PREVIEW: Hatters out to end Barrow’s proud home run

An 18th place finish with 50 points to their name last campaign, gave little impression of a potential promotion push this time round, but they are currently sitting pretty in 11th place, just two points from beating their previous points tally with 14 games to go.

Nabbing a play-off spot isn’t beyond them either as the Bluebirds are ony seven points behind another team many didn’t expect to feature at the top end of the table this year in Southport.

Off the pitch, the club have been in a period of change during the last few weeks with joint manager Darren Sheridan first suspended from his duties following an internal investigation and then swiftly leaving by mutual consent.

Sheridan had been part of a double act with former Luton defender Dave Bayliss for the past five years, leading the club into the Conference, but Bayliss has since confirmed he remains committed to the role.

Recent results have been up and down with Barrow beating Kettering at the weekend, but losing four of their last seven matches, including being dumped out of the FA Trophy at Wealdstone.

On home soil they remain an extremely tough proposition though as they haven’t lost in eight matches, and that was a 2-1 home defeat to League Two Rotherham United in the FA Cup on November 12.

You have to go back even further for the Bluebirds last home league defeat, a mightily impressive 11 games when they went down 3-2 to Mansfield on September 17.

Strikers Adam Boyes and Andy Cook have been in scintillating form, with Boyes on 14 in the league this year, and Cook netting 15.

The club have continued to strengthen too with former Accrington and Burscough winger Chris Turner signing after impressing in a practice match,

Burnley duo Alex-Ray Harvey and Joe Jackson also joined on loan, while Leeds goalkeeper Alex Cairns has been brought in on a month-long deal.

Games between the two sides haven’t exaclty produced a flurry of goals in recent times either, apart from the 5-1 demolition handed out by Luton at Kenilworth Road earlier this season.

Three out of the four times the sides have met in the Conference, Luton have won by just the single goal, with the other match ending 0-0.

Town have conceded just once in their last five meetings home and away, although Barrow did enjoy better luck when they were a Football League club, beating Hatters 2-1 and 3-0 back in the 1960s/70s.

Team news: Hatters are still without joint leading scorer Amari Morgan-Smith and midfielder James Dance, while defender Dan Gleeson is also struggling as is Curtis Osano who was substituted with a tight hamstring on Saturday.

Keith Keane, Dean Beckwith, Charlie Henry, Shane Blackett and Ed Asafu-Adjaye are all fit though while young keeper Lewis Kidd may be on the bench after Kevin Pilkington left to join Notts County as a goalkeeping coach on Monday.

For Barrow, Kelvin Lomax is available after his suspension, but Adam Boyes and Joe Jackson are both banned.

In charge: Dave Bayliss – Liverpudlian centre half who made his name at Rochdale, playing over 150 times for the club, before a spell on loan with the Hatters, where he made 37 appearances between 2001-2005.

Eventually moved to Barrow, where he became player manager in 2007 and has been an undeniable success, leading the club to the Conference and also an FA Trophy Final win over Stevenage in 2009.

View from the opposition: Manager Dave Bayliss - “We want to make sure our home ground is a fortress and to get to 10 wins is a really good achievement so far. But there is many more games to come and we have to make sure we get more wins.”

One to watch: Andy Cook – young striker who has been a revelation at Holker Street this season.

Started life at Carlisle before two loan moves to Barrow ended in a permanent deal in January 2011.

Began with a bang this season, notching a hat-trick in a shock 4-0 win over Fleetwood, before another treble followed against Hayes & Yeading.

Netted another two in the victory over Kettering on Saturday and has six in his last six games, making it 15 in 26 league appearances this season.

Last time out: Hatters battled their way to a 1-0 victory last season thanks to Matthew Barnes-Homer’s 37th minute winner.

The game saw a Town debut for midfielder Godfrey Poku against a Barrow side indluding former Luton striker Jason Walker.

Hatters: Mark Tyler, Dan Gleeson, Freddie Murray, George Pilkington, Zdenek Kroca, Jake Howells, Claude Gnakpa (Godfrey Poku 66), Keith Keane, Andy Drury, Matthew Barnes-Homer (Taiwo Atieno 75), Danny Crow (Amari Morgan-Smith 60).

Attendance: 1,416.

For all the latest Luton Town FC news, reports, stats, player profiles, live match updates, prediction table and a complete fixture list, visit our Hatters Microsite.