PREVIEW | Exiles looking to make it three wins in a week when they travel to Luton

29 September 2017

A trip to Kenilworth Road to face Luton Town will be next on the Exiles’ agenda as they look to make it three wins in a week away in Bedfordshire. The Hatters will be looking to build on their 4th place finish last time out, which saw them suffer defeat to Blackpool in the play-off semi-finals thanks to a stoppage time header from the Tangerines. They sit a place below that at the moment, having made a steady start to the current campaign.

Here, you can find all the facts and statistics ahead of this League 2 encounter.

Last six league games

The Hatters slipped out of the automatic promotion places following their 0-0 draw at Morecambe on Tuesday.

The clean-sheet means they have kept their opponents to a shutout in 50% of their league games and head into our match with an unbeaten run of four games.

Their last game at home saw a victory, Danny Hylton striking the solitary goal in the 1-0 win over Chesterfield. They grabbed victory from the jaws of defeat at Wycombe, scoring twice in added-time to secure a 2-1 victory. Scott Cuthbert and James Collins got those goals, after Hylton had missed a penalty in the second-half.

A 2-0 home win over Port Vale started the unbeaten run, Jack Stacey scoring his first of the season alongside an own-goal.

But before that run, Swindon blitzed the Hatters at Kenilworth Road, with a comprehensive 3-0 away victory.

A 0-0 draw at Lincoln six games ago means they have picked up 11 points out of 18, as they sit in 5^th place ahead of County’s visit to Kenilworth Road.

Team News

The Hatters have a host of concerns for our encounter, starting with midfielder Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu who is suspended.

Andrew Shinnie will miss the game with the ankle injury sustained last week, while Elliott Lee, Johnny Mullins and Alan McCormack will all face late fitness tests.

At Morecambe on Tuesday, Harry Cornick made his first start for the Hatters, and is expected to continue in his starting berth following an impressive display.

That was one of two changes made by Nathan Jones, as they used a 4-2-3-1 formation for the first time this season.

Team vs Morecambe:

Luton Town (4-2-3-1): Stech, Stacey, Cuthbert (C), Sheehan, Potts, Rea, O Lee, Gambin, Cornick (Cook 81), Hylton, Collins (Jarvis 87).

One to watch – James Collins

Age: 26

Position: Striker

Goals this season: 6

Selected previous clubs: Shrewsbury Town, Swindon Town, Hibernian, Crawley Town

Collins started the season with a real bang, getting a hat-trick on the opening day in Luton’s 8-2 win over Yeovil Town.

He has followed that up with strikes at Mansfield, Colchester and Wycombe as the summer addition has settled in well to life in Bedfordshire along fellow attacker Danny Hylton.

His spell at Kenilworth Road comes after a successful spell in the EFL. His youth career started at Aston Villa, although never made a competitive appearance at the club, as his career really started at Shrewsbury Town.

The striker has had two spells with the Shrews, scoring 24 goals both times, with spells at Swindon and Hibernian coming in-between of his time with the New Meadow outfit.

Last season, Collins scored 22 goals for Crawley Town, including one against County, prompting the Hatters to swoop to sign him over the summer.

He has scored a total of 115 professional goals at club level, and has represented the Republic of Ireland in both the U19’s and U21’s squads.

Manager – Nathan Jones

Jones has been in the dugout at Kenilworth Road since 6^th January 2016.

It is his first permanent managerial position, having been a caretaker manager at Brighton for two games, winning one and drawing one before Chris Hughton’s appointment at the AMEX.

The meeting with County will be his 94^th game in charge, having won 44 of the previous 93 at a win percentage of 47.3%.

That means he has managed against County on three occasions, and is currently unbeaten against the Exiles, with two draws and one victory.

Prior to becoming a manager, Jones had a successful playing career that really kick-started with his move to Southend United in 1997. He made just under 100 appearances with the Essex club during a three-year stint, before moving to Brighton.

Over 150 appearances came with the now Premiership club, before making another 150 appearances for Yeovil Town.

A few coaching jobs came at his previous clubs, before taking his first professional managerial post at Luton.

Stadium – Kenilworth Road

Kenilworth Road has been home to Luton Town since being built in 1905.

The current capacity of the stadium is 10,356, with away fans housed in the Oak Road Stand behind one of the goals. The capacity of that stand is 1,500 with away fans allocated around half of that number.

Last season, 115 Exiles fans made the trip to Bedfordshire, while away followings of 123 and 423 went along while County were in the Conference.

Previous meetings

The two sides have met on an incredible 53 previous occasions. The Hatters have the superior record on current standings – with 25 victories compared to County’s 13, with a further 15 draws.

However, the most unfortunate record for County is that they have never beaten the Hatters away from home, having travelled to Luton on 27 previous occasions.

The first ever match between both clubs came way back on 3^rd April 1921, in a 2-2 draw at Luton.

County’s first win over the Hatters came the following week, while Luton secured their first victory over County later that same year.

However, having played each other six times in the Conference, the two clubs have only met on six occasions in League 2 following their respective promotions.

The 2014/15 season also contained an FA Cup first-round meeting. Goals from Yan Klukowski and Aaron O’Connor weren’t enough for the Exiles to progress, however, as the Hatters won 4-2 at home.

They followed that up with another home victory, this time 3-0 a month later, before County made up for the defeats with a victory of their own. O’Connor scored against his former club again, as the Exiles attempted a late march to the play-off places, albeit unsuccessfully in the end.

In 2015/16, a hat-trick from Swansea loanee Oli McBurnie gave County a 3-0 success at Rodney Parade, the first home win of the season for the Exiles. A 1-1 draw later in the season saw County go three unbeaten against Luton.

But that run came to an end in the first meeting of last season, as the Hatters won 2-1 thanks to a 96^th minute penalty from Cameron McGeehan. A Sean Rigg free-kick ensured the points were shared at Rodney Parade, the 1-1 draw securing Mike Flynn’s first point at home after taking charge.

Officials

Referee: Mark Heywood

Assistant Referee 1: Grant Taylor

Assistant Referee 2: Stephen Brown

Fourth Official: Carl Fitch-Jackson

Heywood is currently in his 7^th season as a Football League referee, having refereed in the National League prior to his promotion.

This season, he has officiated eight games, of which the last was on Tuesday night as Blackburn beat Rotherham 2-0. Heywood distributed seven yellow cards during that game, taking his tally for the season to 33 yellow cards and 1 red card.

County Connection

Heywood has refereed County on nine previous occasions.

The first game came when County were in the Conference. The Exiles lost 3-2 in that game, to Kidderminster Harries, as Jamille Matt scored a hat-trick at Aggborough.

It took until the 2013/14 season for Heywood to referee another County game. However, the Exiles lost both games that season. First, they suffered a 3-1 defeat to Northampton which yielded no bookings, before Deji Oshilaja was booked in the 4-2 FA Cup defeat to Kidderminster.

The following season, it took until the final day for Heywood to officiate County. Interestingly, that game saw Mike Flynn sent off, as County lost 1-0 to Oxford United at Rodney Parade.

Then, in 2015/16, Heywood officiated another two County games. No bookings were given in the 0-0 draw with Yeovil, while Andrew Hughes and Dean Morgan were given yellow cards in the 1-1 draw at Exeter.

Finally, last season saw another three Exiles games officiated by Heywood, the first coming at Blackpool as County received four bookings in the 4-1 defeat.

Next up was Cambridge, with Mitch Rose sent off in added time for the Exiles. Mickey Demetriou and Ryan Bird were also booked in the 3-2 defeat.

Mark O’Brien, Tom Owen-Evans and Sean Rigg were all booked in the last game overseen by Heywood, although County finally secured a victory under his command, with a 1-0 win over Accrington Stanley.

Kit

Saturday's match will be the first time the Exiles take to the pitch in their Red and White Away kit. Read more about the kit choice this Saturday here.

Tickets

Saturday's match vs Luton Town is an all-ticket game! There will be no opportunities to purchase tickets after 3pm Friday and you will not be able to buy tickets on the gate. The Club strongly advises that supporters do not travel without a ticket. Find out more here.

GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY

Other League 2 fixtures that day (All 3pm kick-offs unless stated)

Grimsby Town vs Lincoln City (1pm kick-off)

Mansfield Town vs Notts County

Chesterfield vs Cheltenham Town

Coventry City vs Crewe Alexandra

Crawley Town vs Carlisle United

Exeter City vs Morecambe

Forest Green Rovers vs Accrington Stanley

Stevenage vs Port Vale

Swindon Town vs Cambridge United

Wycombe Wanderers vs Barnet

Yeovil Town vs Colchester United

Can’t make the match?

You can follow along on social media using @NCAFCLive on Twitter, or via the Club’s official Facebook and Instagram pages.

Don’t forget – if you reside outside of the UK, you can watch the game live by subscribing to County’s iFollow service. Commentary by Tim Thraves can also be found at the Match Centre.

Match Reports

REPORT| Spirited Exiles suffer defeat at Luton Town

30 September 2017

A spirited second-half display from the Exiles couldn’t prevent them from suffering defeat at Kenilworth Road, as they went down 3-1 at Luton Town.

And the home side grabbed all their goals in a frantic first-half.

First, Alan Sheehan’s 35-yard free-kick found a way through a crowded area to creep into the far post on 12 minutes, before Danny Hylton doubled the advantage ten minutes later with a backheeled finish.

The Luton frontman grabbed his second on 36 minutes, to take his tally for the season up to three, as he chipped a clever penalty down the middle as the Hatters really took control of the game.

But a spirited display looked like it may get something for the Exiles, Joss Labadie reducing the arrears on 55 minutes with a calm finish through the legs of the goalkeeper to get them back in the game.

The Exiles fought really hard to further danger the Luton lead, Mike Flynn throwing on several strikers towards the end of the game, but Luton resisted the attacks to condemn County to a third defeat of the league season.

Mike Flynn elected to name an unchanged team for the third game in succession after positive victories over Grimsby Town and Crawley Town this past week.

That meant the Exiles again set up in a 4-4-2 formation, with the added options of being able to change the system throughout the game should they deem fit.

Flynn’s decision to stick to the same team saw Robbie Willmott and Mark O’Brien face their former employer.

Willmott spent the end of the 2010/11 and 2011/12 seasons with the Hatters, scoring 15 goals in the process from 67 appearances in all competitions.

O’Brien meanwhile made nine appearances at Kenilworth Road in 2015/16 before moving to the Exiles from the Hatters in January 2017.

Luton Town manager Nathan Jones also named an unchanged starting team at Kenilworth Road.

That saw them stick to the 4-1-3-2 system chosen last time out, with Danny Hylton and James Collins leading the line up-front.

And Hylton was the target for the first Luton attack in the opening 60 seconds, but Joe Day confidently read the cross from Jack Stacey to collect.

County fans only had to wait a further 30 seconds to see their first opportunity of the afternoon, as Ben Tozer had a shot blocked wide. The resulting corner came to nothing as home goalkeeper Marek Stech gathered assuredly.

The first real save of the afternoon came on six minutes. And it was very much an instinctive one from Day that prevented Collins from having the simple task of heading home.

Hylton’s delivery looked destined for the head of the striker, only for Day to sense the danger and block the cross which potentially could have snuck in at the far-post without a touch.

That was all for the first ten minutes of entertainment in Bedfordshire, both sides looking assured, the midfields of the two teams controlling the tempo early-on.

But on 12 minutes, Luton took the lead from a 35-yard free-kick. Alan Sheehan took it, with the defender claiming the ball went straight in to Day’s far-post, although it may have taken a nick off Mickey Demetriou’s head before going in.

That goal seemed to really spark Luton into action, with the home side putting together some intricate passing plays, and they nearly extended the lead four minutes later.

After being found in the centre, Harry Cornick turned his man and unleashed a low shot that forced Day into a magnificent finger-tip save to stop it nestling in the bottom corner.

The writing was on the wall for County and the Hatters didn’t need another opportunity to make it two.

After Demetriou had uncharacteristically slipped in the area, Collins made his way to the by-line with ease and unselfishly played it across for Hylton to backheel home on 22 minutes.

Labadie came inches away from connecting to a Demetriou header in what could have halved the deficit just three minutes later, as the Exiles were being found guilty of losing possession in the midfield too cheaply.

As the game approached the half-hour mark, it would be a fair reflection to say that Frank Nouble was providing the greatest resistance for the Exiles.

The front-man was at his menacing best down the left-side, causing havoc to Scott Cuthbert and Jack Stacey, although couldn’t find the right ball to get County back in the game.

But just as the Exiles and in particular Nouble were starting to gather a foothold in the game, the referee pointed to the spot at the other end after Tozer was adjudged to have felled Glen Rea in the area on 36 minutes.

Danny Hylton coolly dispatched the penalty down the middle to treble the lead, as Luton made sure that the Exiles glimmer of hope was truly extinguished.

In the ensuing moments after the spot-kick was given, it appeared that County assistant manager Wayne Hatswell was aggrieved at the decision, and was promptly sent back to the dressing room by referee Mark Heywood for his protests.

And it wasn’t long after that incident that Heywood was distributing the first yellow card of the afternoon, Ben White the offender, for a late challenge on Harry Cornick.

The Hatters may have even made it four with two minutes of the first-half remaining, as Jack Stacey rattled the post with a thunderous drive, before Rea headed just wide from a corner.

Collins headed just over as two minutes additional time was indicated, as Luton really were tormenting the Exiles in the first-half.

Hylton flashed a shot wide right at the end as the referee blew the whistle for half-time.

Nouble and Tozer were looking particularly sharp in the first-half for County, Tozer winning a lot of headers in the middle-of-the-park, but the Exiles were struggling against a ruthless Luton attack.

Collins was booked for diving in the 49^th minute as the home side looked to continue where they left off, the striker curling over moments later when found in space outside the area.

Nouble had started brightly again for the Exiles, and had a major part to play in County getting one back.

An inviting delivery from Willmott was flicked on by Nouble into Labadie’s path, with the Exiles captain rifling a strike through Stech’s legs to give the side some hope on 55 minutes.

And the Exiles could have further reduced the lead just 60 seconds later, only to see Demetriou’s shot clip the post on the way out, as you could really sense that the momentum was changing inside Kenilworth Road.

Luton could have got another on the break as the game ticked past the hour-mark, County lucky to see White had retreated to block Gambin’s shot as the Exiles poured forward up-front.

Mark O’Brien was booked on 68 minutes for stopping a counter attack, mere moments after Dan Potts was also cautioned by Heywood for a handball.

And shortly after, the Exiles again came close to getting another. After three shots were blocked by the Hatters, the ball eventually found its way to Robbie Willmott, only for Cuthbert to get something in the way of it.

Remarkably, it took until the 72^nd minute to see either manager make a change, with both managers making one at the same time.

Lamar Reynolds replaced Willmott for County, while Jordan Cook came on for Gambin.

Hylton came inches away from a hat-trick just after, his shot saved well by the legs of Day, as Luton wanted a penalty for a potential handball in the build-up from White.

Joe Quigley came on for County’s second substitution, as Amond made way after a tireless display.

Both Lee and Hylton fired wide as the game approached 78 minutes, Flynn deciding to really go for it with the final substitution, as Shawn McCoulsky replaced his captain Labadie.

County continued to press the home side, the indication of four additional minutes clearly giving them the license to further push forward, but the Luton rear-guard held firm to secure a deserved victory.

The Exiles could be encouraged by their second-half efforts, as Luton’s ruthless streak in the first-half saw them suffer defeat in Bedfordshire.

County: Day, Pipe, Demetriou, O’Brien, White, Rigg, Tozer, Labadie (C) (McCoulsky 78’), Willmott (Reynolds 72’), Amond (Quigley 76’), Nouble

Subs not used: Bittner, Butler, Dolan, Bennett

Luton: Stech, Stacey, Cuthbert (C), Sheehan, Potts, Rea, O Lee, Gambin (Cook 72’), Cornick (Justin 85’), Hylton, Collins.

Subs not used: Shea, Mullins, Jarvis, Lee, Famewo

Referee: Mark Heywood

Attendance: 7,681 (296 away)

Next up for County: Yeovil Town (7^th October) HOME

Ticket News

TICKET NEWS| Luton Town will be an ALL TICKET Match

29 September 2017

Next Saturday's Luton Town match (30th September 2017) will be an all-ticket game.

UPDATE: Newport County AFC Supporters will be able to purchase tickets for our match vs Luton Town over the phone tomorrow from 9am until 12.30pm. The number to call is 01582 416 976 and tickets can be collected at the away turnstile. Please note this, is still an all-ticket game and tickets will not be available to purchase after 12.30pm.

Our EFL League Two Match vs Luton Town FC will be all ticket. This means tickets cannot be purchased on the day!

Our ticket office is open today and you will be able to purchase tickets for away matches from 10am-1.30pm and then again for thirty minutes after the final whistle.

Tickets will be available for purchase at the Ticket Office from 10am-7pm on Thursday 28th September and 10am-3pm on Friday 29th September.

You can also purchase tickets at any time online
by clicking on the link below.

BUY TICKETS

PLEASE NOTE: Tickets for Luton will come off sale both online and in the shop at 3pm on Friday 29th September.

NEWPORT COUNTY AFC

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