2014/15 Prediction League - Game 33 v Luton Town (away)

Div3North · 26-02-2015, 22:45

Luton Town

V

Accrington Stanley

2014/15 Prediction League; Game 33 v Luton (away)

Saturday sees the start of a “North West Triangle” for the Hatters, since they play us, then Bury away, then Morecambe at home …what odds they lose all three?

They were founded in 1885 by a merger between Luton Town Wanderers

and Excelsior

(which sounds for all the world like a Pub team

); they started paying some players in 1890, and went fully-pro in 1891 – the first team in the South of England to do so. They joined the Football League in 1897/8, but left again (financial reasons – wages, plus travel to other sides, most of whom were ‘Oop North’

) in 1900. In 1905 they moved to Kenilworth Road, and in 1920 they rejoined the League (in the new Division 3), finishing 9th with 44 points from 42 games (losing only once at home, but winning only twice away); they then split off into Div3South for the next season, finishing 4th (52 from 42; if it had been 3 pts for a win, they’d have had 74 and come 3rd); best result that year was a 7-0 thrashing of Gillingham (who else do I know who put 7 past Gillingham?

– and I was there!

). They did ups and down, went from First to Fourth Division and back, made the FA Cup Final in 1959, won the League Cup in 1988, beating Arsenal 3-2

(one from Danny Wilson and two from Brian Stein, including the last-kick winner, in front of 95,000+ people), got into financial trouble, got points deductions for England

, including the savage 30-pointer that sent them out of the League

, made the play-offs three times, and eventually came back up as Conference Champions with three games to spare in 2014 ………….. And well done them!

Famous ex-players include the likes of Bruce Rioch, Billy Bingham, Malcolm MacDonald (5 against Cyprus for England, I seem to recall), Joe Payne (who played for them from 1934-38, scored 83 goals in 72 League games, and still holds the individual League scoring record with 10 in the 12-0 thumping of Brizzle Rovers in April 1936), ex Man U winger John Aston (Jnr), and Yugoslav Raddy Antic, who got the 1982/3 last minute winner at Maine Road which kept them up

, sent City down

, and led to the Famous David Pleat Dance

(a “Jig of Joy”, apparently), which wouldn’t win Britain’s Got Talent but gets more air-time than they do …….Brizzle, by the way, have just overhauled Barnet at the head of the Conference

(although Barnet have a game in hand), but have lost four of their last six

), and David Pleat’s old desk from when he managed Luton has just been sold on ebay, it’s reported, and realised £521; amazing what flat-pack furniture’s making these days

……… As well as Pleat, other famous ex managers include former Charlton GK Sam Bartram (579 games between 1934 and 1956 for the Addicks, and sometimes called “the best GK never to play for England”, since he was behind Frank Swift and Ted Ditchburn in the National side’s batting order) and Alec Stock, ex Boss of QPR, Fulham, Bournemouth and AS Roma (1957/8)

We seem never to have been in the same division prior to 1962, which is strange

, so our only recorded previous games I can find are in 2008/9 – the season they spent in League Two on their way out of the FL, when we drew 0-0 at home, and won 2-1 away; in August last we played them at the ScoreFirst, and did

– two up in 16 (James Gray – whatever happened to him?

– and Luke Joyce), only to concede two before HT, and to finish with one point from a Desmond

. P3 W1 D2 L0; bragging rights to us, I think ……..

They recently signed ex MK Dons and Rotherham 27-year old MF Ryan Hall (I've just been watching his brother Wolf on the TV

), and they've brought in Elliott Lee (S, 20) from the Hammers – son of Rob Lee

(West Ham, Newcastle), plus Bournemouth’s ex Accie loanee Jayden Stockley

and 18 year-old Spurs forward Nathan Oduwa ………..

They left the Carling at the first hurdle (1-2 at home to Swindon), and the PaintyThingy at the same stage (0-1 at home to Crawley); in the FA Cup they did Newport 4-2 and Bury 1-0, and then didn’t do Cambridge (1-2 away) …….as far as the League is concerned, their record is P32 W15 D10 L7 GF 39 GA 27, for 55 points and fourth place, one point above Southend and three above Plymouth and Bury; their home League record is P16 W10 D4 L2

(1-0 to the Wombles, and the same against Plymouth, both in their first three home games of the season); they won their next eight times at home, only conceding one goal (against the Daggers) in the process

(1 goal in 12 hours of footie – what wouldn’t we give for that!

); in fact 9 of the visitors to Kenilworth Road in the League this season have left again without troubling the scorers

…………… That said, their last ten games have resulted in just 3 wins (Carlisle 1-0, Cambridge 3-2 and Plymouth 1-0 away), five draws, and two defeats – which, happily, have been their last two games

(Mansfield 1-0 away, and the Wombles 3-2, also away). Their 14 points from those 10 games is the worst of any of the automatic or playoff sides (Burton 21, Shrewsbury and Bury 18, Wycombe and Southend 16 and Plymouth 15), and is mid-table mediocrity at best

….and long may it remain!

39 scored in the League, and 7 more in the Cups; 46 goals in 37 games. Leading scorer is ex Hull striker Mark Cullen with 12; their problem is that he’s apparently told John Still that he wants to leave

, so he’s not in the team much

; next best are MF Luke Rooney (5), and defenders Jake Howells and Luke Wilkinson, each with 4 …………..

Unbeaten against them; on a roll, where they’re on a slide; we’ve just beaten the teams lying fourth and first

, whereas they’ve lost two in a row and are averaging 1.4 points per game; and their main goalscorer’s toys are lying on the floor next to the pram ……..all sounds pretty fair, really!

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm on Saturday 28th February; I have it on the grapevine that if we don’t win this, Wynonie will eat his own hat

……..only just not in the UK

Good luck to everyone

……… Keep the Faith!

………. And thanks for playing!