Luton Town FC vs Tamworth (8th Apr 2014)

Hatters within touching distance after routine home win

Town 2 McGeehan 49, Cullen 65 Tamworth 0

The Hatters took a massive step towards a return to the Football League after two second half goals gave them a comfortable victory over Tamworth.

After a goalless first half, that saw leading goalscorer Andre Gray limp off with injury, Cameron McGeehan broke the deadlock four minutes after half-time – his second goal in as many games – before the points were made safe when substitute Mark Cullen thundered home a second goal on 65 minutes to put the Town in touching distance of the title.

The Hatters could secure the championship without kicking a ball on Thursday should Cambridge lose at Woking. If that doesn’t happen, three points against Braintree will be enough for the Town to start celebrating.

As has become the norm in recent weeks, the Town found life difficult against a side battling for points at the other end of the table and Tamworth, all but relegated following this defeat, made the Hatters work hard to keep the goalless at the break.

Clear-cut chances were at a real premium. Luke Rooney volleyed over the bar on 14 minutes and it wasn’t until the 32nd minute for visiting goalkeeper Dale Belford to be tested properly when Gray nutmegged his man down the left, raced into the box and saw his low shot blocked by the keeper’s legs.

Opportunities were still thin on the ground as half-time approached but the Town were hit by an injury to Gray five minutes before the break when he raced onto a sublime touch by Paul Benson and went to ground in the penalty area, and moments later he was replaced by Cullen.

After 45 minutes of stalemate the Town began the second half brightly and Cullen saw a left-foot shot kept out by the outstretched arms of Belford 50 seconds after the restart, with Rooney’s follow-up also blocked.

But Tamworth weren’t so lucky three minutes later when the Town took the lead. A fine flowing move involving Steve McNulty and Cullen saw Jake Howells cross from the left and his low ball into the box was met by McGeehan and he tucked home underneath the body of Belford for his second goal in as many games.

McGeehan came close to doubling his and the Hatters’ tally on 64 minutes when his header destined for the top corner was caught by Belford, but the Town faithful didn’t have long to wait for a second goal when Cullen made it 2-0 a minute later. Substitute Alex Lawless raced through the middle of the park and, after waiting for the run of Cullen, he slipped the striker in on goal and he did the rest, thrashing an emphatic left-foot strike beyond Belford for his eighth goal of the season.

As the Hatters pursued a third goal, Howells thought he should have had a penalty on 72 minutes having fallen under a challenge after haring into the box but saw the referee wave away the appeals. Cullen then had a volley from a Howells corner held by Belford six minutes later.

The Town couldn’t find a third in four minutes of stoppage time but it mattered little: the Hatters had the points in the bag knowing that one more win will seal a return to the Football League.

It’s Braintree on Saturday…BE THERE!

TOWN: Tyler; Henry, Griffiths, McNulty, Franks; McGeehan, Robinson, Rooney (sub Lawless 63); Howells, Gray (sub Cullen 41), Benson (sub Shaw 82). Subs not used: Ruddock, Justham.

Attendance: 8,554, including 13 from Tamworth.

http://www.lutontown.co.uk/news/article/gallery-tamworth-1476415.aspx

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQbgTXPF3zQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMNPAMHp-2M

https://www.flickr.com/photos/liam2010/sets/72157643697787125/

Football: Luton Town 2 Tamworth 0 - Hatters could clinch title on Thursday as Lambs win moves them to the brink of glory

Written by TOM SHARP

LUTON TOWN 2 TAMWORTH 0

Defeat for Cambridge at Woking on Thursday will see Luton Town clinch the Skrill Premier title after two second-half goals from Cameron McGeehan and Mark Cullen saw the Hatters defeat Tamworth 2-0 at Kenilworth Road this evening.

Once more it was far from polished for Town but enough to see them pile the pressure on the U’s and condemn their visitors to relegation.

An injury to Andre Gray was as much as the first half could muster as Luton laboured in at the break goalless.

Revitalised at half time, McGeehan forced home his second in as many matches despite a hint of handball.

Just after the hour, Gray’s replacement Cullen lashed in left-footed to confirm the win and seal the Lambs’ fate.

Perhaps Tamworth would have been better off staying delayed on the M1 with Dale Belford’s side turning up at Kenilworth Road just twenty minutes before kick-off.

Not the ideal preparation for this crucial clash.

In contrast, Town had the luxury of making two changes to Saturday’s line-up as Matt Robinson and Jake Howells came in for Pelly Ruddock-Mpanzu and Alex Lawless.

Considering 8000 fans were crammed inside Kenilworth Road, a hushed anxiety spread over the ground as the match began.

The thought of this potentially being Town’s defining night seemed too much for most.

Not until the fifteenth minute did the crowd awake from their stupor with Luke Rooney’s 20-yard blast flying agonisingly over the bar.

As the minutes wore on, the game had all the hallmarks of Saturday’s excruciating 1-0 Aldershot victory.

Try as they might, the hosts just could not find any sort of rhythm. A combination of mis-placed passing and whistle-happy refereeing left the game stuttering towards half-time.

Tamworth centre-back Ben Richards-Everton looked to have the measure of his former Hinckley United colleague, Gray.

That was until the 27-goal striker spun his old pal on the by-line and unleashed a decent effort at Cameron Belford.

Moments later, following a clumsy challenge by Jordan Keane, Gray moped off the field dejectedly in discomfort.

With Town crying out for a goal, their main goal-scoring threat would not be the one to unlock the untroubled Lambs.

A half-time orange and several pints lifted both team and crowd alike.

Replacement Cullen almost immediately put the Hatters’ nerves at ease but his shot was superbly tipped away by Belford, with the rebound evading Paul Benson.

Then, just like before, Luton seemed to be handed a huge slice of luck.

Saturday’s match-winner McGeehan scrambled the ball beyond the desperate Belford to poke home in the 49th minute.

The enraged Lambs keeper raced out of his goal to claim handball but referee Wigglesworth saw nothing untoward.

McGeehan’s second in two games looked a fatal blow to Tamworth’s survival hopes as news filtered through of Hereford’s opening goal at Welling.

The visitors had put on a brave showing but when Cullen’s 65th-minute effort flew in, the 13 travelling fans could only hope the Wings could equalise. Sadly for them, they did not. For Luton it was all about laying down a marker for Cambridge.

Town could have had more goals by the end but they did not need them. The two was enough,

Howells was denied a late penalty and Cullen was adjudged offside as he raced in on goal. Tamworth did not deserve a hiding and in the end two was satisfying.

All eyes on Woking on Thursday to see if Scott Rendell and the Cards can finally end Luton’s five-year wait for a Football League return.

Luton – Tyler; Henry (capt), McNulty, Franks, Griffiths; Rooney (Lawless, 63), McGeehan, Robinson, Howells; Gray (Cullen 41), Benson (Shaw, 82). Subs not used – Justham, Ruddock-Mpanzu.

Tamworth – Belford; Evans, Richards-Everton, Keane, Caprice; Morgan, Mahon (capt), Baker, Thornton; Chadwick (Richards, 65), Godden. Subs not used – Reindorf, Kerry, Peniket, Woolery.

Attendance – 8554 (13).