Smith wants Town to express themselves in FA Trophy

It will be the third time in a week the two sides have faced off in a cup competition as Town were held to a 2-2 draw at the Avenue Stadium in the initial tie before edging past the Magpies 2-1 in their FA Cup second round clash on Saturday.

But with less pressure on a Trophy run compared to the FA Cup, Smith is hoping the Hatters will play with greater abandon.

He said: “It will be interesting playing them again but that’s football. It sometimes works like that and we’ve just got to prepare right for Tuesday.

“We can always improve, everyone in the team can improve. We’re at a level for a reason and everyone can improve and get better.

“Everyone knows the FA Cup getting into the third round is massive and we all wanted to do that, that’s why you maybe see a bit more tension. Hopefully on Tuesday we can go out and get another win and progress in that competition.”

Defender Dean Beckwith is also enjoying Town’s hiatus from the league, especially with a number of Blue Square Bet Premier results going their way at the weekend, including defeat for Wrexham.

He said: “Results have gone well for us in the league. It’s a nice distraction as we’re doing well in cup competitions and when we come back to the league hopefully we’ll have built a bit of momentum.

“It can definitely work in our favour and on Tuesday night if we can progress again in the Trophy we will be full of confidence going into the league.”

Beckwith was stretchered off on Saturday with a broken nose and is unsure if he will be able to play a part on Tuesday, although he is hopeful Luton can progress.

He continued: “I honestly don’t know yet, I will see how I feel tomorrow and take the advice of the physio and the doctor on Monday morning.

“It’s going to be another tough game, they know how we play now and we know how they play.

“It’s going to be a battle, but hopefully if we can put a few more chances away then we’ll get through to the next round.”

Young defender Alex Lacey, who made his FA Cup bow on Saturday, is also hopeful of figuring, although Town will again be able to call upon cup-tied defender Simon Ainge once more.

He added: “I hope so. I hope to be in with a shout.”

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