Post by Neko Bazu on Aug 11, 2007 16:22:21 GMT -1
First things first; go Mystic Milkdish! Predicted a 2-1 win with some controversy, and by god was there controversy!
In-depth report
Arrived ten minutes before kick-off, and certainly at my end of the stadium, the atmosphere was electric - you could almost feel the buzz. The crowd were chanting even before the players were on the pitch, and when they did come out, there was a standing ovation.
For the first twenty minutes, neither team looked too impressive. Pool threatened the goal once, but couldn't bundle it in, while Luton seemed to lack any sense of creativity. Something suddenly seemed to click among the players, though, and they began to find each other with their passes, showing glimpses of flair and suddenly working as a unit, and two chances immediately went begging; the first a tough effort volleyed from a tight angle over an open goal while under pressure, and the second a header from Furlong who went wide without too much pressure on him - something that really summed his game up.
After this flurry, Luton seemed to lose their way again, and while we've definitely found some hard tacklers this season (something we missed last time), there weren't too many other positives for the next ten minutes. A possibly controversial goal soon came about, though - while the Hartlepool players were appealing for a foul, Darren Currie picked up the loose ball, took it round one defender and slotted home in the bottom corner, to the delight of the almost sold out home crowd.
In the second half, while the quality picked up somewhat, there was nothing amazing to write home about for a long time, save for some very poor refereeing decisions (a factor throughout the match - including one Luton player being penalised for climbing when he was the one being jumped on!). Toward the death, however, another Luton goal came about - though the referee seemed to be the only person in the stadium to see it. New-boy Goodall managed to get a shot in on goal, but it appeared to be hacked off the line - a groan came from the whole crowd, and play continued without appeals from any of the Luton players. The referee, however, blew his whistle about three seconds later and pointed to the centre circle - a full two seconds after that, it clicked that the goal had been given, and the crowd went Nucking Futz.
That, however, wasn't the end; in a final late surge, Hartlepool sent the ball forward to a player a good yard offside, but play was allowed to continue. Seconds later, he was on the floor, and Hartlepool scored from the subsequent penalty.
In summary
Dean Brill, Darren Currie and Alan Goodall will all have endeared themselves to the Luton faithful with that performance, particularly after the two new boys scored debut goals after shaky starts. Spring was also a much more dominant figure than last season; far more reminiscent of the player we were gutted to lose so long ago. Furlong, however, was far less impressive, and was given a muted round of applause when he was substituted (indeed, at one point he was cheered simply for finally winning a header). Parkin was also reminiscent of Howard when he came on; worrying the opposition's defence and proving to be a rock when helping our boys out at the back.
The team looked good; still lots of room for improvement, and certainly uninspired at times, but when they clicked they were a genuine threat. For a side that are surely still gelling, the result was certainly good enough.
In-depth report
Arrived ten minutes before kick-off, and certainly at my end of the stadium, the atmosphere was electric - you could almost feel the buzz. The crowd were chanting even before the players were on the pitch, and when they did come out, there was a standing ovation.
For the first twenty minutes, neither team looked too impressive. Pool threatened the goal once, but couldn't bundle it in, while Luton seemed to lack any sense of creativity. Something suddenly seemed to click among the players, though, and they began to find each other with their passes, showing glimpses of flair and suddenly working as a unit, and two chances immediately went begging; the first a tough effort volleyed from a tight angle over an open goal while under pressure, and the second a header from Furlong who went wide without too much pressure on him - something that really summed his game up.
After this flurry, Luton seemed to lose their way again, and while we've definitely found some hard tacklers this season (something we missed last time), there weren't too many other positives for the next ten minutes. A possibly controversial goal soon came about, though - while the Hartlepool players were appealing for a foul, Darren Currie picked up the loose ball, took it round one defender and slotted home in the bottom corner, to the delight of the almost sold out home crowd.
In the second half, while the quality picked up somewhat, there was nothing amazing to write home about for a long time, save for some very poor refereeing decisions (a factor throughout the match - including one Luton player being penalised for climbing when he was the one being jumped on!). Toward the death, however, another Luton goal came about - though the referee seemed to be the only person in the stadium to see it. New-boy Goodall managed to get a shot in on goal, but it appeared to be hacked off the line - a groan came from the whole crowd, and play continued without appeals from any of the Luton players. The referee, however, blew his whistle about three seconds later and pointed to the centre circle - a full two seconds after that, it clicked that the goal had been given, and the crowd went Nucking Futz.
That, however, wasn't the end; in a final late surge, Hartlepool sent the ball forward to a player a good yard offside, but play was allowed to continue. Seconds later, he was on the floor, and Hartlepool scored from the subsequent penalty.
In summary
Dean Brill, Darren Currie and Alan Goodall will all have endeared themselves to the Luton faithful with that performance, particularly after the two new boys scored debut goals after shaky starts. Spring was also a much more dominant figure than last season; far more reminiscent of the player we were gutted to lose so long ago. Furlong, however, was far less impressive, and was given a muted round of applause when he was substituted (indeed, at one point he was cheered simply for finally winning a header). Parkin was also reminiscent of Howard when he came on; worrying the opposition's defence and proving to be a rock when helping our boys out at the back.
The team looked good; still lots of room for improvement, and certainly uninspired at times, but when they clicked they were a genuine threat. For a side that are surely still gelling, the result was certainly good enough.
There are still plenty of things to be sorted out on & off the pitch & in the dressing room with some players attitudes. 
), it'd be an amazing season! 
Please, don't tell me he also ran, otherwise I shall certainly faint. 
