Post by Neko Bazu on Jul 16, 2007 9:39:36 GMT -1
HITCHIN TOWN 0-3 LUTON TOWN
From O/S
Luton Town kicked-off their pre-season campaign with a comfortable three goal victory at Hitchin Town on Saturday afternoon.
Trialist Kevin Harper, youth teamer Ryan Charles and fellow trialist Joel Grant were on target as the Hatters handed their first starts to experienced summer signings Chris Perry and Paul Furlong.
Hatters boss Kevin Blackwell rested most of his senior squad after they returned from their pre-season training camp in Cyprus on Friday evening.
That enabled many of Luton's younger squad members the chance to impress in front of a healthy attendance at Top Field.Kevin Blackwell has described Luton's 3-0 win over Hitchin Town as a 'decent workout'
With the Hatters boss deciding to rest most of his senior players, after returning from Cyprus on Friday evening, the game at Top Field gave a number of Luton's youngsters the chance to impress.
However, Luton fans did get the chance to see new signings Chris Perry and Paul Furlong in action while former Coventry and West Ham midfielder Don Hutchison was given a run out.
And Blackwell was pleased with the performance of his players.
The Luton boss said: "I think it was a decent workout. I have said that we take every game seriously and I wasn't prepared to come here and play a typical pre-season game.
"There was a lot of pace in the game and I was very pleased with the lads and the effort they showed."
Blackwell was particularly pleased with the performance of Perry and Furlong and is confident that both players will have a successful career at Kenilworth Road.
"They both look decent acquisitions. They are good players, good pros and that is what I am looking at.
"The attitude has to be that every game we go out and we work our socks off. I was pleased that we kept going right to the end."
Blackwell also confirmed that Hutchison will travel with the squad to Norway next week, where the Hatters are due to play two pre-season games.
He added: "I think I will take him to Norway so I can look at him a bit closer. I know all about Don Hutchison, it is just whether he can give me something further down the line.
"The season is a long season and there will be times where we will have to be out-and-out attacking and sometimes we will have to be defensive.
"I have to look at how I can bring people in on the right money and have those options in the game, and that is where I am at right now."
Blackwell also gave a run-out to former Scottish international midfielder Don Hutchison, who operated in the centre of midfield with new senior pro Rob Sinclair.
And it was the Luton youngster who almost gave the visitors the perfect start when trailist Martin Britton swept over a cross from the right, which Sinclar turned onto the Hitchin post.
The non-league side were proving to be a stubborn resistance and almost took a shock lead when Scott Orphanou got down the right flank, but his cross wasn't converted by a sea of yellow shirts in the Luton penalty area.
However, Luton began to turn on the pressure and after Furlong was denied by a breathtaking reaction save by Hitchin goalkeeper Martin Barnett, the deadlock was broken before half-time.
Four minutes before the interval, Furlong slipped a through ball towards Harper who needed just one touch to side foot a shot beyond the reach of Barnett.
Two minutes later Luton doubled their advantage in spectacular style when George Beavan's long clearance up field sent Charles racing towards goal and he unleashed an unstoppable 25-yard shot that sailed over the head of Barnett.
Blackwell made a number of changes in the second-half as Luton's youngsters where given the chance to shine, but it was another trialist who finished the scoring just four minutes from time.
Grant, who came on as a second-half substitute, rounded off the scoring as he slipped the ball under the body of Barnett after he started off an impressive move down the left flank.
Kevin Blackwell on the performance
[...]The Luton boss said: "I think it was a decent workout. I have said that we take every game seriously and I wasn't prepared to come here and play a typical pre-season game.
"There was a lot of pace in the game and I was very pleased with the lads and the effort they showed."
Blackwell was particularly pleased with the performance of Perry and Furlong and is confident that both players will have a successful career at Kenilworth Road.
"They both look decent acquisitions. They are good players, good pros and that is what I am looking at.
"The attitude has to be that every game we go out and we work our socks off. I was pleased that we kept going right to the end."
Blackwell also confirmed that Hutchison will travel with the squad to Norway next week, where the Hatters are due to play two pre-season games.
He added: "I think I will take him to Norway so I can look at him a bit closer. I know all about Don Hutchison, it is just whether he can give me something further down the line.
"The season is a long season and there will be times where we will have to be out-and-out attacking and sometimes we will have to be defensive.
"I have to look at how I can bring people in on the right money and have those options in the game, and that is where I am at right now."
From O/S
Luton Town kicked-off their pre-season campaign with a comfortable three goal victory at Hitchin Town on Saturday afternoon.
Trialist Kevin Harper, youth teamer Ryan Charles and fellow trialist Joel Grant were on target as the Hatters handed their first starts to experienced summer signings Chris Perry and Paul Furlong.
Hatters boss Kevin Blackwell rested most of his senior squad after they returned from their pre-season training camp in Cyprus on Friday evening.
That enabled many of Luton's younger squad members the chance to impress in front of a healthy attendance at Top Field.Kevin Blackwell has described Luton's 3-0 win over Hitchin Town as a 'decent workout'
With the Hatters boss deciding to rest most of his senior players, after returning from Cyprus on Friday evening, the game at Top Field gave a number of Luton's youngsters the chance to impress.
However, Luton fans did get the chance to see new signings Chris Perry and Paul Furlong in action while former Coventry and West Ham midfielder Don Hutchison was given a run out.
And Blackwell was pleased with the performance of his players.
The Luton boss said: "I think it was a decent workout. I have said that we take every game seriously and I wasn't prepared to come here and play a typical pre-season game.
"There was a lot of pace in the game and I was very pleased with the lads and the effort they showed."
Blackwell was particularly pleased with the performance of Perry and Furlong and is confident that both players will have a successful career at Kenilworth Road.
"They both look decent acquisitions. They are good players, good pros and that is what I am looking at.
"The attitude has to be that every game we go out and we work our socks off. I was pleased that we kept going right to the end."
Blackwell also confirmed that Hutchison will travel with the squad to Norway next week, where the Hatters are due to play two pre-season games.
He added: "I think I will take him to Norway so I can look at him a bit closer. I know all about Don Hutchison, it is just whether he can give me something further down the line.
"The season is a long season and there will be times where we will have to be out-and-out attacking and sometimes we will have to be defensive.
"I have to look at how I can bring people in on the right money and have those options in the game, and that is where I am at right now."
Blackwell also gave a run-out to former Scottish international midfielder Don Hutchison, who operated in the centre of midfield with new senior pro Rob Sinclair.
And it was the Luton youngster who almost gave the visitors the perfect start when trailist Martin Britton swept over a cross from the right, which Sinclar turned onto the Hitchin post.
The non-league side were proving to be a stubborn resistance and almost took a shock lead when Scott Orphanou got down the right flank, but his cross wasn't converted by a sea of yellow shirts in the Luton penalty area.
However, Luton began to turn on the pressure and after Furlong was denied by a breathtaking reaction save by Hitchin goalkeeper Martin Barnett, the deadlock was broken before half-time.
Four minutes before the interval, Furlong slipped a through ball towards Harper who needed just one touch to side foot a shot beyond the reach of Barnett.
Two minutes later Luton doubled their advantage in spectacular style when George Beavan's long clearance up field sent Charles racing towards goal and he unleashed an unstoppable 25-yard shot that sailed over the head of Barnett.
Blackwell made a number of changes in the second-half as Luton's youngsters where given the chance to shine, but it was another trialist who finished the scoring just four minutes from time.
Grant, who came on as a second-half substitute, rounded off the scoring as he slipped the ball under the body of Barnett after he started off an impressive move down the left flank.
Kevin Blackwell on the performance
[...]The Luton boss said: "I think it was a decent workout. I have said that we take every game seriously and I wasn't prepared to come here and play a typical pre-season game.
"There was a lot of pace in the game and I was very pleased with the lads and the effort they showed."
Blackwell was particularly pleased with the performance of Perry and Furlong and is confident that both players will have a successful career at Kenilworth Road.
"They both look decent acquisitions. They are good players, good pros and that is what I am looking at.
"The attitude has to be that every game we go out and we work our socks off. I was pleased that we kept going right to the end."
Blackwell also confirmed that Hutchison will travel with the squad to Norway next week, where the Hatters are due to play two pre-season games.
He added: "I think I will take him to Norway so I can look at him a bit closer. I know all about Don Hutchison, it is just whether he can give me something further down the line.
"The season is a long season and there will be times where we will have to be out-and-out attacking and sometimes we will have to be defensive.
"I have to look at how I can bring people in on the right money and have those options in the game, and that is where I am at right now."
