Cullen promises cracking trip for Town fans on his ‘Geordieland’ return

Diminutive strike Mark Cullen is relishing the chance of returning to the North East when the Hatters make the mammoth trek to face Gateshead on Saturday, writes Mark Wood.
Woking v Luton Town. Photos by Grahame Larter/Surrey Advertiser. wk 44.Woking v Luton Town. Photos by Grahame Larter/Surrey Advertiser. wk 44.
Woking v Luton Town. Photos by Grahame Larter/Surrey Advertiser. wk 44.

Town make the 500-mile round-trip to the International Stadium and the 21-year-old striker has promised it will be an enjoyable trip for Luton’s supporters.

The former Hull City striker said: “It’s back up to the ‘Geordieland’, you’ll enjoy it, I’m telling you!

“I love going up north, it’s a great place, you should get up there more often honestly. It’ll be good I’m looking forward to it.”

Cullen netted his fifth goal of the season for the Hatters in Saturday’s 1-0 FA Cup win at Woking to earn them a first round tie at Welling.

And he’s glad his hard work in training and in the development team games has been paying off with first team recognition.

He said: “I haven’t been involved the last couple of weeks and it’s been disappointing, but I got given my chance today and I did all I could to take it and got a goal and we can move on to next week now.

“I know the gaffer’s go faith in me, but we’ve got very talented forwards here and we all can’t play.

“So I just have to keep working hard in training, the same as all the other lads, and bide my time and wait for my chance.

“The manager’s always said them development games can get you into the first team. And I’ve been playing in them and I’ve enjoyed it really to get some game time under my belt and got a couple of goals and obviously the more you practise scoring you can take it into games.

“I’ve brought it today and I’ve got a goal, so I’m enjoying it.”

And those development team games have helped to keep Cullen sharp, as he continued: “To be fair the staff have been organising some really tough games, and the teams we’ve played they’ve put out some good sides with some experience in them.

“So it’s good for me and some of the other lads that have been playing to get games in against good opposition and we’ve been winning them and winning’s a habit so it’s good.”

But Cullen’s hoping he did enough at the Kingfield Stadium to hold on to his place, as he continued: “I worked hard and we’ll see what happens during the week. I’ll continue to train hard and hopefully I get a chance next week as well.

“I think everyone who played today, a couple of lads have come in who haven’t been involved as much, I think everyone gave a good account of themselves so I think the manager could have some difficult decisions to make next week.

“I came down to Luton to play and to help the club get promoted and I’m ready whenever the gaffer thinks I can help the team and luckily I got my chance today and got the goal, so happy days.”

Cullen now has five for the season, with Andre Gray on six and Paul Benson on four, and, with the likes of Alex Wall also waiting in the wings, Cullen knows competition for places up front is fierce.

He said: “We’re a tight group of lads and we all get on really well and then when Paul or Andre or anyone scores I’m happy for them, but obviously I’m happy for myself to score and hopefully we can go on as a team and continue to score goals together.”

But boss John Still admitted that Cullen probably has the right to be slightly miffed not to be a regular starter with the form he’s shown.

The Town chief said: “If I was Mark Cullen I would be gutted I wasn’t in the team because not only is he I think an excellent player, he can score goals.

“Fortunately for us at the moment forwards are scoring goals aren’t they. Whoever plays is scoring goals.

“And Cully started today and he’s scored and if you had to say what’s a typical Mark Cullen goal I think that was it, a typical Mark Cullen goal.

“He’s probably one of the players that we have in our squad that could probably look at it and go I think I should be playing.

“And if he asked me that question I would probably agree him. But it’s decisions you have to make and it’s good that whoever plays up front can come up with a goal.”

Cullen was one of six changes Still made at the weekend and all of them will be hoping to hold on to their shirts for the weekend’s game against the Tynesiders.

Among them are experienced centre-half Anthony Charles who made only his second start for Luton against the Cards since signing in the summer.

He added: “Of course, hopefully I’ve given the gaffer a headache and come away with a clean sheet when we’ve been conceding goals.

“I felt I was getting stronger through the game so I would like to but it’s not my decision.”