Buckle won’t stand for a repeat performance after Town snatch draw

TOWN boss Paul Buckle was at a loss to explain the first half performance his side gave during their 2-2 draw against Gateshead on the opening day of the Conference season yesterday, writes Mike Simmonds.

Hatters had come into the game after an excellent warm-up campaign, but found themselves staring at defeat and booed off as they trailed 2-0 at the break.

New signing Jon Shaw and Stuart Fleetwood rescued a point after the interval, but Buckle was far from impressed with his players.

He said: “I couldn’t wait to get the boys in at half time because the standards had dropped unbelievably from what we had seen during pre-season and last season.

“The goals were sloppy, not picking up from set plays, not strong enough and that’s been a problem for a club over the last few seasons.

“It’s something I can’t stand. It doesn’t reflect me in how I want to work and the players know how I feel after that.

“We’ve come in in good form and it just shows you that if you’re not right at the top of your game, do things quickly and with purpose, then you get caught out.

“I’ve not come to the club to see a Luton Town team with a half hearted performance and that’s what it was first half, but I made the right changes and it worked in the end as we could have won it.”

To read a special eight page play-off preview, see the Luton News/Dunstable Gazette on sale this Wednesday, while for all the latest Luton Town FC news, reports, stats, player profiles, live match updates, MOM vote, prediction table and a complete fixture list, visit our Hatters Microsite.

Related topics: