Buckle not fussed by Silkmen’s fine start

Hatters boss Paul Buckle doesn’t believe too much should be read into tomorrow’s opponents Macclesfield’s fine start to the season, writes Mike Simmonds

The Silkmen are second in the table after four wins from five games, since their relegation out of the Football League last season.

Buckle said: “I think it’s too early to judge anybody. How can you judge anyone on five games? You can’t do it, it’s impossible.

“The table is still to settle down, teams and squads are still to settle down, it doesn’t happen in the first games.

“I think the biggest thing for us is making a good start to the season. We’ve done that and we can’t affect what others do.

“Macclesfield will be delighted with their start and they’re in a little group at the top end who have all made fantastic starts.

“I’m sure they’ll come and try and win the game which will be nice, because it can be quite difficult at home when teams come and sit behind the ball.

“They’ll come in confident mood, they’re an ex-league club and will want to return to the Football Leaue. They’re in good form, so they won’t see any reasons why they can’t win the game.

“Hopefully we’ll get an open game, and a good game of football, one where we come out on top.”

The visitors will have a number of ex-Luton players looking to make an impression with Matthew Barnes-Homer and Charlie Henry in the side.

Barnes-Homer has started the campaign in fine form, with four goals so far, while Henry was one of the first to be released by Buckle after taking over.

Town midfielder John Paul Kissock is also on loan at Macclesfield, but isn’t allowed to play against Luton and speaking about Barnes-Homer, Buckle said: “I’m sure he’ll get a warm welcome. I don’t know too much about the lad, but I know that he’s in good form at the moment.

“Quite a few come and go, it’s a big ask for players to come here and be successful, only a select few can come and do that.

“I like to concentrate on our team though. We pay our respect to all the teams that turn up at Kenilworth Road, but if we’re on our game and our performance levels are high like they have been, they’ll be in for a tough game.”

Town selelected all four forwards for their trip to to Ebbsfleet on Monday that ended in a 3-1 victory for the Hatters.

Although they will have to definitely make one change with Jon Shaw now suspended after acceting an FA misconduct charge, Blucke still wants to go on the attack and earn a first win at Kenilworth Road this season after drawing with Gateshead and losing to AFC Telford.

He added: “There’s a temptation to be positive all the time in my mind. It’s how I want to manage and I think the players like that.

“If you’re cagey and negative it rubs off on the players. We’re not gung ho, we’re organised, we’re in control.

“But we do go to win games. We saw that on Monday with the team, we didn’t step back, we stepped forward.

“I’m looking for that first win at home this season. It wasn’t something that was a problem last yea when I came to the club and I don’t see it being a problem this year.

“I think we need to really enjoy the fans, the number of fans that come through the gate, because they really got behind us on that Saturday game right to the end.

“I’m so pleased with support we get home and away, what we’ve got to do now is, against Macclesfield, make it count.

“I’m looking at the players and they’re really looking forward to it. Theyve come in focused and we didn’t panic (after the AFC Telford defeat).

“We didn’t all of a sudden rush in and do finishing sessions, it was the opposite of that really.

“We trust each other, the strikers proved on Monday that they can not only finish but set things up too.

“We’ve never been negative with each other here. We’re trying to remain consistent win lose or draw because we know what the aim is.

“The aim is to do well in this league and try and get promoted at the end of the season, but it’s not going to happen in the first five games.”

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