line but to be fair to Macey he did make one really good save in the half to stop what looked like a third goal. In the second half with the game just about won, Colchester did sit back a touch more and the Hatters began to gradually improve as the game wore on. Nathan made a couple of more substitutions: Palmer for Marriott and Lee “the most gifted player at the club”, for the injured Cook. Poor Lee, he has had a dreadful season firstly being played in an alien position by Jones and then being set up by those delusional comments from Hart. Yet surely even then it’s touch unkind for some of the frustrated travelling masses to sing of Lee “Olly, Olly Lee, when he get the ball he does feck all Olly, Olly Lee”; this chant just went on repeat and repeat. As the second half wore on we did improve a lot. The gifted Justin now playing as a left wing-back had a great strike on goal that beat the keeper but was well headed off the line by a defender, Sheehan had a screamer from some distance out that fizzed just past the left-hand post. Then we also had lots of scrambled efforts in the area some featuring D’Ath who had at last woken up. Finally, deep into stoppage time, Vassell, who incidentally earned his wages, got a goal but too little too late. Overall Impression: Worthy performances: Cuthbert, Pelly, Vassell, Justin, most of the others were quite honestly just embarrassing in that first half. Honestly, have some of our players just given up; just simply no motivation or pride in wearing the shirt in the last few games and the performance was not that much of a shock to me as this one has been coming based on recent lack of commitment. Why should things have changed so much since that sparkling 4-0 win at Yeovil? Simply since that time belief and commitment have just drained from the side. I have always thought that a successful team ideally needs a spine of four; goalkeeper, centre-back, midfield enforcer and persistent pain in the arse striker. We have had two of those spine points whilst NJ has played Russian roulette with the first spine point, the keeper and never addressed the Mary Celeste midfield. Let’s hope our incredibly stubborn manager learns well from this season and grafts a sense of reality onto his undoubted passion. Sadly our travelling mass, almost 1800 supporters yesterday, feel rather let down by the management team & players. Yet it would be plainly daft to surrender now: ok, we are in totally crap form no matter what NJ tells. We are not a great team, we don’t play with an entertaining style despite the “Luton way”, whatever that is, that NJ talks about. We have seven games to go and hopefully, the players will start to turn up and play for the shirt again but if that is to happen some faith has to be restored within the camp immediately! Has something gone off track with the togetherness of the manager/team, are we really just a one man Danny Hylton band? Who knows, but while there is still a chance of promotion via the playoffs all we can do is remain behind the team; easy words I know especially after yesterday’s first half performance but let’s not raise the white flag just yet. Some Thoughts On Individual performances: Macey: shall we blame Macey, well this development team keeper does need to improve and learn to come off his line but it’s not his fault that the “Mary Celeste” midfield aimlessly drifted in the first half. I reckon eventually Macey will be fine but how difficult is it to recruit an experienced keeper these days; remember when we once had Tyler and Pilkington? O’Donnell: nothing changes in terms of commitment and sadly nothing changes in terms of quality. Cuthbert: played well enough but looked like he was carrying an injury. Rea: fairly decent at times but still has a tendency to let the man he is marking just get away from him when the ball is crossed over: that can be coached, so he will improve. Sheehan: just nowhere near his best but did try to drive forwards in the second half. Pelly: tried all afternoon, some good passes and in some instances despite having done all the right things, his final touch letting him down: easily the pick of the midfield. D’Ath: looked rusty and lost in the first half but he really did improve in the second half. Gray: just about zero confidence or self-belief yet at Crewe a few weeks back he looked really good before he was dropped from the side. Cook: Nathan asked him to ”turn up” and having seen the first half performances of D’Ath and Gray maybe NJ as limited options but Cook really just has not hit it off at Luton: time for a rethink with the midfield Nathan. Marriott: never made much on an impression on the game but to make an impression he has to have the service and not balls pumped down the middle to be gobbled up by L2 centre backs! Vassell: never gave up and got a small reward in injury time with a goal. The Subs: Justin: I thought he played well and it was good to have his obvious class on the pitch: time for him to become an automatic first choice Nathan! Palmer: he does try so hard but worth retaining? Lee: tried to make some spectacular passes. He has the vision but sadly lacks the quality to deliver anything much. The Teams: Colchester: Walker, Brindley, Lapslie, Wright, Porter (Bonne 88), Brennan Dickenson, Elokobi, Eastman, Murray, Pyke (Fosu 66), James (Wynter 59). Subs not used: Dean Brill: remember him? Briggs, O'Sullivan, Lewis Kinsella once on loan to us from Villa.. Luton: Macey, O'Donnell, Sheehan, Cuthbert, Rea, Pelly, Gray (Justin 31), D'Ath, Cook (Lee 68), Vassell, Marriott (Palmer 61). Subs not used: Moore, Bakinson, Famewo, Smith. Booked: Lapslie 70. Attendance: 5,445 (1,775 Luton). Referee: Gavin Ward; fairly lenient only booking one player. Well, its four months since we had our double outing to Exeter in November to play a side languishing at the base of league two. The two games were themselves very forgettable affairs but at least my football education was supplemented by Paul Hart informing us in a post-match interview, who the most skilful player at the club was. Since that time Exeter have gone on a magnificent run on their shoestring resources and climbed the table to sit in the play-off places: quite some achievement for such a financially strapped outfit and well done to them. So once again we found ourselves up against playoff contenders. In fact, the last six games have been Doncaster, Plymouth, Yeovil, Stevenage, Carlisle and Exeter. Yes, we managed to comfortably thump Yeovil but from the other five games against top 7 clubs we only managed four points; ok, granted we only lost one of that series but it’s hardly promotion form.
For the game once again Nathan shuffled the pack some by desire some due to injuries. In defence Senior came in for the unfortunate Potts; he collects so many injuries that surely JS will have him on his wanted list. Gambin replaced Olly Lee and Jack Marriott replaced Isaac Vassell. In the first half, both sides played open if somewhat unexciting football as they softly probed and passed their way forwards. Certainly, this Exeter side looked a transformation to the one we played in November yet still both sides looked like two reasonable L2 sides and certainly to my mind, not like two sides that would be comfortable and strong enough for life in L1. The Hatters did have some goal attempts in the first half: a header from Marriott which he should have scored from, a difficult effort for Smith that he placed over the bar and a fine free kick from Cook that went narrowly wide plus a few other less close calls. Exeter themselves had first half attempts on goal but the improving Macey dealt with their efforts well enough; in fact, it looked at one time as if Macey had picked up an injury in one outing well off his line but he recovered to continue. I will put my hand up yet again and say that I belong to a probably small minority that reckon within Macey there is a really decent keeper waiting to emerge; it’s quite lonely having such unpopular opinions! So, the first half was fairly uninspirational for the Hatters fans. In fact, the supporters were, in my opinion, getting rather nervous, edgy and critical. From my point of view based on very contained expectations, it was a reasonably even first half maybe just shaded by us and at least we had not gone the customary goal behind. Well onto the second half and we were very fortunate not to go that goal behind when from the slimmed down figure of Reuben Reid had an attempt on goal for the ball to come out to mid penalty area to an unmarked Exeter player who really should have scored but shot way over the bar. The alarm bells were ringing and those bells reached a crescendo on the hour mark when our left flank was undone and the ball sweetly cut back to the unmarked Taylor in the area to coolly slot the ball past Macey: sorry NJ terrible defending again. Well, the customary goal behind at home had duly arrived but no worries, Jones & Hart were both defenders so they will soon sort this type of thing out. Jones then decided to make a couple of substitutions; firstly Vassell coming on for Marriott followed by Palmer for Gambin. Within a few moments of Palmer arriving he cut in almost like a tall winger from the right to deliver a fine cross. Then a couple of minutes a Palmer effort hit the top of the crossbar. It seemed that Palmer had a taste for the wing play stuff as he tried his luck again delivering a very good cross for marvellous Danny Hylton to head the equaliser. Jones then made one final change taking off Cook to replace him with Olly Lee: actually full marks to our management team for managing to actually spot Cook in the second half; takes a keen eye this management malarkey. There were then a couple of near misses at both ends including Macey making a “Walton like” stop with his legs at the near post. Probably a fair result and I should say that once again Mr Kettle refereed the game well enough. Overall Impression: A reasonable but not exceptional game from two playoff candidates neither of which to my mind look capable of standing up to the likes of highly motivated hungry Stevenage in the playoffs should either of these two sides take part in that competition. I just wish I knew how Darren Sarll manages to lift a bunch of mediocre players to such levels; I am just a little envious I guess. I feel that Jones needs another season or maybe two to build his side and I hope the fans in this internet/social media opinionated world manage to support him during that time. Maybe Jones could do with a little more help from the experienced heads around him assuming they are the right heads; I really don’t know but it would be nice to think that maybe a David Pleat type could be his mentor. I guess the key work is patience and after all, it did take the Luton legend avid Pleat a fair while to build his side: onwards and gradually and sustainably upwards. Some thought on individual performances: Macey: improving all the time but I would say that as I suspect I am the only member of his “yes, he is worth having” club. O’Donnell: as ever what you see is what you get a ticking back pass time bomb mixed with splendid athleticism and effort but really he is at best a L2 right back who really get’s stick from some supporters when he makes any error. We do have a very promising right back; just trying to recall his name. Rea: reasonable game; certainly a better defender than a midfield player. Sheehan: this guy is straight from the WW1 trenches; massively brave and committed: if only he was two inches taller! Senior: I thought he looked a little rusty; some good part and some less so. Smith: I really admire the fact that you will get 100% effort and commitment from Smith, not the most gifted player but if he were he would be in a higher league. His overall performance yesterday was not by playing him on the left for much of the game. Pelly: frequently most of the excitement came from Pelly’s play but that has to be balanced with him occasionally doing the simple thing poorly and the difficult thing splendidly on occasion. Keep him playing NJ, he is well worth his place. Gambin: a real mixture of promising and poor; maybe his mind was on Malta? Cook: some nice touches in the first half but then took on his invisible man persona in the second half; sorry, he just does not do enough for me for NJ to have him as the first name on the team sheet. Marriott: looked a touch rusty but as ever full of effort. Hylton: he is now beginning to look as though he has battled his way through a hard season but having said that, there he is with the equaliser. The subs Vassell: I don’t think it really happened for Vassell yesterday. He is a great talent to have with us but just did not get those powerful runs going against Exeter. Palmer: for a guy who can’t play football he really did an excellent job; it’s not plan B it’s plan P. Lee: only on for a while: one horrible misdirected penalty area clearance but otherwise ok in his brief spell. The teams: Luton: Macey, O’Donnell, Rea, Sheehan ©, Senior, Pelly, Cook (Lee 81), Smith, Gambin (Palmer 67), Hylton, Marriott (Vassell 55). Subs: Moore (GK), D’Ath, Palmer, Justin, Famewo Yellows: Sheehan, Senior Exeter: Olejnik, Woodman, James, Harley, Wheeler, Watkins, Moore-Taylor (Croll 6), Taylor (Oakley 86), Stacey, Reid (Tillson 74), Brown. Subs: Grant, Hamon, Ampadu, Sweeney Yellows: Watkins Referee: Trevor Kettle: he did ok in my opinion. Yet again beaten by the side from one of the few towns that make Luton look an attractive place.
It’s simply so frustrating that Luke Wilkinson was not picked up or his path blocked for that opening goal. Why is it so frustrating? Well, it’s not as if NJ had no knowledge of Wilkinson’s threat in the penalty area as he had scored 7 goals in his 62 appearances for the Hatters. Maybe NJ would have benefited from having an experienced defender on his coaching staff but hang on, Hart is that experienced “dump them on their bum’s” centre-half, in fact, Hart when he was manager of Portsmouth, said of Wilkinson “the most impressive debut I have seen from any young player” when he signed him and made his Portsmouth reserve team debut. So, with that background knowledge, why had precautions not been taken against Wilkinson from set pieces? Ok, these things happen but it does not stop it from being simply annoying. Overall the game was just so disappointing from a Luton point of view with our visitors Stevenage, being just so up for the game: during the entire 90 minutes they were consistently first to the second ball and Wilkinson and his co-centre back dominated in the air. We did have our chances but the 41-year-old Day in Stevenage’s goal pulled off some excellent saves; maybe on another day we would have managed a point but to be fair, the commitment shown by the Stevenage players was simply way ahead of anything offered by our Luton players. The second goal by Ben Kennedy, a player I have liked for a while now, was worthy of winning any game; simply a superb strike from range. Overall Impression: Simply beaten on the day by a side who wanted the win more than we did. Stevenage worked harder, won most loose balls and continually pressed when they had the opportunity to do so. Overall a very disappointing day to be a Hatter and I for one can’t see any reason why Dan Potts, a decent defender but no wing back, should be selected ahead of a guy who can actually play wing back; Jack Senior! Oh, and while I am at it, why ever is O’Donnell selected ahead of the very talented Justin: sorry Nathan you got a fair bit wrong on Saturday. Please don’t think that I am getting anti-NJ, I think he needs a couple of full seasons to build his side and for what it’s worth he has my support albeit it only about 60:40 in terms of satisfaction; can’t fault the away form as that is brilliant but for the long suffering home supporters its tough. The problem is that he is learning and that I can accept, yet the frustrating part is he seems to be learning rather slowly. Maybe if Hart is up to it he could more forcibly mentor Jones but there again after hearing Harts comments about the odd player maybe not but I really don’t know anything about the dynamics of the Jones/Hart working relationship. A few comments on individual performances: Macey: personally I feel he should have done better with that corner that resulted in a typical Wilkinson goal. O’Donnell: as ever, tried his best and did actually produce a couple of decent crosses. Cuthbert: mostly decent but surely he should have been more aware of the Wilkinson threat that resulted in the opening goal. Sheehan: reasonable game but not at his best. Potts: not really impressive: ever time he had the ball moving forward he looked to pass backwards “god where am I, where is Sheehan to help me”: mistake by NJ and for heaven's sake start learning from these selection mistakes. Rea: do we really need a centre-back playing at the base of the dreaded diamond when we are at home? No more to say on that one. Smith: chasing the game most of the afternoon and never imposed himself on the midfield in the desired way. Pelly: tried to play some football but passes were often over-hit. Cook: can’t really comment as I am not overly sure he was on the pitch. Vassell: all credit to Vassell he really did try his best and ran at the Stevenage defence at every opportunity. Hylton: for most of the game really well managed by Darren Sarll’s tactics of his two centre backs. , maybe Sarll learns a lot quicker than Nathan does. Well unlike last year we arrived in good enough time to make good use of the beer marquee. Unfortunately no real ale on offer but such are the sacrifices I make in following Luton. Seriously, not a bad at all with home and away fans mingling which is just as it should be. Sadly when enquiring to a couple of the locals about our pair of departed Alex’s’ they were not overly impressed with either: mind you they did not seem to be enthusiastic about any of their players. However, a chap the Yeovil supporters were very enthusiastic about was an ex-player by the name of Nathan Jones; they simply love the guy down here and talked of his enthusiasm and commitment, good to hear.
On returning to his old patch, Nathan made a few changes to the side that lost to Oxford recalling the preserved duo of Cuthbert and Smith in place of Mullins and Senior. At full back, O’Donnell replaced Justin with Sheehan taking the left back slot thereby giving a rest to Senior. So we lined up with a back four of O’Donnell, Cuthbert, Rea and Sheehan. The town got off to a blistering start really going at the Yeovil defence who seemed to enter panic mode every time that Isaac Vassell had possession and started running at them. One such run as he screamed past his marker and into the area, resulted in a penalty that Danny Hylton coolly converted to give us the early lead. Oh, it's just so nice to score a goal that early in the game. Luton kept up the pressure and Rea came close to adding a second as did Cuthbert; lots of pressure and the centre backs involved, nice but Cuthbert should have put that shot on target rather than over the bar. That pressure brought about the second goal after half an hour with a rapid fire counter-attack following a Yeovil corner. The cleared ball came to O’Donnell in the left back position, yes, that’s right the left back position and he slipped the ball through to the onrushing Hylton who powered towards the goal, rounded the advancing keeper and passed the ball into the empty net for goal number 22 of the season; fabulous stuff! We were really looking very comfortable against a poor Yeovil side and the feeling was that we would be more likely to add a goal than concede one. As you would expect after a few encouraging words from the Yeovil manager’s half-time team talk, the home side came out really fighting in the early period of the second half and to be fair we did just look a touch wobbly in that period as Yeovil had really upped their game; surely not a repeat of last season’s second half demise? Well, thankfully that was not to be the case as we came through that minor onslaught and increased our lead, effectively killing the game, in the 55th minute with our third goal of the afternoon, this time from Rea. Following a free kick awarded for a foul on Hylton, Sheehan’s cultured left clog swung over a free-kick to the far post to be met by Rea to send a header across goal and into the net. You know for a bloke that I am always saying needs to improve his heading; he was not having a bad afternoon. Oh, and Sheehan the man with the magical left foot almost added a third with the early taking of a free kick from a very long way out. He spotted the Yeovil keeper off his line and sent the free-kick high from close to the halfway line that just went over the bar with the keeper desperately trying to recover his position. That was a really clever bit of football from the thoughtful Sheehan. At 3-0 Nathan decided to add extra steel to the defence and brought on the unlucky Potts for Gray who had started to disappear from the game and within a few minutes Potts made an excellent interception around the penalty spot with the Yeovil striker in space and just about to pull the trigger; that really was a classy tackle. The game was finally completely closed off after 85 minutes when Smith passed to Pelly just on the left of the area. Pelly cut in and across the area before sending a firm shot into the floor of the net; lovely goal, now let’s have a few more goals from our Pelly. Overall Impression: Well, a great day out for the 698 travelling hatters fans to see their side put in such a commanding performance against an admittedly poor Yeovil side. Nobody had a poor game, a couple were a touch quiet but some were closer to outstanding. In that higher bracket, I would definitely put Pelly with Hylton at the top of the exceptional list closely followed by Vassell. It was Vassell who never gave a Yeovil defender a moment's rest as every time they had the ball the powerful Vassell would be after them and when Vassell had the ball at his feet they simply struggled to hold him. Well done to Mick Harford for unearthing this gem called Vassell. Some thoughts on individual performances: Macey: a couple of good saves, well one actually in the second half when diving to his right was exceptional. His handling in the air really needs some work; maybe staying for extra afternoon training simply practising taking crosses under pressure may help. I think the raw material there within Macey is rough but good and we should consider recruiting him when Arsenal let him go. O’Donnell: a fairly decent game by SOD’s own standards: a real mix of the good bad and the ugly but to be fair the good part came out on top. The good was the likes of his fine pass to Hylton in the move that led to our first goal; the bad, getting out of position so often which in turn dragged Cuthbert to RB to cover & the ugly the number of times he miss hit passes out of play but as I say, by SOD’s standards, not a bad game. Cuthbert: he was up against some tall types today and had a real battle in the air and did fine. His no-nonsense clearances particularly in the first 15 minutes of the second half, were invaluable. Rea: some good tackling and some mixed distribution. Just as I was saying last week that Rea needs to improve his heading, he pops up with a well taken headed goal. I do think that Rea looks far more comfortable as a defender rather than the holding midfield role; simply more suited to that CB position. Sheehan: a strong and brave performance from Sheehan and the bonus of that cultured left clog. He almost scored one in the second half when spotting the keeper off his line, sent a long range effort from a free kick, just over the bar. Pelly: had a very good game and was involved in most of our better moves. After an age without a goal, he cut into the penalty area from the left and planted a beauty into the back of the net. Smith: the nonstop Smith was booked after about half an hour and I worried that the booking may reduce his effectiveness but he just became a touch more thoughtful and saw out the full 90 minutes without risk of a second yellow. Gray: a bit of a surprise starter and looks as if he could do with a run in the team to get some match sharpness. Some parts of his play were decent and he quietly played his part in our victory: can’t be easy for him being so readily sacrificed from the team after a game or two, needs a run in the side but is now the right time? Cook: fair contribution but being honest, a relatively quiet one. After a couple of recent good performances, he has slightly slipped back into his “is Cook on the pitch” style: not a lot bad, not a lot good but simply just not a lot, would D’Ath or Gambin offer more? Vassell: simply scared the Yeovil defence to pieces every time he got the ball: he terrified them with his pace and power as seen in the winning of that penalty for our opening goal. Hylton: magnificent striker’s performance crowned with a superbly taken second goal giving our talisman his 22nd goal of the season. As ever he leaves a new band of Hylton fans at another ground in L2; the Yeovil crowd really took to him! The Subs: Potts: did well and made one particularly telling clearance when the Yeovil player was in a really good shooting position. Palmer: did quite well and added that extra bit of aerial power; as I have said before, a decent addition to our squad. Marriott: not on for long but nevertheless buzzing with energy and was just what we needed late in the game. The Teams: Yeovil: Krysiak, Shephard, Mugabi, Lacey, Dickson (c), Lawless, Dawson, Dolan (Goodship 82), Whitfield (Harrison 62), Zoko, Akpa Akpro (Eaves 66). Booked: Dawson, Lawless Luton: Macey, O'Donnell, Cuthbert (c), Rea, Sheehan, Pelly, Smith, Gray (Potts 66), Cook, Vassell (Palmer 69), Hylton (Marriott 77). Subs: Mullins, D'Ath, Justin, Moore (GK) Yellows: Smith Referee: Kevin Johnson. |
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December 2017
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