Luton Town FC vs Cheltenham Town (31st Jan 2017)

PUBLISHED 23:03 31st January 2017 Hatters suffer deadline day defeat to Robins

LUTON TOWN 2 (Vassell 41, Davis OG 72)

CHELTENHAM TOWN 3 (Boyle 5, Barthram 28, Waters 60)

Att: 6,708 (83 away)

The Hatters missed out on the opportunity to close the gap on the automatic promotion places by slipping to a disappointing 3-2 home defeat by lowly Cheltenham Town tonight.

The visitors took an early lead through Will Boyle and then doubled it through Jack Barthram before the opening half-an-hour was up.

Isaac Vassell halved the deficit with his fifth goal of the season four minutes before half-time, but Cheltenham restored their two-goal advantage on the hour through substitute Billy Waters and despite a 72nd-minute own goal from Liam Davis, Nathan Jones' men could not claw their way back.

Jones made one change to his team from Saturday’s 2-0 win over Cambridge and it came with Stuart Moore making his debut in goal after being signed earlier on transfer deadline day on loan from Reading following Christian Walton’s recall by parent club Brighton.

The Town started brightly, and Moore’s first involvement was to back-pedal to tip over a huge clearance from opposite number Scott Brown that kicked up off the greasy surface, but from the resulting corner the visitors had the lead when Will Boyle capitalised on

The Hatters should have drawn level two minutes later when James Justin and Jordan Cook combined down the right for the latter to zip a low ball across the six-yard box, but Vassell didn’t make a clean connection and the chance went begging.

With nine minutes on the clock, Jonathan Smith almost latched onto a deep corner from Cook at full stretch, then the same players combined for Smith to get a free header that went straight back across the six-yard box.

It took until the 25th minute for the Town to have another crack at goal, and again it was Smith who burst onto a loose ball on the edge of the box, but his effort crashed into the advertising hoardings behind Brown’s right post.

Within seconds, a promising Town move down the left had been abruptly halted by a foul on Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu 20 yards out from the centre of the Cheltenham goal. Cook stepped up and bent a wicked effort that crashed against the underside of the Robins’ crossbar and bounced back out.

By the 28th minute Cheltenham were two goals to the good, when Carl Winchester played an incisive pass inside Jack Senior and Jack Barthram flashed a right-footed shot past Moore and into the far corner of the net.

After a spell regrouping, the Hatters worked the ball around well to enable Cook to create another chance in the 35th minute, this time for Gambin, but the recent signing from Barnet saw his low shot skid just wide of the far post.

The Town were back in business four minutes before half-time when Mpanzu played a lovely one-two with Jack Marriott to the right of the Cheltenham area, then slipped a short pass into Vassell’s path and the striker did the rest, sliding the ball through the onrushing Brown’s legs.

It remained 1-1 until the interval, when Jones made his first substitution, bringing Olly Lee on in midfield for Smith, who went off with a foot injury.

The second period took a whole to catch fire, Cheltenham registering the only shot of the opening ten minutes, but even that from Harry Pell flew well wide of the Town goal.

And after a decent spell of Town possession, it was the Robins who countered and grabbed a third goal with an attack led by Kyle Wootton and finished off neatly by half-time substitute Billy Waters.

Jones immediately withdrew Marriott and threw Lawson D’Ath into the fray, pushing the lively Cook up front alongside Vassell.

The Hatters reduced the deficit to one goal once more in the 72nd minute when, after good link play between Justin and Cook on the right, the latter was fouled on the right edge of the area. Lee struck a powerful low free-kick into the six-yard box that visiting striker Liam Davis turned into his own net.

As the game became stretched, Cheltenham had another two good chances – Manny Onarise heading over the bar from close range and Davis sending in a drive that was always on the rise.

At the other end, Justin delivered a dangerous cross to the near post on 85 minutes that Cook just failed to get on the end of, then – after a lengthy hold-up for treatment to Cheltenham’s Jordan Cranston – Vassell got on the end of a knock-down from Scott Cuthbert and appeared to be fouled by Barthram, but referee John Busby gave nothing.

In the final minute of six added on at the end of normal time, Cuthbert – by now playing as an auxiliary striker – won another header that landed back invitingly at his feet, but his curling effort was just too high and the chance of a point went begging.

TOWN: Moore, Justin, Cuthbert ©, Rea, Senior, Mpanzu, Smith (Lee 46), Gambin (Gray 70), Cook, Vassell, Marriott (D’Ath 61). Subs not used: O’Donnell, Banton, Sheehan, King (GK).

Yellows: Justin

CHELTENHAM: Brown, Barthram, Pell ©, Boyle, Cranston, Rowe, Onariase, O’Shaugnessy, Winchester (Waters 46), Wootton (Wright 72), Davis. Subs not used: Kitscha, Munns, Storer, Holman, De Girolamo.

Yellows: Wootton, Boyle

http://www.lutontown.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/luton-town-football-league-two-cheltenham-town-3547879.aspx

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RskKeDAqNDw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jqd8bmRq_A4

League Two: Luton Town 2 Cheltenham Town 3

Luton Town wasted a brilliant chance to claw points back on third placed Carlisle United with a wholly frustrating 3-2 defeat at home to struggling Cheltenham Town last night.

On an evening where Luton had expected to close the gap to just one point on the Cumbrians, and going into the game on the back of two successive league wins at Kenilworth Road, Town preceded to give a turgid display with the handbrake well and truly on for the most part, to the increasing annoyance of the home support.

Hatters had made one change to their side, handing an immediate debut to Reading keeper Stuart Moore, who will want to forget his first start in a Luton shirt.

He was called into action in the first moments, backpedalling to turn fellow custodian Scott Brown's booming clearance over the bar.

However, Moore was then beaten from the following corner, as he opted to needlessly punch clear and made a complete hash of his attempt, allowing Will Boyle to crash home from three yards.

Luton should have levelled 60 seconds later, Jordan Cook crossing low for Isaac Vassell but with the open goal gaping, he somehow, somehow managed to miss the target.

Jonathan Smith failed to convert a dangerous Cook corner, while he met another threatening Cook delivery, only to see his looping header nodded off the line by Jack Barthram.

With 24 minutes gone, Town came close again, Cuthbert sending a long ball forward, Vassell heading down and Smith half volleying narrowly wide.

Midway through the half, Cook was desperately unfortunate not to make it 1-1, his superb free kick beating Brown all ends up only to crash against the angle of post and bar.

Town's task became that much tougher, when out of nowhere, the Robins then scored again on 28 minutes, Carl Winchester's wonderful ball inside Jack Senior perfect for the overlapping Jack Barthram to beat Moore.

Stunned into silence, Hatters took a while to get going again, Luke Gambin's angled drive not too far away, but they were back in the game on 41 minutes, Vassell left unmarked to fire through the legs of Brown.

However, if Luton's supporters had expected their side to come out and turn things around had they done against the likes of Solihull Moors, they were in for a surprise, with the hosts producing an insipid second half display.

The Robins, realising they could break for another goal, did just that, as an incisive burst and more ponderous defending saw Kyle Wootton pick out half time sub Billy Waters, with Moore unable to stop a third on the hour mark.

To their credit, Luton wouldn't give up and made it 3-2 on 71 minutes, Olly Lee's drilled free kick deflected into his own net by Liam Davis.

Rather than a grandstand finish though, visiting keeper Brown had little or nothing to do, until Jones threw Scott Cuthbert upfront as a makeshift striker

He flicked on for Vassell, who was clearly fouled in the area, only for referee John Busby to dismiss the appeals, before side-footing Town's last chance over the bar.

To make matters worst, Hatters even dropped below a resurgent Exeter City, and failed to make ground on Plymouth, who lost at Yeovil, to complete a rotten evening all round.

Hatters: Stuart Moore, James Justin, Scott Cuthbert, Glen Rea, Jack Senior, Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu, Jonathan Smith (Olly Lee 46), Luke Gambin (Jake Gray 70), Jordan Cook, Isaac Vassell, Jack Marriott (Lawson D'Ath 61).

Subs not used: Craig King, Stephen O'Donnell, Zane Banton, Alan Sheehan.

Robins: Scott Brown, Jack Barthram, Harry Pell (C), Will Boyle, Jordan Cranston (Kyle Storer 88), James Rowe, Kyle Wootton (Danny Wright 73), Manny Onariase, Daniel O'Shaughnessy, Carl Winchester (Billy Waters 46), Liam Davis.

Subs not used: Jack Munns, Calum Kitscha, Dan Holman, Diego De Girolamo.

Attendance: 6708 (83 Robins).

Booked: Wootton 34, Justin 90.

Referee: John Busby.

Hatters MOM: Jordan Cook - tried manfully to find a way through for the hosts.

Luton Town 2 Cheltenham Town 3

THREE Cheltenham shots on target, three goals, one debut day goalkeeping howler, a hatful of missed chances and a stonewall penalty refused – that's what Luton promotion nightmares are made of.

This was the Hatters' game in hand on third-placed Carlisle, a chance to reduce that League Two deficit to one point, and they blew it against a Cheltenham side teetering above the drop zone on goal difference. Not any more.

Charitable Luton – who lost their outright standing as the division's most miserly defence – may have just handed the Robins a Football League lifeline, while their bid for an automatic passage to League One keeps on stuttering.

They slipped back into fifth place because a team with the ambitions of the Hatters simply can't fall 2-0 and then 3-1 behind at home to relegation fodder and expect success. They got what they deserved. Nothing.

And after a fabulous 2-0 win over Cambridge at the weekend it placed them back in a kind of limbo, taking one step back after a positive stride forward – a prime example of why anything but play-offs continues to look like a pipe dream.

There was just one home change from the Saturday with 22-year-old Reading loan keeper Stuart Moore sent straight into action hours after joining on an emergency loan to replace Christian Walton, who was recalled from his loan earlier in the day by parent club Brighton.

It was a debut that he will want to forget in a hurry and he could even find himself out of the side after one game because, after this defeat, the club announced the loan signing of young Arsenal stopper Matt Macey, also 22.

Five minutes in and Moore was first forced into a panicked tip over after Cheltenham counterpart Scott Brown's long goal kick boomed through to him, but from the corner he flapped at a high ball, punched air when the catch was on and Will Boyle stabbed in from point blank range.

Luton should have been quickly back on terms when Jordan Cook flashed the ball into the six-yard area to a waiting Vassell who fluffed his lines, seeing the ball zip through his legs with the goal at his mercy.

Jonathan Smith had three chances, the best of which was a narrowly wide volley, and after that there was more of a sense that this wasn't going to be Luton's night when Cook curled a stunning free-kick off the angle of post and bar.

The feeling was compounded when the visitors doubled their advantage before the half hour mark. Carl Winchester sliced open the Hatters' backline with a sublime pass that Jack Barthram rammed low beyond Moore, first time.

That was two shots, two goals for the visitors, while the hosts continued to carve out chances and shooting opportunities but miss the target.

But then, as half time loomed, Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu picked out Vassell who found himself one-on-one with Brown and fired through the goalie's legs for his second goal in two games to hand Luton a lifeline, fleeting though it was.

Luton huffed and puffed after the break and then, on the hour, got hit on the counter. A driving Liam Davis run – on his debut for the visitors – ended with substitute Billy Waters ramming beyond Moore. It was game over, even though the Cheltenham new boy then turned Olly Lee's cross into his own net.

But a grandstand finish was not forthcoming. It might have been had Luton not been denied a clear penalty when Vassell was smothered in the penalty area by Barthram and referee John Busby waved away the deafening Kenilworth Road claims for a spot-kick.

Then, deep into six minutes of time added the ball dropped to skipper Scott Cuthbert – who ended the game as a striker – but he blazed over like a true centre back.

It was a predictable ending for a nightmare night.

Luton: Moore, Smith (Lee, 45), Cuthbert, Cook, Marriott (D'Ath), Rea, Mpanzu, Vassell, Senior, Gambin (Gray, 70), Justin Unused subs: O'Donnell, Banton, King, Sheehan

Cheltenham: Brown, Barthram, Pell, Boyle, Cranston (Storer, 89), Rowe, Wootton (Wright, 72), Onariase, O'Shaunghnesy, Winchester (Waters, 45), Davis Unused subs: Munns, Kitscha, Holman, De Girolamo

Referee: John Busby

Attendance: 6,708 (83)