Luton Town FC vs Hartlepool United (18th Apr 2015)

Match report: Luton Town 3-0 Hartlepool United

The Hatters ended a run of four successive home defeats by easing past struggling Hartlepool to breathe new life in to their Play-Off hopes.

Cameron McGeehan’s header and Jake Howells’ penalty had the Town two goals up inside 15 minutes and, although the visitors rallied in the second half, the Hatters secured three important points when Scott Griffiths poked home with 20 minutes to go.

It was the Town’s first home win since beating Accrington on 28th February and with Plymouth losing 2-0 at Carlisle, the Hatters are now level on points with the final Play-Off place with two games to go.

Showing three changes from the side that drew 0-0 at Dagenham & Redbridge on Tuesday – Howells, Shaun Whalley and Mark Cullen all starting – the Town started well and led inside five minutes.

Howells’ right-wing corner was swung high to McGeehan and his header eluded a crowd of players in the box to cross the line in slow-motion.

With the Town boosted by an early goal, 10 minutes later the lead was doubled. Whalley ran directly at the visitors defence and as he broke into the box to weave between two defenders, he went down and referee Sutton pointed to the spot. Howells, on his 24th birthday, stepped up to roll home the Town’s first successful penalty of the season in League 2 [the Hatters’ three previously penalties had all been converted on the rebound].

2-0 to the good, the Hatters went in search of more goals. On 18 minutes Cullen raced on to Howells’ searching pass only to be denied by sprawling Hartlepool keeper Scott Flinders, and two minutes later, the Town were denied a certain third goal when Whalley’s shot from 12 yards was hacked off the line by Nicky Featherstone.

But the chances kept on coming, and on 20 minutes the ball was in the net again when Cullen tapped home from close range after Elliot Lee’s shot was parried by Flinders – only for the Town’s top scorer to be denied by the offside flag of the linesman.

Hartlepool, in desperate need for the points in their quest to avoid relegation, almost pulled a goal back on 23 minutes when Marlon Harewood’s off-target free-kick bounced off Michael Harriman but Elliot Justham was in the right place to keep the ball out.

Back came the Town after that close shave and Cullen, chasing a lost cause down the left, almost embarrassed Flinders when his cross to the keep the ball in play was fumbled by the visiting stopper.

Flinders then made fine stop to deny Lee from making it three on 27 minutes when the on-loan forward muscled his way into the box following Cullen’s flick.

It was chance-a-minute stuff and Pools should have tested Justham 60 seconds later when Neil Austin headed wide of the target when meeting a left-wing cross unchallenged in the box from close range.

As half-time approached the Town upped the ante again though, with Lee and Cullen combining on 40 minutes only for Cullen to fluff an attempted back-heel six yards out after Lee’s run down the right.

Three minutes after the break Lee then should have done better when racing clear of the Hartlepool defence but failed to square to three team-mates unmarked in the penalty area. And that let off gave the visitors hope.

However Pools never seriously tested Justham with their few of half-chances, with Jordan Hugill rifling a shot straight at Justham their best effort.

Hartlepool were enjoying more of the ball but their inability to make their dominance count was punished by the Hatters with 19 minutes left on the clock. The visitors failed to clear Howells’ right-wing corner and Griffiths pounced on the loose by nipping in to slide home his second goal of the season.

And that was pretty much that as the final 20 minutes saw the Hatters contain the visitors with John Still introducing Ryan Hall, Luke Guttridge and Ricky Miller from the substitutes’ bench in the final quarter-of-an-hour.

No final chances came in the closing stages and the Town comfortably held on to what might be three vital points come the season’s end.

With just two games to go it’s all to play for. See you at Southend next Saturday! BE THERE!

Town: Justham; Harriman, Griffiths, McNulty, Wilkinson; McGeehan, Smith, Whalley (sub Hall 75), Howells (sub Guttridge 82); Cullen, Lee (sub Miller 87).

Subs not used: Lacey, Wall, Kinsella, King.

Attendance: 8,231, including 277 from Hartlepool.

http://www.lutontown.co.uk/news/article/gallery-luton-3-0-hartlepool-2409684.aspx

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhdvPa5GRjg

League Two: Luton Town 3 Hartlepool 0

Luton Town breathed life into their play-off hopes with a comfortable 3-0 victory over relegation-threatened Hartlepool this afternoon, ending a run of four straight home defeats.

Goals from Cameron McGeehan, Jake Howells’ penalty and Scott Griffiths were enough for the Hatters to draw level on points with seventh-placed Plymouth Argyle after they were beaten 2-0 at Carlisle United.

It had looked like Luton would claw back three points on Stevenage in sixth too, but a late goal for Graham Westley’s side saw them draw 2-2 at 10-man Accrington and keep the gap at four with two games to go.

Town were forced into two changes before kick off as Paul Benson (suspension) and Nathan Doyle (calf) missed out, while Ryan Hall also dropped to the bench as Howells, Shaun Whalley and top scorer Mark Cullen came back in.

The struggling visitors, who are now just a point outside the drop zone themselves, had the first attempt of sorts as Jonathan Franks tested Elliot Justham from long range.

However, Luton were ahead in the fifth minute when from a flurry of corners, McGeehan stood his ground well to direct a header through a crowd and beyond Scott Flinders.

Town then had a second on 15 minutes when Whalley brilliantly manoeuvred some space in the area and he tumbled underneath an ill-advised challenge.

Although it appeared a soft decision, there was a sense of justice, especially with some of the stonewall spot kicks Luton haven’t been awarded this season.

Finally there was no need for a rebound either as Howells stepped up to confidently find the bottom corner to celebrate a birthday goal and convert his side’s first spot kick in the league this term.

Hatters were now running amok as Cullen was sent clean through only to be denied by a crucial intervention from the soon to become over-worked Flinders.

Lee set off on a mazy individual run and somehow managed to send over a cross that Howells teed up Whalley with, whose his close range blast was wonderfully cleared off the line by Nicky Featherstone.

Town thought they had a third when Lee’s curler was palmed straight out by Flinders for Cullen to tap home, but the striker was adjudged offside.

The visitors had offered nothing going forward in the early stages, although came close when Marlon Harewood’s shanked free kick deflected off Michael Harriman as Justham impressively changed direction quickly to save.

Back came Town though, with Cullen flicking on for Lee and Flinders made a breath-taking stop low down to keep it at 2-0.

Neil Austin should have done much better with a header when left unmarked, while Whalley’s inventive outside of the boot attempt was straight at Flinders.

The tempo then slowed slightly with news of Plymouth falling behind, before Luton sprang into life once more as Lee escaped his marker to race away on the wing and his cross picked out Cullen whose cheeky backheel didn’t come off.

Howells then sent over an excellent free kick that glanced off Wilkinson’s head and behind when he might have done better as Luton could and should have gone into the break with a far healthier advantage.

After the interval and mindful of the fact they had lost a 2-0 lead against Exeter from an identical position recently, Still’s side started the second period looking for a third and might have had it but Lee rather selfishly opted to go alone with Cullen and Whalley screaming for a pass.

Hartlepool weren’t completely out of the contest as Franks’ drive was deflected behind and then Justham fielded Jordan Hugill’s effort.

The visitors then had their best spell of pressure as Town once again dropped off with nerves starting to creep in on the pitch and in the stands.

However, Pools couldn’t ever capitalise on their improved territory and possession with Justham’s clean sheet never seriously under threat.

Luton then had the victory sewed up on 75 minutes when from another set-piece, they burst Hartlepool’s resistance, with Griffiths managing to find the net after an almighty scramble in the box.

Hatters could have had a another only for sub Ryan Hall to curl horribly over the top, but 3-0 was enough to ensure their top seven hopes remained alive and kicking for another week.

Hatters: Elliot Justham, Michael Harriman, Scott Griffiths, Steve McNulty (C), Luke Wilkinson, Shaun Whalley (Ryan Hall 74), Jonathan Smith, Cameron McGeehan, Jake Howells (Luke Guttridge 82), Mark Cullen, Elliot Lee (Ricky Miller 87).

Subs not used: Alex Lacey, Craig King, Lewis Kinsella, Alex Wall.

Pools: Scott Flinders (C), Neil Austin, Jonathan Franks, Marlon Harewood, Nicky Featherstone, Scott Fenwick (Jordan Jones 64), Dan Jones, Michael Duckworth, Jordan Hugill (Ebby Nelson-Addy 77), Scott Harrison, Aaron Tishibila.

Subs not used: Matthew Bates, Brad Walker, Stuart Parnaby, Jon Maxted, Jordan Richards.

Referee: Gary Sutton

Booked: Austin 43, Featherstone 89.

Attendance: 8,231 (277 Pools).

Hatters MOM: Jake Howells. Midfielder had two assists and a goal to cap a fine birthday.

Hatters assistant boss Terry Harris praised his side’s first half display as they eased past struggling Hartlepool 3-0 at Kenilworth Road yesterday.

The hosts had lost their last four matches on home soil, but once Cameron McGeehan and Jake Howells’ penalty saw them lead 2-0 after 15 minutes, there was little chance of a repeat.

Hatters also drew level on points with seventh-placed Plymouth who lost 2-0 at Carlisle, as Harris said: “It was a good day all round. We knew it was a must-win game for us and with so much at stake, the first half was absolutely different class, it was excellent.

“We started with a tempo, we got an early goal from a restart and could have had some more, so a good first 45.

“The second half I thought we took our foot off the gas a little bit, but then we got back into it and it was an excellent 90 minutes.”

It had looked like Luton were capable of running up a much higher margin of victory after creating a plethora of chances before the interval, but they only had Scott Griffiths’ second half strike to add to their tally.

Harris continued: “You get three points whether you get one or six goals but it would have been nice to score more goals and maybe we could have done, although I’d have taken 3-0 at 3 o’clock.

“Second half I felt we dropped a little bit deeper and it really was windy. but we didn’t really get hold of the ball upfront when it went up there.

“We got the third goal though and it took the pressure off and killed it. We keep saying about restarts, corners, free kicks, how important they are, and we’ve score three goals from restarts.”

Hatters now travel to Southend next weekend knowing a victory at Roots Hall could see them leapfrog Argyle, who host basement side Tranmere Rovers.

Harris added: “We knew we needed to get a win to take it on to next Saturday regardless of how the results went elsewhere in the country.

“It takes it on to next Saturday now which is a great game, a good game to look forward to anyway and hopefully we’ll take many supporters down there as well.

“We’ve said to the players for a while, it’s possible, we can do this, please believe what we say, so it augers well for the end of the season.”