MATCH PREVIEW | LUTON TOWN V SHREWSBURY TOWN

24 August 2018

The Hatters will be looking to make it back-to-back wins tomorrow afternoon as they welcome Shrewsbury Town to Kenilworth Road in Sky Bet League One – with the hosts putting on another Family Fun Day ahead of kick-off.

Supporters from both clubs are welcome, with the activities for all ages kicking off from 1pm, including music and much more. Click here for more information.

Tuesday evening saw Town win their first three points of the campaign as they defeated Southend United 2-0, with goals from Elliot Lee and Danny Hylton ensuring victory.

(Town celebrate after Danny Hylton netted from the penalty spot with just over 30 minutes of first half football played)

That win lifted the Hatters up to 15th in the third tier, having picked up one point from their previous three games.

Shrewsbury have had a difficult start to the new season – having reached the play-off final last year, they have just two points after their opening four games.

Salop recruited heavily over the summer, including the appointment of John Askey from Macclesfield Town, after Paul Hurst took over the reins at Ipswich Town.
Hurst took Aristote Nsiala and Jon Nolan to Portman Road, with Askey bringing in a lot of numbers as he looks to try and match last season's achievements.

A reminder to supporters that contactless card payment will be available around the ground at our food and refreshment kiosks!

THE GAFFER SAYS:

On both the Hatters and Shrewsbury's start: "Look, it's only four games in. We've pretty much got similar points to what we had this time last year and then we ended up second in the league – not to say that's going to happen. What I am saying is, it's four games in. Shrewsbury have got a new manager, they've got a few new players that are going to take time to bed in, it's a tough league.

"Some people have tougher starts, at this point hopefully everyone will have played two home games and two away games, but if you played the two home games in the first three you might have picked up more points, so there's a lot of things that happen.

"It starts to take shape after about ten games. It's early for anyone, ourselves included."

On wanting to make it back-to-back wins: "That's what we want, we set out to win the game and it will be a tough, as every game is. It was a real tough game on Tuesday night.

"Ironically they probably thought that they didn't deserve to lose 2-0, we think we probably should have won by more. On the balance of play it was pretty even, it's just we had clear cut chances that we should have taken advantage of and defended very well and limited those.

"It was a real even game, two different shapes competing against each other. I do believe that Chris and the staff there work very well with them. They have a pattern and that's a credit to them, it's just we came out on top.

"It's another tough game, but we will be ready for it. A little bit of the mist has lifted and hopefully we can settle down a bit."

YOU CAN NOW WATCH NATHAN JONES' PRE-MATCH PRESS CONFERENCE ON IFOLLOW HATTERS FREEVIEW BY CLICKING HERE

WHO?

How close can you go? It was a case of if any other year, this game probably wouldn't have happened. The Shrews amassed 87 points last season and somehow missed out on automatic promotion, with both Wigan Athletic and Blackburn Rovers beating them to the top two spots. They reached the play-off final – but a 2-1 defeat to Rotherham United defeat consigned them to another season in the third tier.

Salop have brought in a new manager in John Askey, who guided Macclesfield Town back into the EFL in the last campaign, and he's recruited well. Lincoln City captain Luke Waterfall was signed as well as former Hatters striker Lee Angol and loanee Alex Gilliead.

(Alex Gilliead spent the first half the 2016/17 campaign at Kenilworth Road, scoring twice in 21 appearances)

WHEN AND WHERE?

Kick-off is at 3pm at Kenilworth Road on Saturday 25th August.

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for tomorrow afternoon's game are still available for purchase from the LTFC Ticket Office in person, over the phone on 01582 416976 and online by clicking here. Prices are set at category B. We are expecting a large home crowd for this afternoon's game, so please purchase your ticket in advance. Subject to availability, cash turnstiles will be available for the Main Stand and the Oak Road.

MATCHDAY PROGRAMME

Tomorrow's edition of This Is Our Town includes all the info on Salop and their squad – as well as Alan Sheehan's all-time XI and a Q&A with former Shrews striker James Collins, who helped them to promotion on two occasions from League Two.

MAN IN THE MIDDLE?

Tomorrow's game will be refereed by Carl Boyeson, who has taken charge of three games so far this season, handing out 13 yellow cards. His last game involving the Hatters was the 2-0 defeat to Chesterfield back in January.

PLAYED BEFORE?

The Hatters have faced Salop 22 times, winning 11 of those meetings and losing six. Our last metting was a 0-0 draw here at Kenilworth Road back in January 2015.

(Former Hatter Jake Howells in action the last time the Town took on the Shrews)

CAR PARKING

If you're driving to the game tomorrow, don't forget you can take advantage of the car parking now available at Power Court. Make sure you get your permit now by clicking here.

FOLLOW THE ACTION

The main blow-by-blow account of the action from Kenilworth Road will be provided via the Match Centre on the club website, which you can access by clicking here. (*Please note that the club's Live Text will appear only by accessing through an internet browser, users of the Luton Town FC app will receive updates from Opta...the EFL Digital team assure us they are working on a fix to get club updates onto the app)

The main moments from the game will appear on the Hatters' social media feeds:

Twitter – @LutonTown
Facebook – www.facebook.com/LutonTown/
Instagram – www.instagram.com/ltfc_official/

And of course Simon Pitts will be on hand to provide commentary for iFollow Hatters which you can subscribe to by clicking here.

Match Previews

Match Reports

REPORT & GALLERY | HATTERS 3 SHREWSBURY TOWN 2

Town come from behind twice to win a five-goal thriller at the Kenny

25 August 2018

The Hatters moved up to tenth in the Sky Bet League One table by twice coming from behind to beat Shrewsbury Town in a five-goal thriller at Kenilworth Road this afternoon.

Jorge Grant, with his first goal for the club, Jack Stacey and Elliot Lee were on target in a spirited second-half showing that made it two wins in as many home games this week for Nathan Jones’ side.

The Welshman had stuck with the same starting XI that beat Southend on Tuesday night, with James Shea on goal behind a back four of Stacey, Matty Pearson, Sonny Bradley and Dan Potts.

Glen Rea captained the side from the engine room, where he was joined by Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu, Grant and Andrew Shinnie, with Danny Hylton and Lee up front.

The Hatters started brightly enough, Lee curling a free-kick narrowly over the bar after being fouled himself 20 yards from goal, before Rea tried his luck after a period of patient possession on 13 minutes, but the captain was always stretching and left-footed shot drifted wide of far post.

It was Shrewsbury who broke the deadlock midway through the half when Shaun Whalley was tripped in the box by Stacey, and the former Hatter picked himself up and sent Shea the wrong way from 12 yards.

Another ex-Town player, Lee Angol, was next to have a go in the 24^th minute but Shea was equal to the Shrews’ lone striker’s 20-yard effort after Whalley teed him up with a driving run inside from the right flank.

The Hatters built up a head of steam on the half-hour mark, Shinnie firing into the side-netting after some neat interplay between Mpanzu and Grant, who then sent a 25-yarder skidding just wide, with the aid of a deflection.

Mpanzu was next to try his luck, after a short corner from Grant – and a one-two with referee Carl Boyeson, who got in the midfielder’s way – but his left-footed shot from just outside the area was always curling away from visiting keeper Joel Coleman’s outstretched left arm and behind.

Jones responded to a limp first half performance by taking off Hylton, suffering a niggle to his hamstring, and introducing former Shrewsbury striker James Collins. Within six minutes of the restart his side were level.

Lee looked to twist and turn his way into the Shrewsbury area, just left of centre, only to be fouled by Anthony Grant. The former Luton loanee’s namesake, our current loan star Jorge, stepped up and curled a beauty over the wall and into the top corner for his first Hatters goal.

The Hatters’ tails were up, Mpanzu flying down the right with a surging run that got the crowd going even more, before another flowing move down the right involving Lee and Stacey saw the former go close just before the hour, although his angled shot from 15 yards always on the rise.

Grant had the opportunity to double his tally on 63 minutes when Josh Laurent fouled Shinnie after great work by Mpanzu to win the ball back 30 yards from goal, but Grant couldn’t repeat the trick and this one flew high over the bar into the Kenny End.

Shrewsbury regained the lead in freak circumstances on 66 minutes when Shea put the ball down in his area, thinking referee Boyeson had blown for offside. As everyone paused and waited for the ball to be sent upfield, Angol took it and placed it into the empty net.

The goal stood, but the Hatters’ character would shine through with Shea getting down low to his left to turn a 70^th-minute shot from Anthony Grant behind before, a couple of minutes later, Lee and Mpanzu combined brilliantly to set Stacey up for the equaliser, the right-back racing into the box to latch onto a fine throughball to beat Coleman inside his near post.

Mpanzu was running things in midfield, another surge through the middle enabling him to release Collins on the right, but the substitute’s inviting cross was just too far ahead of Lee sliding in at the far post.

The striker didn’t have to wait long, however, when another free-kick opportunity presented itself just outside the area in the 76^th minute, and – with the aid of a deflection – his 20-yard shot made its way into the Kenny End net for 3-2.

It could have been four on 83 minutes when Lee worked tirelessly to win the ball on the right touchline before playing it inside for Mpanzu, yet another driving run taking him to the byline where he was tripped by Luke Waterfall.

Collins, who’d had an impressive second half, took the ball but unfortunately couldn’t register against the club with whom he won two promotions, Coleman diving to his right to beat his penalty away.

There was still time for Shrewsbury to threaten, Shea making a superb reaction save to get down low at his near post to keep out substitute Fejiri Okenabirhie with three minutes left, and the Hatters saw the game out with relative comfort after that.

TOWN: Shea, Stacey, Pearson, Bradley, Potts, Rea (c), Mpanzu, Grant (Justin 78), Shinnie, Hylton (Collins 46), Lee. Subs: Cornick, Jervis, Gambin, Jones, Stech.

Goals: Grant 51, Stacey 72, Lee 76

Yellows: Rea

SHREWSBURY: Coleman, Haynes, Sadler (c), Whalley, Docherty, Angol, Bolton, Gilliead (Norburn 78), Waterfall, Laurent, Grant (Okenabirhie 78). Subs: Beckles, John-Lewis, Arnold (GK), Loft, Barnett.

Goals: Whalley 23 pen, Angol 67

Yellows: Angol

Referee: Carl Boyeson

Att: 8,518 (379 away)

Match Reports

Luton Town Football Club

Standings

MATCH PREVIEW | LUTON TOWN V SHREWSBURY TOWN

REPORT & GALLERY | HATTERS 3 SHREWSBURY TOWN 2