Southampton (Away) (FA Cup)

WITH the trip to Southampton in the FA Cup Third Round we at last had a decent ground to visit!  A big stadium that even boasted a ‘Ladbrokes’ in the away end so we could have a bet, it was like the old days again and ‘proper’ football!

My dad decided to join us for the trip to Hampshire and we had decided to stay overnight in a ‘Premier Inn’ hotel as we both wanted a few beers.  With a return train costing £35 each from Stevenage, and with the hassle of having to go in and out of London to get to Southampton, we decided paying £50 for a hotel room seemed a far better bet.

We left Stevenage at 10.30am for the 2-hour drive to Southampton.  We arrived in the city centre at 12.30pm and headed straight for our hotel, which was only a 10-minute walk from the stadium.  In fact, you could actually see the stadium from our room window!

After quickly throwing our stuff in our room, my dad and I headed for the city centre pubs.  We found quite a few and the first pub we entered (I forget the name) served food, so we both had an all-day breakfast with a pint, which was nice.

Batesy had decided to drive up himself separately since he didn’t want to stay overnight, so we met him in another pub which was next door called “The Cat in the Hat”.  We had a couple of beers in here and it also had a ‘Spider-Man’ pinball machine, which we played for a bit (geeks), but you don’t often see those in pubs so we all had a go and my dad actually did way better than us which was surprising considering his age (!).

We left for the short walk to the ground at 2.20pm, arriving at the stadium about ten minutes later.  It was an impressive stadium from the outside, although once we got in and saw the place it looked a bit lifeless, just a stereotypical new stadium that was very much like Middlesbrough and Derby County.  It didn’t have anything unique about it.

Batesy got himself a burger and my dad and I had a pint each and both had bets in the ‘Ladbrokes’ – we both had a fiver each on 2-1 to Luton, one with Kevin Nicholls as the first goal scorer and the other with George Pilkington as the first goal scorer.

We also couldn’t get a programme, we were told they had sold out!  We walked up into the stand and the first two things of note were that there were a lot of Hatters fans in the stand (about 3,000) and that the opposite end of the stadium behind the goal hadn’t even been opened for home fans, it was totally empty, which was pretty disappointing as it really lessened the atmosphere.

Our stand behind the goal was separated into two with a line of stewards to split the Luton fans and the Saints supporters.  Quite soon after kick-off, we saw behind us two Luton fans arguing with each other (and their mates joining in) and one of them threw a punch at the other.  No idea what that was all about, but they all got taken out of the ground by the police to cheers from the home fans and a round of, “Cheerio, Cheerio, Cheerio”.

Luton fans were winding the home supporters up at this point by singing, “Play Up Pompey, Pompey Play Up”, the chant of course of their local rivals Portsmouth.

On the pitch, we were surviving – just.  Kevin Nicholls cleared a shot off the line and Kevin Pilkington made a great save to deny a Rickie Lambert free-kick.  However, shortly after he’d thwarted the Saints top goal scorer, Kevin Nicholls gave away a needless free-kick some 25-yards out (I thought it was a foul although a lot of Hatters fans didn’t) and Lambert stepped up again, this time curling his effort past Pilkington and into the corner of the net – great goal, although my dad though Pilkington’s forming of the wall was poor and was moaning about it even before Lambert had struck the ball.  There go our bets too!

Rossi Jarvis had a shot saved by ex-Hatter Kelvin Davis and at half-time Richard Money took off Kevin Nicholls and Kevin Gallen (not sure I would have done) and brought on Mark Nwokeji and Claude Gnakpa as he said afterwards he wanted more pace in the side.  It made a difference initially as we came out all guns blazing and Asa Hall forced a fine save from Davis with a long-range drive.

Shortly after, I saw one of the worst, if not the worst, misses ever from a Luton Town player.  Gnakpa burst down the right and drilled in a low cross that Tom Craddock just missed at the near post.  It beat the diving Kelvin Davis and arriving at the fat post was Adam Newton who surely had to score from about two-yards out.  Like the rest of the Hatters fans we were already celebrating as the ball landed at his feet.  If he had just stood there it would have hit him and gone in.  It was harder to miss than score.  But miss he did, somehow, as he contrived to kick the ball with his left foot against his inner right leg.  An amazing miss.  He then teed up Mark Nwokeji, but he scuffed his shot wide when he should have done better.

With that, our chances of earning a replay were gone.  I think if we had equalised we may even have gone on to win the game, but it petered out as we ran out of steam for the final 15 minutes and we were out of the FA Cup.

We were very disappointed at the end as we all felt that Luton deserved a replay and Southampton had been very fortunate to win the game.  We just don’t take our chances when we have them and that miss by Newton – dear oh dear.

We went for another couple of pints after the game to watch the Reading v Liverpool game on ITV in a boozer.  After this, my dad and I headed back to our hotel to get ready to go out for another few beers in the evening, and Batesy headed home.

All in all, a good day out, but very disappointing that we didn’t get anything from the game, I really felt we were unlucky.

Now back to the league and the all-important push for promotion – we simply must get out of this god-awful league so visits to places like Southampton become the norm again.

COME ON YOU HATTERS!

James

Eastbourne Borough (Home)

A HOME clash with Eastbourne Borough did not exactly set my pulses racing, but this is the Blue Square Premier and alas we must face such opposition.

Of course, nothing but a home win would be good enough against a side with a far smaller playing budget than ourselves.

In the car on the way to Bedfordshire, Batesy and I spoke of how we couldn’t believe we were playing Eastbourne Borough in a league match – Eastbourne Borough!  I would put here no disrespect to Eastbourne, but to be honest it is disrespect to Eastbourne because there is no way a club our size and with our fan base should be playing a club like Eastbourne Borough in a league game!

We arrived in Luton at 1.45pm and headed to the “Whitehouse” for a couple of pre-match drinks before walking up to the ground and purchasing a programme and some food.

We settled into our seats and were staggered at the ridiculously small number of travelling fans in the ‘Oak Road’ – possibly the smallest away following for a Luton Town league match ever?  For some reason, more travelling supporters came into the away end at half-time, so they missed the early goal that gave the visitors the lead.  We were stunned – losing at home to Eastbourne Borough?  What the hell?

Thankfully, normal service was resumed as Matthew Barnes-Homer equalised with a nice finish for his first Hatters goal.  At this point, I realised I was going mad celebrating an equaliser against Eastbourne Borough – Eastbourne Borough!  At this point I decided should we score again, I would clap nonchalantly, but certainly not celebrate like I had our equaliser!  I’m not sure what was worse, celebrating an equaliser against Eastbourne Borough or the fact we were actually playing them in the first place.

We quickly followed up our equaliser with two more goals, both scored by Kevin Gallen and both very similar in nature with tap-ins from close range, one after a particularly good run and shot by Barnes-Homer, who was impressing on his full home debut.

Leading 3-1 at the interval, we continued to dominate in the second-half and Eastbourne, backed by their small following that had strangely swelled in numbers at the break, did not pose a threat.

The game was over as a contest when Rossi Jarvis, who impressed throughout and looks slightly rejuvenated under Money, scored a fine goal, playing a one-two before passing the ball into the net at the ‘Kenilworth Road’ end of the ground to seal the three points.

In the end, it was a comfortable victory for the mighty Hatters against poor opposition.  It seems a strange league the Blue Square Premier.  Seems a lot like the Premier League in that you have teams in the same division but that are almost in their own mini leagues.  The likes of Eastbourne, Grays Athletic, Hayes & Yeading in one league and a long way off the top teams like Oxford United, Stevenage Borough and us.
Onwards and upwards!

COME ON YOU HATTERS!

James

Kettering Town (Home)

LEAVING work at 5.10pm, we had high hopes that we would see a return to winning ways and a home victory at last. With our new signings Matthew Barnes-Homer and Ashley Cain both likely to play, we expected a home victory against another promotion-chasing side.

A cold and very wet Luton greeted us as we arrived in Bedfordshire and parked at the train station. We headed straight for the “Whitehouse” for a couple of pre-match drinks, and met my dad in the pub, who was joining us for the game.

Walking up the wet Kenilworth Road at 7.20pm, we were all optimistic that the new signings would kickstart our season and provide us with some fresh impetus. Our home form had been dire this season and surely tonight would be the turnaround.

We picked up my dad’s ticket from the ticket office and then headed through the turnstiles. We all bought some food and then made our way to our seats (at which point Batesy was all excited because he’d purchased some old Luton shirt from a stall outside the club shop for £5 (geek).

The teams came out and we realised that Barnes-Homer and Cain were both only substitutes and Mark Nwokeji, on-loan from Dagenham & Redbridge, and who’d scored in the FA Cup draw at Rotherham United on Saturday, wasn’t even on the bench. Why? I really don’t see the point in loaning someone and then not even having them on the bench. Added to the fact he’d scored on the Saturday, it made even less sense. We also noticed Asa Hall and Ed Asafu-Adjaye were not substitutes either, which also baffled us. I rate Ed highly, he’s a solid young defender and Asa Hall, although he hasn’t set the world alight this season, does score goals from midfield at home and must surely be worth a place on the bench?

Confused by Richard Money’s team selection, our doubts were well founded as we started woefully and continued to play poorly throughout the match. The biggest frustration for me was that we continually lumped the ball forward in the air, which is bread and butter for these big defenders at this level, not least former Hatter Ian Roper, who possesses absolutely no pace, but who’s one attribute is his aerial strength. All of our coaches know about him. So why did we play right into his hands and aim high balls at two small strikers in Gallen and Craddock? Sometimes I wonder whether the manager/coaches tells them to do it or the players are just thick. Not only is it dreadful to watch, it is also completely ineffective.

Kettering also included in their side former Hatter Sol Davis at left-back and he looked solid enough. He got a good reception from the Luton Town fans and applauded the fans prior to kick-off, at half-time and full-time. A nice gesture from a player who obviously has an affection for the club.

We were limited during the first-half to only a couple of half chances, which both fell to Tom Craddock. However, our overall play was extremely poor and, in my opinion, we didn’t really look like scoring.

The second-half continued in the same fashion and we went a goal down when a poor headed clearance by Alan White fell straight to Richie Partridge on the Kettering winger cut in from the right and curled a fine effort into the top far corner. I noticed that every single Kettering player celebrated their goal, apart from Ian Roper and Sol Davis, who both just stood in the halfway line. I thought that was very good of them – they obviously know everything we’ve been through the last few years and didn’t want to rub it in.

From that point onwards we played even worse. Rather than responding in a positive manner, our heads seemed to go down and the match frustratingly petered out into a non-event as far as we were concerned. Of course, it was perfect for Kettering, who just sat behind the ball and saw the game out.

Matthew Barnes-Homer came on for the final 20 minutes or so but had little impact and was given no service. Ashley Cain did not even come onto the pitch.

At the final whistle, there were a lot of boos and chants of “What a load of rubbish”. It really was a very, very poor performance and I’m not sure how much more of this garbage I can watch. We don’t seem to have made any improvements at all.

We walked out of the ground moaning with other Luton Town supporters about what we’d just seen and reflecting on the fact that the side with the biggest reputation and playing budget in this whole league was sitting in eighth position in the Blue Square Premier table – four points outside the play-offs. It really does beggar belief. 16 points behind leaders Oxford United and we have absolutely no chance of winning this league now. Can it get any worse?

Richard Money said after the game we had played well and he was “disappointed with the fans’ reaction at the end.” What game was he watching and what does he expect? It is utter rubbish. No passion, commitment, skill, enthuiasm, quality – nothing. We’re hopeless.

Walking back to the car in the bitter cold and swirling rain after a home defeat to Kettering Town. A brand new low. That’s now home defeats to Stevenage Borough, Rushden & Diamonds and Kettering Town. How much more can we be expected to take?

James

Cambridge United (Home)

The second clash of the season against Cambridge United was as lively an affair as the first and a frantic second-half that yielded four goals eventually felt like a defeat as the U’s fought back from 0-2 down to snatch a point with a last-gasp equaliser.

Although the eventual result was disappointing and left us ‘gutted’ at the end, we personally had a cracking day.  With our friend Mendel back from Afghanistan for a two-week ‘rest and relaxation’ period before he sets off back out there until next April, we took the opportunity to get an executive box for the game.  Knowing Mendel was back, it made sense to do it and we thought it would be a nice surprise for him and make the day that extra bit special.

The Matchday Programme (priced at £3.00)

Mendel and his girlfriend, Claire, arrived at my house at 12.30pm as we planned to get into the executive box bar for 1pm.  However, Batesy and his fiancée, Sarah, were stuck in traffic on their way from Chelmsford and, as we were all jumping in their car so we could have a drink or two, we had to wait for them!  We arrived in Luton at 1.35pm, parking in our reserved space in the executive boxes car park in Kenilworth Road and then making the short walk up to the executive box entrance in the wind and rain.

We headed straight for the bar and had a few drinks each whilst the Liverpool v Manchester City game was played on the large screens.  Mendel’s girlfriend Claire was looking forward to seeing the match as she had never been to a live football game of any sorts in her life!  Sarah, on the other hand, loves her football and has already been to a few Luton matches with us this season.

At this point, I pointed out to Mendel that he was in the programme, which he was very surprised about but seemed really happy and grateful for.  At this point, I would like to thank the club, particularly Stephen Browne and Andrew Barringer for putting the message and photograph into the programme at such short notice.  It really did mean a lot and just made the day that little bit more special and personal, especially to Mendel.  I know the prospect of spending Christmas and the next five months in Afghanistan isn’t particularly appealing for him so it was great that he could see we cared and that the team he supports had made such an effort.  So, once again, a big thank you to Luton Town Football Club.  This is exactly why we support this great club – could you see Manchester United, for example, making such an effort for one of their troops?

For those of you that didn’t see the note in the programme and are actually bothered (!), it read…

 

“Rest and Relaxation for Town Trooper – Hatters fan Stuart Mendelson has been in Afghanistan since the beginning of September and is back for a two-week rest and relaxation period before flying back out.  The Royal Engineer will be spending Christmas over there and will be based until April 2010.  Stuart is being surprised by his friends and girlfriend Claire and has been treated to a day in an executive box at this afternoon’s match.  I’ve attached a photo of Stuart in Afghanistan with actor Ray Winstone, who was out there to lift the troop’s morale.”

 

Mendel in the Programme

We headed for our box at about 2.50pm (with drinks in hand!) and were told by a steward that we had to “put the blind down” because we were drinking alcohol (not quite sure why?).

The first-half performance was nothing to write home about, but we started the second-half very brightly indeed.  In fact, for the first half an hour or so of the second period we dominated the game and scored twice, firstly through a fine finish from Claude Gnakpa and then a superb strike from long distance by Tom Craddock.  How he needed that!

However, we then pressed the self destruct button (again) and just minutes after going 2-0 in front, we allowed Cambridge substitute Danny Crow to pull a goal back with nine minutes left.  Fred Murray, against his former club, then conceded a penalty.  Needless to say it caused some angry scenes both on and off the pitch and in executive box number 1 the Hatters fans were subjected to some chanting from the travelling Cambridge fans.  However, the Luton boys in box 1 had the last laugh as Kevin Pilkington saved the penalty from U’s top scorer Chris Holroyd.

Amazingly though, two minutes into injury-time, Murray headed a free-kick back against his own post and, with a U’s player following in at an angle, Kevin Nicholls stupidly took away his legs and conceded a second penalty.  Cue at this point more mad scenes in the away end, aimed especially at box number 1.  This time Crow stepped up and he sent Pilkington the wrong way to make it 2-2.

The final whistle blew soon after and we left the ground absolutely gutted and feeling like we had lost the match.  Certainly two points dropped.
The performance had been much better though and the signs were encouraging.  However, I can’t help thinking that we aren’t going to win this league when we are conceding 2-0 leads at home (talk about state the obvious James!).

At the end of the game, Mendel’s girlfriend, Claire, said she enjoyed it so much she would like to come to Mansfield Town on the Tuesday night, so maybe we have made a new Hatters fan!

James

The Matchday Programme (priced at £3.00)

Mendel in the Programme

Grays Athletic (Away)

Saturday was here and another away game. I was dreading this one, not because of how Luton had been performing but because the ground looked awful on the Internet. Weather was supposed to be bad too which made today even harder to face – but face it we did.

For the first time this season, James and I headed up to the grounds separately, which I have to be honest, was really boring! James got there first and headed for the snooker club, “Riley’s”, which was the only place open near the ground to get a beer!

The Matchday Programme (priced at £3.00)

I arrived shortly afterwards and, as I got out of the car, I noticed I had missed calls and texts from a few people saying the game was off, then the game was on. Very confusing! Luckily I had found a car park near the ground so I asked one of the stewards if the game was on and was told it would definitely go ahead.  The weather was, meanwhile, absolutely dire, the rain was teeming down and there was a very strong wind.

The news the game would go ahead though had put me in better spirits as I was starting to panic that the game was going to be called off.

Anyways, I headed to a pub in the town centre called “Queens” that James and his dad had managed to find was open.  After a few drinks, (Coca-Cola for me as usual), we headed for the ground.

What a ground it was! It was worse than I had anticipated and the most pleasuring sight I have seen all season was the fact that the players came out of the ground floor of a block of flats! There were flats nearly the whole way down one side of the pitch. I thought to myself that if you were a Grays fan then what a place to live! Just pop out on the balcony every home game and you could watch it for free.

About five minutes to kick-off I realised why the home team had been struggling this season. Where were all their fans? The Home end was so dead I could count them all. 54 there were and what was worse was that the other home stand wasn’t busy either.  Hatters fans were congregated on a small terraced stand behind one goal, and in three quarters of a small seated stand along one side of the pitch, and a small terraced area at the opposite side of the ground.

The players came out and, as we had been taking through the announcement of the line-ups, we quickly worked out the team that Richard Money had put out.  Where was Asa Hall and Ed Asafu-Adjaye? Why was Nwokeji on the bench and not in the starting line-up after his recent arrival? I felt sorry for Shane Gore as he had played well the previous game and a lot of us felt he should have started this game as a reward but I didn’t question too much as I have to give a little faith to Richard Money as he is new in post.  Gore had been dropped for new signing Kevin Pilkington.

So as the game kicked off the inevitable started happening with both teams trying to welly the ball up top. I didn’t blame them. With the windy conditions I would have been tempted to do the same.

After the first 20 minutes I was getting frustrated, not with the way we were playing, but every time we had a goal kick all the players went too far up the pitch and the keepers kicks were causing players to panic. You would think that after the first couple of goal kicks the players would realise that Pilkington couldn’t get the ball over the halfway line but they just didn’t learn!

So after a pretty poor first 30 minutes both teams, especially Luton, were starting to get used to the wind and about 5 minutes before half-time Luton were ahead. Craddock had scored. About time! Grays had been a very poor side from what I could remember from the FA Cup game and they were looking no better here.

It got to half-time and James went to get some food and see his mate Edd and I went for a cigarette.

The second-half was a bit better than the first but the weather was making the play very lethargic.  Gallen scored a second for us shortly after the break and we basically shut up shop after that. Nwokeji came on for a brief stint and looked lively and another 3 points were secured. James and his dad had left just before the end as they had a party to head to so that left me with the short drive back to Chelmsford.

So Cambridge was the next game and I was looking forward to that. One it was my Birthday and two our mate Mendel was back from Afghanistan to watch it with us. Let’s hope we put on a good performance for him and get some more points on the board.

Come on you Hatters up the league we go!

Batesy

The Matchday Programme (priced at £3.00)

Rochdale (Away) (FA Cup Replay)

RUSHING out of work to watch the mighty Hatters on a cold and rainy Wednesday night at Rochdale in an FA Cup First Round replay wasn’t what I had been expecting to do when we led 3-0 on Saturday, but that’s exactly what ended up happening.

After a couple of pre-match beers, we sat down for the evening’s entertainment at about 7.45pm, ready for the 8pm kick-off.  The ground looked empty and there were only approximately 150 travelling Hatters.  With the game being rearranged at such short notice for live coverage on ITV4, it was no surprise that only a brave few made the long journey to Spotland.

The Matchday Programme (priced at £2.50)

With the hosts flying high in League Two, we were worried that we were going to get a thumping.  The ground itself looked a tidy little place, with a new stand at the side of the pitch that was pillar-free and housed the travelling Luton Town supporters, and the opposite stand a slightly older construction that had several pillars which restricted the home supporters’ view somewhat.  Behind one goal was a small, terraced stand where the majority of the Rochdale fans congregated and the opposite end was a larger seated stand that again had posts.  All in all though, it looked a smart little ground and more than adequate for the 2,500 average home attendances Rochdale are getting.

The game kicked-off and we looked very poor.  Rochdale absolutely battered us with wave after wave of attack, their movement and passing too good for us.  Our midfield looked slow and unable to get close to the home side’s players and we were thankful to goalkeeper Shane Gore for two vital saves.  In particular, the Rochdale wingers Adam Rundle and the highly impressive Tom Kennedy were causing us all kinds of problems.  Kennedy’s set-pieces were also very good and it was a miracle that we went in even at the interval.

However, much to the surprise of the travelling hardcore Hatters fans, we came out in the second-half like a different side.  We weathered the storm early on, Gore making another splendid save, before taking the lead against the run of play through a well worked goal.  Burgess picked the ball up down the left and fed in Craddock who centred for Kevin Gallen – my favourite player this season – to slide in at the near post and give us a lead we hardly deserved.

However, from that moment on we looked the better side and Rochdale’s heads seemed to drop after we took the lead.  We extended our advantage through Gallen again.  A Nicholls corner was headed back at the far post by Pilkington.  The 16-year-old Dale goalkeeper Taberner could only parry the ball out and there was Gallen to head home from all of a yard out and seal the away win.

The game petered out after that and the few Hatters fans who had made the long journey continued to sing their hearts out until the very end and, as the whistle blew for full-time, it was surprisingly the mighty Hatters who would travel to another high-flying League Two side, Rotherham United, in the FA Cup Second Round.

All in all, it was a satisfying, but perhaps slightly fortuitous win.  However, my view was slightly impaired during the match because… we weren’t actually there!  Yes, unfortunately, for the first time this season we missed a match.  We had planned to go to Rochdale on Tuesday 17th November, but when the game was brought forwards for live coverage on ITV4, I was unable to get out of work commitments at such short notice.  Batesy also already had tickets to go to the 02 to see wrestling (gimp – how old is he?) that his girlfriend had brought for him, so it was impossible for us to go.  Still, I watched it on TV.  We are slightly gutted that we missed the game, but the aim was always to go to every league game first and foremost and it was out of our hands being able to go to Spotland at such short notice.

Oh well, we’re into the Second Round most importantly.  I also ensured the evening was as realistic as possible, making my dad charge me £14 to watch the TV, cooking a burger and leaving it to go cold before I ate it, enjoying a few beers and urinating on the toilet floor at half-time.

COME ON YOU HATTERS!

James

The Matchday Programme (priced at £2.50)

Rochdale (Home) (FA Cup)

FIRSTLY, I would like to say welcome to Luton Town to Richard Money and co. If the last 8 seasons are anything to go by you are in for a crazy ride.

The Matchday Programme (priced at £3.00)

It was Saturday the 7th November and I was so excited. FA Cup day was here!  I left Chelmsford at around half 11 and headed to Stevenage to get James. After a quick chat to Mr and Mrs Garley we headed off to Luton. On the way we had a quick chat about where we were going to go for pre-match drinks. After some debate I thought it would be a nice change of pace to go ahead to “Stooges” (formerly the “Nelson’s Flagship”). The pub was nice enough but was not too busy. This then led me and James to have a discussion as to why the attendance would not be great today, James saying that the money aspect might be the reason and I was saying that maybe people just thought we would lose (myself being one of them).

Anyway, after a few drinks we headed for the ground at half two, picked up our tickets, programmes and then food. At this point James decided to be different and get a pastie rather than the tried and trusted burgers we have been enjoying all season. What was amusing was that he asked for a cornish and then after getting to our seats realised that it was in fact cheese and onion. This I found highly amusing as, for anyone who knows James, would know he is very set in his routines which prompted me to say “HAHA that’ll teach ya for being different”.

The team sheet was announced and I wasn’t really surprised with the line-up, although Steve Basham starting did shock me a bit. After hearing that Mark Tyler had got injured in the warm-up I just hope he is back soon as he has been quality this season.

Before the game we had a minutes silence, in which both sets of fans were impeccable throughout. The attendance was lower than we had anticipated and we were quite surprised with this bearing in mind it was Money’s first game in charge.

Luton Town Fans in the 'Kenilworth Road' end

I wasn’t feeling overly confident that we could beat Rochdale so it came as a huge surprise to me when Basham headed us in front after only 4 minutes. It was lovely play down the left from Gallen and Murray and the cross from Newton was perfect for Basham to head home. What a start! Rochdale tried to put a few attacks together after the restart and I was kind of worried that after taking such an early lead we would try and sit back and soak up the pressure. How wrong could I have been! After breaking up a Rochdale attack the ball broke to Burgess just before the halfway line. After a quick look up he then fed an absolute peach of a pass between the centre-half and right-back to Newton. After a quick first touch, Newton lifted the ball over the oncoming keeper and the ball dropped in the back of the net. 2-0! I could not believe it! Where had this Luton team been all season? Even with so many ‘so called’ first-team players either on the bench or injured we were playing like a league club!

After a quite deserved celebration, the game restarted and Rochdale had a lot of possession as they tried to get a quick goal back. Gnakpa burst down the right and the ball ended up in the box and found its way to Basham, who dispatched a great finish into the far corner of the net. I thought I was dreaming. 3-0 up after 29 minutes. Absolutely sensational. Although we had enjoyed much possession in the early stages of the game, we had been ruthless in front of goal, something we hadn’t been all season. The players then tried to play keep ball and get to half-time without conceding, which we managed to do. The fans were bouncing along and Richard Money must have thought that life could not get any better.

The 355 Rochdale Fans in the 'Oak Road' end

At half-time, after I had been for a cheeky ciggy, James and I briefly reviewed the first-half, as you do, and both came to the conclusion that we were actually quite fortunate having such a healthy lead due to the fact that Rochdale had just had a lot of the first-half possession. But, like most of the season, we had looked solid at the back. White and Blackett were dominant in the air, Burgess had taken the role of playmaker well and Keith Keane was absolutely immense. I then proceeded to text my workmates, West Ham fans, the following: “Bring on the big boys. Easy, easy, easy!” God how I wish I hadn’t! As soon as the second-half started you could tell it was going to be just one-way traffic and, as the game got to about 50 minutes, both Basham and Gallen were starting to get tired. With Keane also having to be taken off at half-time, we had lost our steel in the centre of midfield. So it was no surprise when Rochdale pulled a goal back after 55minutes through Craig Dawson. Please god, don’t let them comeback, I was thinking. Don’t let them come back to 3-3 because then we have to bloody head up there on the 17th!

Then came the moment that, in my eyes, turned the game. We had a corner swung in by Burgess and, after a bit of a scramble, the ball fell to White. He struck it hard towards goal and the ball clearly struck a defenders arm. Now I don’t blame the ref for not seeing it as he was outside the box looking at the back of White but the linesman really should have spotted it. If we had been given that then I have no doubt in my mind that at 4-1 up we would be heading for the Second Round. Instead, this seemed to spur Dale on even more and they were enjoying the majority of the ball. Basham was taken off for Craddock, which I really didn’t see the point of. For those of you who have read these blogs from the start, know I am not Craddock’s biggest fan right now but I really felt that Charles coming on would have been a better thing to do. He has more pace and harasses defenders quicker than Craddock.

The Two Sides in Action

Rochdale continued to press for a second and they duly got it after 86 minutes through Thompson. It was a sloppy goal and one I am sure that the defence would not be happy with conceding. Then the moment that cost us the game. After a Dale attack broke down, Craddock came forward with the ball and, after a neat one-two with Gallen, found himself through on goal. With only the keeper to beat he shot low but way too close to the keeper and it went behind for a Luton corner. Again he has missed a one-on-one. How many is that for the season, I’ve lost count! I know he was a good player last year but I have stressed all season to James and anyone else I have chatted to about Luton this year that Tom Craddock will not score the goals we need to get out of this league. He has 5 this year, 3 penalties, 1 where he latched on to a poor back pass and the header he scored earlier in the season would have been saved by any half decent keeper. I take the majority of peoples point of view that all he needs is a goal and he’ll be back to banging them in. This may be the case, but how long can we wait until that happens? It could be weeks before he scores a goal. All of the best teams in this league have got a striker that is scoring goals. This was made even worse for me after learning that ex-Hatter Chris Martin scored 4 today for Norwich. Alright, it was only against Paulton Rovers, but you still have to put the ball in the back of the net. If only we could have kept him, although with Martin that was obviously not possible.

Anyway enough of my Craddock bashing, after the second had gone in it was inevitable that they would get a third. Our boys looked tired after all the ball chasing in the second-half and Dale scored a third after 89 minutes through Thompson again.  All three goals came from out right-side, so disappointing. Obviously I was gutted, but after the final whistle went I had to admit that we were out played in the second-half by a team that are challenging for promotion out of League Two. As much as I hate to say it, we are now a non-league club, regardless of where we were previously or what players we have. If they were that good we would be leading the table and we are not!  The final whistle also brought about some boos, although not from us.

So after a pulsating 90 minutes, James and I started heading back now knowing that we would be making the long trip to Rochdale soon on a cold Tuesday night.  More annual leave days wasted at work.  Great (not)! On the radio on the way home, we heard a call come in to BBC Three Counties asking why Money had not bought on Ed Asafu-Adjaye for Gnakpa seeing as he was clearly tired – a point I feel was valid and would like to think that this is just because Money is new to this job and needs time to work out who he likes where etc.

I am not getting on his back, I just hope he gives all of the squad a fair crack of the whip and he is bold enough to make changes at the right time. The last thing we need is another manager who has a set 11 players starting week after week and who doesn’t change things around every now and then. I was also surprised to hear in Money’s interview that he feels that Nicholls and Keane can not both play in midfield.  Something I concur with, but have we the have the balls to drop Nicholls? Keane is a far better holding midfielder in my view and he definitely has the temperament. Only time will tell.

So, Grays Athletic away next Saturday and lets hope we give them a good hiding. They have by far been the worst team I have seen all season.

UP THE HATTERS!

Batesy

The Matchday Programme (priced at £3.00)

Luton Town Fans in the ‘Kenilworth Road’ end

The 355 Rochdale Fans in the ‘Oak Road’ end

The Two Sides in Action

Rushden & Diamonds (Home)

The Matchday Programme (priced at £3.00)

THE last match under the leadership of Alan Neilson and Kevin Watson ended in another new low as Rushden & Diamonds inflicted a home defeat on the Hatters in a dire afternoon at Kenilworth Road.

We have now lost at home to local ‘rivals’ Stevenage Borough and Rushden & Diamonds this season – and the worst thing was that Rushden deserved their victory on their second-half performance.

Batesy and I left Stevenage at about 1.20pm, heading for “The Castle” pub at about 2pm, which we thought would make a change from our regular watering hole, “The Whitehouse”. After a couple of swift pints, we made our way to the ground. Batesy bought an old Luton shirt for £5 from outside the club shop to add to his collection of Hatters shirts (geek) and then we made our way through the turnstiles. Just as I was plucking my £3 from my pocket, we noticed there were no programme sellers so we couldn’t get a programme, which was annoying as we’re trying to collect them all from this season.

We purchased a couple of burgers and then made our way to our seats, sitting down just before kick-off (why do we keep leaving it so late before we get into the ground?) in anticipation for a home win. Oh dear.

Luton Town Fans in the 'Kenilworth Road' end

We started well enough and Tom Craddock had two glorious chances to give us the lead. On the first occasion he fired against the post when put clean through by Kevin Nicholls. On the second occasion, he saw his shot saved by ex-Hatter Nathan Abbey. He really should have netted one (if not both) of the opportunities. Batesy is beginning to lose his patience with Craddock and doesn’t think he will get enough goals to earn us promotion. I have been sticking up for him, but have to say I am leaning towards agreeing with him given the number of chances he is missing. I really thought this season that he was going to walk all over this league, but it is just not happening and I am not sure how much longer it can continue before I have to just say he is not good enough. Obviously I am desperate for him to come good, but every week I think, “Craddock will do it today” and he never does.

He also had two goals disallowed, the first a tap-in that was given as offside against him, and the second a thumping finish that, to be fair, was a fantastic strike but the whistle had already blown.

There was no sign of new manager Richard Money or new chief scout Gary Brabin in the dugout, it was left to Neilson and Watson to lead the team for this final time before Money takes over for the Rochdale FA Cup clash next Saturday.

I fully expected us to come out and get the win in the second-half but we were woeful – I can’t even remember us having a shot in the second 45 minutes. Rushden controlled the game and passed the ball better. In short, they looked like they wanted it more.

They took the lead in the 84th minute. Kevin Nicholls, who was well below his best again, made the vital mistake. When we should have been attacking the visitors goal, we dallied around with the ball at the back and a square pass to Nicholls on the halfway line saw the Hatters skipper slip over as he attempted to control the ball. He desperately tried to kick the ball forwards, but could only contrive to kick it into the shin of the impressive Lee Tomlin, who then ran at the Luton defence at pace. He then fired the ball past Tyler from the left corner of the penalty box with a fine finish. It was no more than they deserved to be honest.

The 402 Rushden & Diamonds Fans in the 'Oak Road' end

As we chased the game looking for an equaliser (without ever threatening to actually get one), Rushden sealed their win in stoppage-time as a ball through left Mark Byrne clear on goal and he chipped the ball over Tyler and it rolled into the net and was the cue for a mass exodus of Hatters fans, all of whom were, like Batesy and I, grumbling as they walked out of Kenilworth Road.

And so another home defeat against a local ‘rival’. The reign of Richard Money now starts. Please, just please let it be better than the last few years.

We face Rochdale of League Two on Saturday in the FA Cup First Round. They are 2nd in League Two and won 4-0 at Bournemouth on Saturday (and Bournemouth are top)! I really never thought I’d see the day when we were the underdogs at home to Rochdale! I am just desperate for us to get to the Third Round so we can hopefully get a decent away trip like Manchester United or Chelsea. Or maybe even Watford!

Richard Money and Gary Brabin are saying we can win the league still, but after Saturday, we’re 11 points behind Oxford United and we’ve played the same games. I just can’t see Oxford blowing it, although they do have to come to us yet.

According to the Walsall fans, they have said to expect under Money a lot of tight games, lots of 0-0 draws and 1-0 wins, he doesn’t give a lot away. They said “Don’t expect free flowing football and expect 1 up front with a 5-man midfield, but what you can expect is a man who loves to give youth a chance, and who is absolutely meticulous and methodical in his approach and you will get a side that is extremely well organised and gets results. It probably won’t be pretty, but you’ll get results and I would be amazed if he doesn’tg get you up this season.” I for one will take that!

Keep the faith.

James

Luton Town Fans in the ‘Kenilworth Road’ end

The 402 Rushden & Diamonds Fans in the ‘Oak Road’ end

Hatters Fans in the ‘Main Stand’

Hatters Fans in the ‘David Preece Family Stand’

The Sides in Action

The Matchday Programme (priced at £3.00)

Grays Athletic (Home) (FA Cup)

SO THE FA Cup was here and we were in the 4th Qualifying Round! A home draw with Grays Athletic and I have to be honest it did not fill me with the excitement the league fixtures have done so far this season. In all honesty, part of me thinks that although a good cup run in this competition would be great for fans and players alike, it would it distract us from the league. I mean I would rather go up this year than get to the Third Round of the FA Cup and get beaten by some Championship team.

The Matchday Programme (priced at £3.00)

I had stayed at James’ the night before the match so had loads of time to get to the ground and soak up some FA Cup magic!

We arrived in Luton at about half one and went to the “Whitehouse” for a few pre-match drinks. Literally as soon as we headed to the bar my initial thoughts were, “God its quiet in here”. I put this down to the fact that for many fans the result of this game was not so important and maybe they would just go straight to the match rather than soak up some pre-match atmosphere.

We headed to the ground at about half two. At this point I had only just remembered that we would not be sitting in our usual seats. Instead, we would be in the ‘Kenilworth Road’ end behind the goal. I was quite excited about this as bizarrely I have never sat in this stand in all of the Luton Town matches I’ve ever been to (Don’t really know why, just pot luck I guess). We arrived at the ground and did our usual routine of getting the programmes and then some food. It might just be me but after the debacle of the mouldy burger bun earlier in the season, the burgers seem to have improved greatly. I was impressed (small things please small minds!).

With about 5 mins to kick-off, we realised that our initial fears of the attendance being very low were going to become a reality. It was quite disheartening to see such a small crowd.

I was pleasantly surprised at the team Alan Neilson and Kevin Watson had put out, although Pilks in the centre of midfield was a surprise.

We took the lead courtesy of a scrambled Shane Blackett effort from a corner and doubled our advantage through an own goal shortly before the break. A comfortable win was sealed in the second-half thanks to a strike from the edge of the area by Asa Hall. We also saw the debut of young winger Taylor Nathaniel in the second-half – hopefully another talented player to emerge through the Kenilworth Road ranks.

The 3-0 result was very impressive, especially with so many first-team players out. Asa Hall was particularly impressive, as was Jake Howells. With four wins and one draw in Neilson and Watson’s five games in charge, it has been a very good turn around from 5 weeks ago.

I do believe that the recent results have given 2020 a big headache. If a new manager comes in and doesn’t start well then we will all ask why Neilson and Watson were not given a chance. Likewise, if Neilson and Watson are given the job and start their permanent reign badly, fans are likely to moan that we should have bought in someone with more experience. So whoever comes in has to hit the ground running in my opinion.

So a First Round tie against Rochdale at Kenilworth Road awaits and to be honest I am not too sure what to expect. We basically have the same team from last year and if we were in the league above I feel we would be expected to beat them. But, alas, we are in the Conference and are the “Under Dogs” so it should be a good game.

Anyway, back to the league on Saturday with Rushden & Diamonds at home. Hopefully another three points, whoever is in charge, and we can slowly start clawing back some points on the top two.

COME ON YOU HATTERS!

Batesy

York City (Home)

THE visit of York City was always going to be a tight affair and so it proved as we were unable to defeat the Minstermen and take advantage of our game in hand over leaders Oxford United.

A disappointing 1-1 home draw on a rainy Tuesday night under the Kenilworth Road floodlights was perhaps a fair result over the 90 minutes, but meant we dropped the chance to potentially claw back another 2 points on the U’s, as well as make up ground on Stevenage Borough, who only drew 0-0 at home to Wrexham.

The Matchday Programme (priced at £3.00)

My dad joined us again for this fixture – the second game in a row – and we arrived in Luton at 6.30pm, parking at the train station and making the short walk to “The Whitehouse” for some pre-match beverages.  After a quick pint, we decided to go somewhere else for a change and I suggested going upstairs in the “Galaxy Centre” to see what the bar at the bowling alley was like up there.  We had a couple of beers, but don’t think we will be going back up there again!  Still, made a change.

We arrived at the ground at about 7.35pm after a walk in the rain up Kenilworth Road.  My dad bought a pie and Batesy and I bought a burger and we then took our seats in the ‘David Preece Family Stand’ (the “New Stand’) for the evening’s action.

We made our first groan before a ball had even been kicked due to the players changing ends, meaning we were kicking towards the ‘Kenilworth Road’ end in the first-half, as opposed to the second-half, as we usually do.  We prefer it when we attack the goal down our end second-half, but oh well, c’est la vie.

Luton Town Fans in the 'Kenilworth Road' end

The first-half was a very poor affair as we seemed to revert back to our long ball tactics, which we hate to see and never gets us anywhere.  We had two great chances to take the lead as Tom Craddock beat three players before firing wide from inside the box and Adam Newton also missed a glorious opportunity when he blazed over the bar from inside the box when he surely had to hit he target;  A very bad miss.

Unsurprisingly, York took the lead through Neil Barrett and we were chasing the game.  Alan Neilson and Kevin Watson responded by taking off on-loan Ben Wright before the interval and replacing him in attack with young Ryan Charles, who has been looking a threat lately.  They stated afterwards they felt we were playing the ball long to Wright too much, which was bread and butter for their central defenders.  Charles looked good again, showing a willingness to run at the defence.  He looks a good prospect.

The second-half saw an improved performance and we levelled on 65 minutes when the referee did well to play an advantage on the edge of the area, rather than give us a free-kick and Asa Hall thumped an unstoppable drive into the top corner from 20-yards out for his third goal of the season.  It made a change to see some good refereeing in this league.

The 257 York City Fans in the 'Oak Road' end

We pushed for a winner without ever really looking likely to net it and with the very last kick of the game the visitors could have snatched the win as a left-wing cross when just inches away from their sliding forward in the six-yard box.  We were very lucky to escape that one, and as soon as the ball went out of play the referee blew for full-time.

Overall, a mediocre performance against a solid side who will be there or thereabouts come the end of the season.  When the campaign has come to a close, it could well turn out to be a valuable point for us, but of course if you want to win this league then you have to win your home games.  For me, the worry is that our forwards are just not getting enough goals.  I feel we need a new striker or two and we will then be a real force.

The Sides in Action

Next up is the FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round home match with Grays Athletic and due to our stand being shut for this game, Batesy and I will be sitting in the ‘Kenilworth Road’ end.  Of course, we are expecting us to progress to the First Round proper.  A good FA Cup run this season would go down a treat, so we can hopefully get some half decent grounds to go to!

We remain unbeaten since Neilson and Watson took over in their caretaker roles and I think any Luton Town fan would have taken the 10 points out of the 12 available we have gathered since Mick Harford was sacked.

If the rumours are true, a new manager will be appointed next week, with director Stephen Browne confirming we had over 60 creditable applications and interviews now having taken place.

If Neilson and Watson can keep producing the goods, then who knows what will happen?

COME ON YOU HATTERS!

James

The Matchday Programme (priced at £3.00)

Luton Town Fans in the ‘Kenilworth Road’ end

Luton Town Fans in the ‘Main Stand’

The 257 York City Fans in the ‘Oak Road’ end

The Sides in Action