Hatters v Brewers

[THE TERRACEMAN]

I'm reliably informed this is the 130th anniversary of Luton Towns formation. Are there any plans to mark this occasion at the game on Saturday ?
Understandably Luton fans have been noticeable by there absence on here lately with the disastrous run they have been on. However the rot was stopped last week and some of your injured players are now returning. How do you think you will perform this week and can you still make the play offs ?
We have never played at "the kennel" before so this will be my first visit. Looking forward to the Oak Road stand and its unusual entrance. I gather we have sold a good few tickets(by our standards) and on top of those making there own way I think we have at least 6 coaches coming.
Not sure what side we will put out but I'm sure we will be competitive.
In my forecast for this game for the run in I had this down as a defeat but think we are well capable of getting something.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

I don't think we will make the playoffs if I'm being honest. It's only a point but I just have no confidence in us, and I'm not reading too much into a slightly fortunate win against ️what by all accounts is an awful Tranmere side.

Hopefully Lee comes back in to start although I suspect that he will be on the bench to start with.

I can't see us getting much out of this at all, easy win for Burton I think.

 

[Shrew_fan]

Come on Luton!!

 

[vanner]

G'wan Luton!

 

[3Loggerheads]

I predict Burton to win this but I sense them coming unstuck at home to Carlisle...................................

 

[THE TERRACEMAN]

JFH will want that title on his CV so I expect Albion to be difficult to beat Saturday and play the game not the occasion as he says. As for us coming unstuck against Carlisle, I think that very much depends on how Keith Curle's players react to the lipstick and brick treatment they had this week and how they perform against Dagenham on Saturday. Even then I would think we will have too much for them.

 

[Judge Dredd]

No idea how tomorrow will go but I'm very much travelling in hope rather than expectation. Hard to read too much into barely scraping a win against an absolutely terrible Tranmere side. The main thing is the confidence boost after our horrendous losing run, but whether that will be enough to compete with a consistent and effective (if unspectacular from what I have seen) Burton side is very much up in the air.

I'd take a point for sure.

 

[Kenneth E End]

I think the horrific run we went on was a mental thing - Monday would've done a lot of good.
I didn't see anything special in the Burton team earlier in the season - certainly nothing to be afraid of. Very little between the two sides IMO in terms of ability. We certainly deserved a point up there, doing everything but score.

 

[Bartonyellow]

I think the horrific run we went on was a mental thing - Monday would've done a lot of good.
I didn't see anything special in the Burton team earlier in the season - certainly nothing to be afraid of. Very little between the two sides IMO in terms of ability. We certainly deserved a point up there, doing everything but score.

You have answered your own question. We score goals and that wins games. We are top as we score more than the opposition. You didn't score that day, and we did.

 

[Bartonyellow]

No idea how tomorrow will go but I'm very much travelling in hope rather than expectation. Hard to read too much into barely scraping a win against an absolutely terrible Tranmere side. The main thing is the confidence boost after our horrendous losing run, but whether that will be enough to compete with a consistent and effective (if unspectacular from what I have seen) Burton side is very much up in the air.

I'd take a point for sure.

I actually think we could lose this one of our head is not right.luton will have their tails up.
Hopefully a decent following of about 600 ( which is good for us )

 

[Kenneth E End]

You have answered your own question. We score goals and that wins games. We are top as we score more than the opposition. You didn't score that day, and we did.

You're right. And that's the difference between the sides. You scored from a set piece, which at the time we never conceded from up until then all season. Fine margins.

Will be a very competitive game, we'll be going for it. And weve got a couple of players back.

 

[Bartonyellow]

You're right. And that's the difference between the sides. You scored from a set piece, which at the time we never conceded from up until then all season. Fine margins.

Will be a very competitive game, we'll be going for it. And weve got a couple of players back.

It's a very tough game for us. And margins are so tight between success and failure as you suggest.

Be delighted with a point. Game I feel u must win to keep in the play off pack.

 

[THE TERRACEMAN]

Luton played very well at the Pirelli but just couldn't score and Edwards won it for us with a header from a corner. Our games at home to Shrewsbury, Wycombe and Bury at home all ended 1-0 and we beat Southend 2-1 playing with 10 men for 45 minutes and coming from a goal down. There is a lot of character and doggedness in our squad combined with organisation and quality which has served us well.
Today could go either way in my opinion, I expect a tight game with few goals.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Not sure what his involvement will be but I really want to see Lee today, he has looked very impressive on the appearances I've seen, if we are going to claw ourselves into a playoff place then I think he'll be a key part of it.

 

[Judge Dredd]

Be delighted with a point. Game I feel u must win to keep in the play off pack.

I'm not so sure about that. Our last four games after this are Dagenham away, Hartlepool at home, Southend away and Stevenage at home. I think three wins from those - as long as one of them is against play-off rivals Stevenage - might be enough to see us into 7th. On paper at least Dagenham, Hartlepool and Stevenage are easier than playing the champions-in-waiting.

From a confidence/momentum point of view, you could argue that this is a must not lose game for us, but I don't think it's quite a must win. Especially looking at the other fixtures today - Newport have a tough game at home to Bury, Stevenage a crunch game against Northampton, Exeter away to Shrewsbury... I can see more than one play-off hopeful dropping points today.

 

[Kenneth E End]

Burton reminded me of us last season - not the best squad on paper, but had the dogged determination and hardworking attributes required to do well. The habit of turning even games into victories and taking points from matches not always deserving so.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Really? I did think we had the best squad on paper and we had the 2 standout players in the whole division in Guttridge and Gray. We won games so many ways las year I think to boil it down to "hardworking attributes" does that side a huge disservice.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Well we played better than I can remember for a while today, thought it was harsh that we lost really but that's what happens when you don't put your chances away.

Very frustrating really but it's been the same issue for many games this year.

I can't comment on the Burton goal really, many thought it offside but bar Wilko none of the players seemed to be all that upset to me.

I assume Burton had an off game as I wasn't impressed at all, defensively they looked shaky at times and not much going on up front either but put away their chance which is more than we did.

 

[Kenneth E End]

I can't comment on the Burton goal really, many thought it offside but bar Wilko none of the players seemed to be all that upset to me.

Only a couple of yards offside - no biggie.

 

[Kenneth E End]

So we've been the better team in both games v Burton this season, yet we end up with nil points. Fine margins yet again. Happy to be proved wrong, but it looked like Burton's goal was an atrocious decision and at least a yard or two offside. Sums up our season with officiating decisions again not going our way at key times.

Our shooting was woeful, but it you couldn't have begrudged us a 3-0 victory. We missed some glorious chances in some great positions - in fact, I don't think we had a shot on target in the whole 90 minutes?

Burton have some very good individual players - am a big fan of Matthew Palmer, Adam McGurk, Robbie Weir and the two defenders John Mousinho and Shane Cansdell-Sheriff, who look like the commanding pairing you need to get promotion from this division.

 

[Judge Dredd]

Yeah Burton were extremely lucky to win that game. It looked well offside to me but I'll wait for the replay before getting too upset. Even after that though, the shot took a massive deflection which took it away from the keeper. The luck of champions I guess you could say. Funny how it all seems to run for you when you are on the up and everything goes against you when you are on a poor run like us. Football eh? Bloody hell.

Serves us right for not finishing our chances though. The Griffiths one was a bad miss even if he is a half-crippled full back. The Benson one in the first half was poor too, as was the Guttridge one second half. Cullen had a good chance to equalise too, we have to be more clinical. At least we actually had multiple clear cut chances today which is a very rare occurrence this season.

Need to win the next two to have any hope of play-offs but I can't see it. Probably a good thing really, missing out on the play-offs did us no harm in Still's first season.

 

[Bartonyellow]

Sounds like we were poor today.

Perhaps nerves? Not sure why.

I don't know but at this stage of the season I will take results over performances.

 

[THE TERRACEMAN]

The game was pretty much what I expected today. Luton huffed and puffed and played quite well but toothless in the final third. McLaughlin didn't really have a save to make. Albion playing away stayed organised and dogged, got the chance and took it. That's what's required to get out of this division. Thought we played well within ourselves today. This is our 3rd season attempting to get promotion having lost out in the play offs for the last 2 seasons, we will finally go up automatically this season.
For Luton, the framework is there but perhaps another season in league 2 will be advantageous long term

 

[Kenneth E End]

For Luton, the framework is there but perhaps another season in league 2 will be advantageous long term

Strongly agree with this. We're not ready for promotion just yet. Small steps; don't want to go up this year and come straight back down. That would be 1 step forward and 3 steps back. Those that have been critical of John Still in recent weeks should remember that when he first came here, he was categorical in saying he "wasn't a quick fix". Only 4 teams out of 24 can be promoted, so every year 5 in 6 clubs are going to end up disappointed and frustrated.

 

[Kenneth E End]

Having now seen the goal again, its very inconclusive. Who do you give the benefit of the doubt too? I think McNulty's heel may well be playing him on.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

I said at the time I strongly suspected he was on, you could tell the sense of resignation from the players reactions after it went in.

 

[Judge Dredd]

Who do you give the benefit of the doubt too?

You give the benefit of the doubt to the attacker. He was onside.

Still a very soft goal mind you, the camera angle doesn't do justice to the importance of the deflection.