Still expects to make changes for Ebbsfleet visit

The Hatters are in the middle of four games in eight days as their season reaches an extremely hectic climax and boss John Still admitted he would have to rotate his squad for the two remaining fixtures as this evening’ visit of Fleet is followed by Saturday’s trip to Southport.

Still had named an unchanged side for the first time for Tuesday’s entertaining 2-2 draw against Newport County after the Hatters had hugely impressed in Friday night’s 1-1 home stalemate with Grimsby.

The Luton boss said: “I was going to make a change and I will make a change, but it was whether I made the change against Newport or Thursday.

“I just felt that we had really entertained people on Friday and I felt we entertained them again. I left it as it was, but there will be a change or two on Thursday.”

The likes of Mark Tyler, Jake Howells and Jake Goodman all returned to the bench to sit alongside Alex Wall and Dan Walker, and all of them may well play before the end of the season.

“I’m sure that they’ll all feature in one if not both of the games that are coming up,” Still continued.

“But I’m beginning now I think to see a level of consistency in our play. That’s the important thing.”

Striker Wall looks likely to start against Fleet as he continues to search for a first goal in a Luton shirt.

Still continued said: “To be fair, I think it’s the first time he’s come in without feeling his aches and pains all over. So we might have a look at him on Thursday and see if he can get that all-elusive first goal.”

Town have started to play some really entertaining football at times in their last three games and Still is hoping that will continue, saying: “We have a way of playing that we are getting into and that’s how we’re going to play.

“People like watching it and people like playing in it and all we’ve got to make sure we do is win plenty of games, but that’s the way we’re going to play.”

Top scorer Andre Gray has been pleased with Luton’s recent progression and is hoping Town’s stars are finally rewarding the club’s supporters.

He said: “I think they see the improvements that have been made and are happy with the way we are playing now. Hopefully we can go and get a big win on Thursday for the last home game of the season to give them something to smile about because they haven’t had the best of seasons bar the FA Cup.”

Still though is keen to make sure Town honour the integrity of the league in the last couple of games by selecting the strongest sides he can.

“We have to do the league justice,” he said. “That’s really, really important. But you’re not doing the league justice by playing people that are obviously out on their haunches. You have to be a bit more brighter than that.

“If the need is there then we have to play our strongest team. Our strongest team might not be the team you saw, but it might be the fittest team.”

But he admitted the late flourish of games with a diminishing squad has proved far from easy.

Still added: “I’m tired. It’s very difficult. Difficult for the players. We actually haven’t got the biggest squad because we’ve let some people and there’s a few that need a rest on Thursday.

“But having said that, if I sat down with them all and said ‘are you tired, are you tired, are you tired?’ they’d probably all go ‘I want to play’. So let’s get to Thursday and have a look.”

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