It has been confirmed that skipper Kevin Nicholls was dismissed at Norwich on Saturday under law 12, section six, for using abusive language and/or gestures. This carries a two-match ban with immediate effect and means he will miss Tuesday night's game against Crewe Alexandra and the visit of Crystal Palace on Saturday.

 

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Mike Newell told lutontown.co.uk: "I am bitterly disappointed that we are lost a player for making a gesture.  He was incited and as I said at the time, I am not sure what I would have done if someone had spat in my face, so it is a difficult one. He knows that he can't make gestures and it is pointless at that stage in the game because it is not going to gain us anything but if he has been incited in the way that we have been told he was, then I will always defend my players."

Nicholls along with Russell Perrett, who was also sent off at Norwich on Saturday, join Chris Coyne and Sol Davis on the sidelines, the latter two defenders will again be missing the match against Crewe through injury.

Considering his options ahead of Alex' visit, Newell added: "Coyney is not available, neither is Sol Davis, everyone else is with the exception of the two who are suspended but we are not down to the bare bones. We have players to chose from who have played in the first team, if you have players out it is not an ideal situation, but it doesn't matter whether you have just won or lost a game.

"We should have beaten Crewe when we played them earlier in the season, no two ways about that, it should have been over by half time but it wasn't and that wasn't the only occasion we have missed opportunities to win games this season so we have a chance to put it right, in the way that Norwich felt they had a chance to put it right on Saturday, after losing to us.

"Their league position suggests that they are inconsistent but that is because haven't got great resources to be honest. Crewe, like Norwich are a footballing side and you don't know what sort of form or confidence your lads are in until the game starts and I can't make predictions about how it is going to go.

					...with the exception of Sheffield United, we haven't been turned over.

"It might be one where have to grind out a result but if we play to our capabilities then we are capable of winning the game.

"We have had to make changes in recent matches from the side that was doing well at the start of the season but with the exception of Sheffield United, we haven't been turned over. I believe we had a chance of getting something out of the game on Saturday because we were playing the football in the second half and Norwich were happy to hold onto what they had got. That is an indication that we are not a side low on of confidence, because if we were they would have gone on second half and put us to the sword."