Match preview Vs Luton Town

Tomorrow the Harriers face a Luton Town side that have, so far this season, found it hard to get their campaign off to the flying start that their fans want and expect.  New manager John Still, in his first full season with them, hasn't hit on the right formula yet and that hasn't been helped by discarding many of the favourites from Kenilworth Rd.

So far this season they have only scored three goals and their last two games at Forest Green and home to Cambridge have both ended goal less.  That indicates that they lack firepower but the defence seems to be pretty solid.  Their only win came at home to Salisbury, 2-0, in the second game in.  With John Shaw, Alex Lawless, Alex Wall and Mark Cullen all out injured Still has just loaned in his former Dagenham striker, Paul Benson, from Swindon Town but the 33yr old is lacking match fitness.

Also missing for the Hatters will be Anthony Charles while Solomon Taiwo could be back after coming in for training this week.  Lathaniel Rowe-Turner, Arnaud Mendy and Scott Rendell are all transfer listed and are very unlikely to play any part.

We come into this game on the back of a disappointing result at Nuneaton on Monday.  An early goal for us through Anthony Malbon along with some great football gave us false hope that we were going to go on and rack up that long awaited cricket score.

Twenty minutes later and it proved to be a false hope.

For some reason we stopped playing our 'true' game and went back to our true game of bypassing the midfield and launching the ball over the top to Nuneatons defenders.  They treated the ball as a gift from heaven, literally, and passed it to one of theirs who then strolled through our midfield and defence as we opened up like the sea before Abraham.

Somehow we managed to keep them at bay until ten minutes from the end when they, and the referee, broke our hearts with two late goals.

It didn't help that our starting eleven came as a surprise and the choice of Dior Angus (above) over Marvin Johnson was a strange and premature one.  Next season for the rookie winger maybe but not this one just yet.  Especially away at a tough place like Nuneaton.

Danny Jackman over Lee Fowler worked to an extent but the lack of match fitness for Danny showed up in the second half and the substitution of Angus for James Dance didn't work either, or go down to well.

Our only injury worries seems to concern Jamie Tolley after he picked up a hamstring injury and will be out for at least three weeks and Lee Fowler with an ankle injury.  He should be ok for the game though.  Anthony Malbon caught a stomach bug following the game but he should be ok to play tomorrow.

Last season we beat Luton for the first time ever, in eleven games, at Kenilworth Rd.  I fully believe we'll make it the first time at Aggborough tomorrow.




Harriers from:
Lewis, N Vaughan, L Vaughan, Grimes, Dunkley, Demetriou, Gowling, Storer, Fowler, Jackman, Lolley, Angus, Dance, Johnson, Malbon, Gittings, Gash, Blissett.

Luton from:
Tyler, Justham, Elliot, Fitzsimons, Smith, McNulty, Taiwo, Howells, Griffiths, Parry, O'Donnell, Martin, Guttridge, Whalley, Robinson, Henry, Benson, Gray, Stevenson, Lacey, Woolley, Longden, Jibodu, Mendy, Richards, Rendell, Rowe-Turner.

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