Concentrated Hatters are focused on Telford

First team development coach Carl Emberson said: “We’ll just be trying to win the game Saturday first, that’s the most important game for Luton Town to win the game Saturday.

“All we can do is hope our squad is big enough to cope with anything that’s thrown at us over the weekend.

“We’re not going to take out eye off the ball and look at Ebbsfleet.

“That is 48 hours after the first game. The boys will get their ample rest, we’ve got to win the Telford game and that’s the most important thing to Luton Town at the minute.”

Having taken seven points from three games in the space of six days Town have enjoyed a well-deserved rest ahead of their double-header against the Bucks and Fleet.

Emberson continued: “We’ve enjoyed the break. With the pre-season games we had many games in pre-season and then the three games in a week which was obviously hard going for the boys and this week’s it’s been nice to have a little bit of a rest.

“But we’ve got to keep out foot on it and we’ve got another two important games coming up Saturday and Monday. So it’s going to be another two tough games.”

Three games have yielded two goals in each for Luton and Emberson is hoping Town’s strikers can continue to perform.

“We had a little break after that, obviously the boys needed to get their rest and recover from their little niggly injuries,” he said.

“Obviously our attacking options have been a big threat this year as you’ve seen, we’ve been able to score in every game and we want to keep on that.

“And really just working on getting the lads together and working towards what Telford’s weaknesses are really and looking to exploit them.

“Andre Gray came off the bench and had a massive impact in the game against Hyde.

“Fleets (Stuart Fleetwood) is scoring goals, (Jon) Shawy’s now got roughly about 180 minutes under him, he had his first 90 minutes the other night, which we knew he was always going to be a little bit behind with his fitness levels, so he’ll come to form soon.

“And you’ve obviously got Scott Rendell playing in just behind he strikers whose provided a lot of assists and is working hard for the team.

“So we have options and a lot of ways we can play. At the moment we’re sticking to the way we play at the moment and it’s working.”

On the form of Fleetwood, which has seen him strike four times in three games, Emberson said: “That’s why the club brought Stuart Fleetwood here. His record is second to none in the Conference, 25-30 goals regularly for a few seasons.

“We need that. To get promotion we need two strikers to do well. They’ve got to bring three-quarters of the goals to the team really.

“If you want to get up you are probably going to need 90-plus goals this year to get up and we’re going to need out strikers to be a big part of that.

“Stuart’s done what he’s paid to do really, put the ball in the net, and that’s what he’s done all his career.

“And he’ll continue doing that. He’s got good pedigree and he’s a good striker.”

Although the Hatters have trimmed down their numbers this term, Emberson is confident that the Hatters have the squad to cope during busy periods, with many players getting a chance against the Bucks and Fleet.

The ex-Town stopper said: “I think when the games come thick and fast it is a little bit like that.

“A little bit of Lady Luck comes into it with your injuries, can help you.

“You hear a cliche but a lot of football managers talk about the Christmas period being a massive part, when there are so many games close together.

“And normally the teams with the bigger squads, the stronger squads, are the ones that do well over Christmas ,the same as bank holiday weekends.

“If you’ve got a good selection of choice from a big squad it can help ease the worries.

“Hopefully, touch wood, we’ll come through the game against Telford with no problems and that will help obviously.

“We won’t have to reshuffle the pack or anything like that it will just be straightforward.

“You need to get your rest, it’s going to be tight but it’s the same for Ebbsfleet, they’ve got two games in three days.

“So it’s no different to them. Hopefully we won’t have too much taken out of us against Telford and it’s going to be a game that hopefully we can get in control early.

“In an ideal would you look to use your whole squad over the two games. But it’s not always that easy.

“We’ve got a lot of time ‘til Saturday, 48 hours is a long time, so we are not too concerned at the moment.

“We’ve got good cover and some great players at the back as well so we’ve got plenty of experience.

“We had Dean Beckwith on the bench the other night, whose played many games in the Football League and in the Conference.

“It’s nothing that concerns us, we’ve got a good squad and that’s what we’re going to need to get out of this league.”

Both Howells and Gray made a real difference coming off the bench at Hyde on Friday night as Luton fought back from a goal down to win 2-1.

And both are likely to figure in the next few days, as Emberson admitted: “Jake Howells is a class player. He’s going to be something that’s in our plans all year.

“He played on the Wednesday night (for Wales U21s), for 10 men, for 80 minutes and he covered a lot of ground.

“We had the game watched and obviously he was playing and they had 10 men and so he was doing a double shift.

“To then ask him to come and play on the Friday night we thought was a lot. You have to remember Jake Howells is 21 years old and we’ve got to look after him a little bit and make sure he’s right.

“We were proved right because we won the game and the two subs that came on had an impact on the game.

“It worked out well, because he got his rest. He only played probably 30 minutes and now he’ll be refreshed for the weekend and flying to go.”

On Gray, he continued: “We’ve got to remember he is 21 years old. He’s got plenty of time throughout the season.

“He’s come off the bench and had a massive impact and that’s what you need to have in this league.

“You need to have people that can be on the bench and can affect the game when you need them and to have Jake Howells and Andre Gray on the bench we are in a fortunate position, and it showed that when we brought them on we were 1-0 down and won 2-1.

“And it is tough trying to balance it all. But Andre Gray will have a massive impact on the season.

“And he definitely won’t lose the sharpness through the training we are putting on now and through the games that will come thick and fast.

“He’ll play a massive part in the next two games.

“He’s going to get on and he’s got on the other day and we will wait and see what happens with the team this Saturday.

“It doesn’t mean because he was on the bench on Friday he’s going to be on the bench for the rest of the season. It’s just one game, we’ve got a long way to go yet.”

No more new additions seem to be on the horizon, although Emberson admitted teams are always on the lookout.

He added: “You’d have to ask the gaffer that one! It’s something that will be in his domain.

“But I think it’s something every team in the Football League or Conference would want to bring in strength in depth to teams and squads.

“We’re no different, but that’s something you’d have to take up with Mr Buckle.”