Pressure on Hatters to shine bright against league’s lesser lights

GAMES against some of the lesser known teams are some of the hardest the Hatters will face according to manager Gary Brabin, writes Mark Wood.

Braintree visit Kenilworth Road on Saturday and Town then travel to Hayes & Yeading on Tuesday night, and the expectations that come with such encounters cause their own form of pressure.

Brabin said: “They only just sort of re-emerged. They are names that aren’t so famous.

People think we should beat them because of the name but these are the hardest games in some respects.

“We are a good team and we need to concentrate on ourselves.

“We have a great group of players who if they perform to their full potential we are good enough to beat any other team.”

And Brabin’s expecting a tough challenge when they go to Hayes on Tuesday, despite them only just beating relegation last term.

He said: “I thought they were quite a gritty side. I was surprised they were down there.

“They looked quite a good unit and certainly gave us a scare away from home.

“They’ve proved difficult over the last few years.”

Brabin believes the Conference remains an underrated division and is only too aware how difficult it will be for Luton to get out of it.

He continued: “It’s really competitive from top to bottom.

“There are no easy games. It’s not until you get a bit of a lead that these teams give up hope and you get a three or four lead.

“There’s no easy games in this league and there’s already been a few shocks this season.

“This league is getting stronger every year and it’s a poisoned chalice in some respects.

“It’s a really good league and so hard to get out of it. It’s a good competitive league and these sides we’ve got to respect them all but we don’t fear anyone.”

Despite finding themselves in the Conference for the third season running, Town’s attendances have remained steady, and Brabin paid tribute to Luton’s fans.

He added: “Hopefully when we get back to where we belong, these supporters will talk about when we were back in the Conference.

“I think these people have shown they are true loyal supporters by backing the club for another year.”

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