All you need to know ahead of the Town's trip to Gigg Lane
Bury v Luton Town
Sky Bet League 2
Tuesday 3rd March 2015, kick-off 7.45pm
Live commentary on Hatters Player, DiverseFM, BBC3CR and lutontown.co.uk
• Hatters fourth; Bury sixth
• Town aiming for back-to-back wins
• Shakers unbeaten in 5, won last 4
• Skipper Stephen McNulty back from ban
• Fourth meeting between the sides this term
WHO? Bury, aka the Shakers, from Gigg Lane, are the Town’s opponents on Tuesday. Dave Flitcroft’s side drew 1-1 at Kenilworth Road this season and currently lie in sixth place in League 2. The two sides met as recently as December, however, with the Hatters progressing after a replay in the second round of the FA Cup.
HOW THEY DOING? Flitcroft’s side were the bookies’ favourites to win the League 2 title but the Shakers’ promotion push has been an inconsistent one. Bury were in among the top three in the first three months of the season but a poor run of form leading up to Christmas derailed their prospects and the Shakers fell out of the top seven. In recent weeks, however, their form has improved and on Saturday they won 2-0 at Plymouth to making it five matches unbeaten and three wins on the spin. Last week they won 1-0 against Hartlepool, seven days after recording a 2-1 win at struggling Cheltenham.
WHERE? The Town make their first Football League trip to Gigg Lane in six years. The Hatters faithful have a 360-mile round-trip to get there and back. It is pay on the night for Hatters fans and details can be found here. It’s seating only behind the goal in the Ratio Law Stand, which holds 2,000. The Shakers have a decent home record, too, winning 10 of their 16 matches. Only Shrewsbury and Northampton have scored more goals at home than Bury’s 26.
HOW TO GET THERE. Take the M1, M6 and M66, and leave the M66 at Junction 3. Take the left hand exit at the junction and follow this road until you come to the junction with the A56 Manchester Road. At this T-junction which has traffic lights, turn right towards Bury. At the end of the playing fields just before the traffic lights and a couple of pubs, turn right into Gigg Lane for the ground. Please note that Gigg Lane itself is normally closed on matchdays. The postcode for Gigg Lane is BL9 8HR. If you want to go on the Bobbers, they depart from Luton train station at 2pm. Their fare is £29 for adults and £26 for concessions. To book a place call 01234 856542.
TRAVEL ALERT. We were kindly told on Twitter by a Bury supporter that there is a night closure between junction 17 and 15 on the M60 tonight. If you’re driving up, take care and get home safe and sound.
HAVE WE BEEN BEFORE? The Hatters won on their last Football League visit to Gigg Lane in the minus-30 season, winning 2-1 courtesy of goals from Ian Roper and Tom Craddock. Overall the Town have won seven of their 21 visits to the Lancashire venue. The Town were denied an eighth victory at Gigg Lane by a last-minute equaliser by Daniel Nardiello in December’s FA Cup meeting. The Town did, however, get past the Shakers in the replay thanks to Luke Rooney’s winner.
TOWN CONNECTIONS. Plenty of players have represented both the Hatters and the Shakers down the years. Current Town keeper Mark Tyler spent a spell on loan with Bury back in 2009 and was part of a Shakers side that beat the Town here at Kenilworth Road. Cult hero defender Efe Sodje, goalkeeper Dean Kiely and Steve Elliott have all played for both clubs in the past. Sodje was still turning out for Bury in his late 30s. Mark Cullen has also spent a time on loan with the Shakers.
TOWN TEAM NEWS. The Town have captain Stephen McNulty back from his four-match ban. Mark Tyler has a knee problem so if the stopper is not fully fit Elliot Justham will continue to deputise. Nathan Doyle remains sidelined, but while Pelly Ruddock and Paul Benson have returned to full training they are not expected to feature.
REF WATCH. Scott Duncan takes charge of his first game involving Luton for three years. The whistler oversaw the Hatters’ 1-0 midweek defeat at Barrow in February 2012. So far this term Mr Duncan has shown 68 yellow cards in 27 matches, and has sent-off just three players.
LIVE AND ONLINE. Hatters Player is the only place to listen to online commentary of the Hatters this season and once again the DiverseFM team will be bringing subscribers all the action from Gigg Lane. What’s more there will be a full report, reaction and photographs post-match and live text updates during the match itself.
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