Hatters youngsters head to The Hive, 7pm kick-off
Paul Driver takes his Hatters youth team to Barnet tonight (Tuesday 1st November) telling the Under-18s to make the most of their opportunity to impress first team manager Nathan Jones in the FA Youth Cup.
The Town youngsters reached the quarter-finals of last season’s competition, and several players – including centre-halves Frankie Musonda and Akin Famewo, goalkeeper Liam Gooch and midfielders Tyreeq Bakinson and Alex Atkinson – earned professional contracts for this term.
The first round draw paired Driver’s lads with the Under-18s from our north London Sky Bet League Two rivals, and the boss told lutontown.co.uk: “We are really looking forward to it. Everything normally is about development, but this is about winning a game in a knockout format.
“It’s a different mentality required by the players compared to Saturday morning matches at a club’s training ground.
“The bigger games under the floodlights, in front of a bit of a crowd in such a prestigious competition, are always the ones where you learn more about the players.
“You find out more about the ones with the stronger mental attitudes, as we saw last year with the lads getting to the quarter-final.
“For the second-year scholars, it’s also a great chance to play in front of the first team management in a different environment. It’s a good platform for them to show what they can do.
“I’m sure those who did well last year – the likes of Musonda and Gooch – benefitted from being permanently on display, with the manager able to see them with his own eyes, rather than having to rely on what I tell him.”
The match at The Hive kicks off at 7pm, and Driver added: “I hope the boys go out and enjoy it, play their natural game and do their best individually. It’s a different ball game to what they are normally used to, but one they should relish.”
Squad:
Lewis Todd (GK)
Tyreeq Bakinson
Harry Bean
Scott Belgrove
Kavan Cotter
Akin Famewo
Freddie Hinds
Jack James
Ciaren Jones
Joe Mead
George Murray
Arthur Read
Michael Shamalo
Jack Snelus
Kitan Sorunke
James Verney
Admission prices are £3 for adults and £1 concessions – so why not head down to north London to cheer the lads on.
The ground address is The Hive London, Camrose Avenue, London HA8 6AG.
For those who can’t make it, the Hatters’ media team will be in attendance giving live updates on Twitter with a full report and interviews to follow on www.lutontown.co.uk