Gateshead vs Luton Town FC (2nd Nov 2013)

REPORT: GATESHEAD 0-0 TOWN

Town earn point in dour draw

The Hatters extended their unbeaten run to 10 games with a determined goalless draw at Gateshead.

The pre-match rain made way for sunshine in the opening exchanges in which the Town came close early on. Jonathan Smith, one of five players who kept their place in the side following last weekend’s FA Cup win over Woking, saw a low shot from distance deflected narrowly wide on three minutes.

That would be the nearest the Town would come in a first half dominated by the in-form hosts. The Heed, who had won seven of their last eight games – and five on the spin – were playing patient, attractive football, holding the Hatters back.

Steve McNulty came to the Town’s rescue on 11 minutes when Mark Tyler failed to punch clear following a high, high free-kick pumped into the box, and James Curtis’ shot on the turn was cleared by the Hatters’ centre-half.

On 19 minutes the Hatters engineered their best move of the opening 45 minutes but Luke Guttridge fired a left-foot shot wide of the target from 15 yards after good link-up play between Andre Gray and Paul Benson.

But in truth it was the hosts who were dominating, and McNulty had to make his second goal-line clearance of the afternoon on 24 minutes. This time Jamie Chandler snuck in behind the Town defence to arch a shot over the advancing Tyler but McNulty was there to head clear.

McNulty then came close at the other end – not that he knew much about it – five minutes before half-time when Jake Howells – making his 250th appearance in Luton colours – saw his free-kick rebound off the defender from close range.

The second half was played amid torrential rain but the Town were enjoying more of the ball than they did in the first.

Clear-cut chances, however, were scarce. Home left-back Lewis Sirrell saw a long shot deflect off of the head of McNulty on 58 minutes before Colin Larkin’s low, teasing cross two minutes later flashed across goal with substitute James Brown unable to connect.

The Town, though, spurned a decent chance to take the lead on 64 minutes when Gray eased his marker out the way to find Guttridge but the midfielder could only drag his shot well wide of the post from 12 yards.

On 67 minutes the Town converged in numbers on the Tynesiders’ goal but couldn’t create a chance before Gray made way for Mark Cullen on 71 minutes in John Still’s first change.

A minute later, as the rain lashed down, there was almost a freak own goal when home goalkeeper Adam Bartlett took a heavy touch following Sirrell’s back-pass.

Still introduced Alex Wall with six minutes left but as the game swung from end-to-end in sodden conditions with the ball holding up in the wet turf.

TOWN: Tyler; Henry, Griffiths, McNulty, Lacey; Howells (sub Wall 84), Smith, Parry, Guttridge, Benson, Gray. (sub Cullen 71). Subs not used: Taiwo, Stevenson, Justham.

Attendance: 1,080 (302 backing the Town).

http://www.lutontown.co.uk/news/article/gateshead-gallery-0211-1150697.aspx

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hp5yn_KCnA

Hatters hold Tynesiders to stalemate

Skrill Premier: Gateshead 0 (0) Luton Town 0 (0)

A battle of attrition in terrible weather conditions finished all square this afternoon as Luton were held to a goalless draw by Gateshead at the International Stadium, writes Mark Wood.

And with leaders Cambridge United and second placed Kidderminster Harriers both losing on their travels, Town closed the gap to seven points on top spot as they kept their 10th clean sheet in 18 games this season.

Luke Guttridge wasted the Hatters’ two best chances in either half, while it took until the 92nd minute for either keeper to make a save as Mark Tyler did well to hold on to James Curtis’ header at the death to preserve a point for the Town.

Town made six changes from the team that edged to a 1-0 win at Woking in the FA Cup the week before. Tyler, Scott Griffiths, Andy Parry, Guttridge, Andre Gray and Alex Lacey were all recalled to the starting XI, while the Heed named ex-Hatter Liam Hatch in their starting team.

The Hatters went close after just three minutes as Jonathan Smith’s low long-range shot was deflected just wide.

A slow start continued, but the Heed almost snatched the lead on 12 minutes when Mark Tyler came and failed to connect properly with his punch from Phil Turnbull’s free-kick. James Curtis then turned the ball goalwards, but Steve McNulty was in the right place at the right time to clear away from the line.

The visitors struggled to settle with too many hurried balls forward, but should have taken the lead with a lovely move on 19 minutes. Smith won the ball in midfield and released Gray whose ball was expertly flicked into the path of Guttridge by Paul Benson. But with just the keeper to beat the goalscoring midfielder lashed wastefully wide.

Moments the later Smith was then yellow-carded for a late challenge on James Curtis.

Gateshead were coping with the difficult conditions better and went close again on 23 minutes when Rob Ramshaw’s clever ball over the top released Jamie Chandler, who beat Tyler to the ball to hook goalwards, but McNulty was again on hand to head away from the line.

A rare Luton counter saw Gray look to go it alone when he should have released Howells on the left as Town struggled to adapt to play with the strong breeze at their backs.

The Tyensiders cleverly looked to play out from the back with the Hatters failing to press high enough up the pitch when they should have looked to squeeze their hosts at every opportunity.

Town were finally awarded their first free-kick of the half five minutes before the break by the linesman when Gray was bundled over by Lewis Sirrell on the byline, and Howells’ driven delivery hit McNulty as it ran just wide.

With the rain starting to pour down again the Head almost grabbed the lead on the cusp of half time when Ramshaw crept in between Lacey and McNulty but could only glance Craig Baxter’s cross just wide.

Centre-half Ben Clark made an important intervention at the start of the second half as he cut out Howells’ crossfield ball looking for Gray three minutes in.

Town started to play with a greater tempo as they looked to pressure Heed into a mistake, but it was the Tynesiders who found a sight of goal on 58 minutes when Sirrell’s long-range effort deflected off McNulty and dipped just over.

The Tynesiders went close again three minutes later when Colin Larkin skinned Griffiths and sub James Brown just couldn’t connect with his driven cross across the face of goal.

Despite continuing to struggle, the Hatters wasted another great chance to break the deadlock on 64 minutes. Gray tangled with defender just inside the box and the ball ran nicely for Guttridge who could only drag an awful effort wide when he should have at the very least hit the target.

Hatch was withdrawn in place of Adam Boyes as heavy rain once again returned, only for the Town to make a hash of another break with Gray straying offside after good work from Guttridge, Howells and Benson.

Gray again lost track of the line as he forced a superb save from Adam Bartlett with his header from Guttridge’s cross, only to be flagged offside.

The misfiring Luton striker was promptly replaced by Cullen as the rain proceeded once again to lash down. So heavy did the rain become that the game threatened to turn into a lottery with the ball starting to hold up on the sodden surface.

Sub Carl Magnay found John Oster, but he could only fire over after beating Ronnie Henry, before Tyler was finally forced into his only save of the game in the second minute of injury time, doing well to hold on to Curtis’ header from Oster’s 92nd-minute corner as the game finished all square.

Tynesiders (4-3-3): Adam Bartlett, Jamie Chandler (Carl Magnay 75), James Curtis, Ben Clark (C), Colin Larkin, Phil Turnbull, Liam Hatch (Adam Boyes 67), Craig Baxter, Rob Ramshaw (James Brown 58), Lewis Sirrell, John Oster. Substitutes not used: Mick Cummins, Josh Walker.

Hatters (4-3-3): Mark Tyler, Jonathan Smith, Steve McNulty, Jake Howells (Alex Wall 84), Scott Griffiths, Andy Parry, Luke Guttridge, Ronnie Henry, Paul Benson, Andre Gray (Mark Cullen 71), Alex Lacey. Substitutes not used: Solomon Taiwo, Elliot Justham, James Stevenson.

Booked: Smith 20.

Referee: Ross Joyce (Billingham). Assistant Referees: Stuart Campbell (Middlesbrough) and Alan Marshall (Selby).

Fourth Official: Paul Brown (Newcastle upon Tyner).

Attendance: 1,080 (Luton 302).

Star Hatter: Steve McNulty. Tower of strength at the back all afternoon.

Whalley and Lawless absence leaves Still pondering what might have been

Town boss John Still believed had he been able to call upon the creative services of either Shaun Whalley and Alex Lawless, his side might have got more than just a point at Gateshead yesterday afternoon, writes Mike Simmonds.

Whalley, who has been starting to show signs of his pre-season potential missed out with a hamstring injury, while Lawless is yet to regain full fitness too after a series of niggles.

Still said: “Whalley is a blow as he’s just hit a bit of form.

“He hurt his hamstring a little bit in training, it’s not terrible, just a bit where probably next week he’ll be okay.

“It’s one of those things where if we try it and it doesn’t work he’ll be out for two or three weeks and I don’t want to do that.

“In the wide positions we didn’t have someone in the team who could go past someone on the outside.

“Shaun can do that, Alex Lawless can do that. Unfortunately those two people are in the same position, so that was a little bit disappointing as it was a day when you could have got it to someone to go past someone.

“Jake (Howells) is a different player, he plays out wide, but doesn’t go past people, he keeps the ball better. That little bit of width from Shaun or Alex might have been key for us, but it didn’t and it wasn’t and it isn’t and that’s it.”

Led superbly by Steve McNulty, Hatters’ defensive solidity was back once more, as goalkeeper Mark Tyler only had one save of note to make in the final minute.

That meant Town recorded successive clean sheets and their 10th in 18 games this season, with Still praising Scott Griffiths for his display too.

He added: “Scotty missed out last week, but I thought it was one of Scott Griffiths’ best performances, I really did.

“The back four looked solid, the midfield worked really hard, Paul Benson played the lone striker in difficult conditions.

“That’s two (clean sheets) on the trot away from home and I’m absolutely delighted for the players against a side that’s going very well themselves.”