Town at Luton - They Predict a Riot

By: Paul Ketchley
Date: 26/01/2011

SO - after a year away we go back to the cauldron that was Kenilworth Road. Last time it was the night that Newell sacked the "three amigos" and we got battered but survived for another year.

Not much has changed at Luton. There was the ritual searching as you went through the entrance between the terraced houses and nobody was selling programmes. Inside there was a heavy Police presence and the stewards glared menacingly at anyone who moved. The Band was clearly a high risk and a bunch of day-glo coated stewards stood in their faces all night. A soft rain fell on what might laughingly be called the pitch and the water cascaded from a blocked gutter behind the goal.

Oh, how we yearned for Histon and Hayes & Yeading. No Police in sight to mention and a friendly steward who was glad to see a couple of hundred away supporters. Small towns they may be but at least they can produce a decent playing surface. The food was a lot better too, but more of that later.

Or maybe it was all for our protection? If so, presumably the urinals were cellophaned over with a sticker saying "for your protection". They weren't?? Well, why is that not a surprise!

At least Luton had the decency to play in their orange strip so we could play in stripes. Town started out playing away from the away end so our view was of a 4-4-1-1 formation, which Woods seems to like at away games of:

OK so we're shorn of Ridley the free kick expert; Coulson, the engine room; Sinclair; the playmaker; Hudson and the injury specialist Ademeno. You can imagine what a midfield central pairing of Leary and Cummins did for the Town faithful and I don't expect it struck fear into the near 5000 Luton fans either. Sinclair was on the bench though along with Corner, Croudson, Garner and Hudson.

So away we went hoping for some sunshine after the rain. The pitch was in really bad shape, but it was made for the Luton players who were all big blokes. Lloyd Owusu provides what they call a "presence" up front. Leary and Cummins probably didn't strike fear into the Luton midfield either as they were all big powerful blokes too. In fact the smallest player in the Luton team was Tyler, their goalkeeper.

Well - the first half was all Luton. They zipped the ball around on the pitch and ran powerfully through the brown clog where grass should be - there was a strip running across the town half that looked like it had been rotavated in the afternoon and if the ball landed there it just died.

Makofo was a lonely figure up front waiting for service which never came. He looked like another Ademeno like in green boots and was well shepherded by an enormous centre back who cleared away any high balls and leaned on Serge if the ball was below shoulder height. The referee took no notice.

At the back Atkinson and Kempson looked solid and Bradley Wood snapped and crunched into tackles on the left and he and Rob Eagle worked the left flank energetically but without much to show for it.

Luton had a period where they crossed the ball backwards and forwards across the Town area and in front of goal until eventually Arthur got his hands on it. As he cleared the ball away Kenny slipped and fell on his backside on the left of the penalty area.

Shortly afterwards Town got a corner which got nowhere but Luton broke away down their left and the wide man rolled the ball across in front of the goal where Gnakpa crunched into Arthur and pushed the ball goalwards. Bradley Wood flung himself across the goal and kicked the ball away but the linesman judged it had crossed the goal line.

Arthur was left in a heap in the goal area and Wood kicked the goalpost in disgust at the goal being given.

Town played some neat passing football but to little effect. Too often three or four passes to feet was followed by a hump towards the box and possession was given away. To be honest we didn't really test the goalkeeper in the first half and then Kempson was booked just before half time. One - nil down was probably not unfair on the balance of play

Stu’s half time toilet talk