UPDATED: Gateshead game is just the latest in tough trips says Still

The long trip to Gateshead on Saturday is just the latest in a long list of challenging trips for the Hatters according to boss Jon Still, writes Mark Wood.
Tamworth v Luton Town. Photos by Liam Smith. wk 43.Tamworth v Luton Town. Photos by Liam Smith. wk 43.
Tamworth v Luton Town. Photos by Liam Smith. wk 43.

Gateshead are in great form, having won all five of their games in October as they have risen to 10th in the Skrill Premier table where they sit just five points behind the Hatters.

And while admitting it’s a tough test, Still is adamant that each game provides a different challenge.

He said: “I’ve lost track of the times that people have said this is a test, this is a test, this is a test, honestly they’re all tough games, all of them.

“I don’t care, they’re all tough, really, really tough, tough games. We can only prepare right, make sure that we go there and stick to how we believe we should play and that’s all you can do.

“You can only control the controllables. They may have their best day of their season, where everyone’s on fire.

“We can’t control that, all we can control is our approach and our approach by and large this season, take Southport out of the equation, I think our approach has always been decent, I really do.

“We’ve not always played great, I’ve never had any concern over our approach. Even away at Wrexham, I had no concerns about our approach. My only concern at Wrexham was the manager picked the wrong team.

“We’ll approach it properly and if we’re as I know we can be... People say it’s a tough game. Yeah, it is a tough game, but it’s a tough game for them as well.”

Town will train in Leeds on their way to Gateshead tomorrow as the Hatters make the epic 500-mile round-trip for the game.

But Still is undaunted by the travelling as he continued: “I can’t speak for players, but it makes no difference to me at all.

“Do I want to travel all the way to Gateshead? Probably not, it’s too far isn’t it, it’s a long way.

“Would I sooner sit indoors and watch the telly or travel to Gateshead? I’d sooner travel to Gateshead and play football.”

Luton had made six changes for Saturday’s 1-0 win at Woking and Still has been pleased with the way all of his players have responded.

“It’s been a good week’s training, the development game was good,” he said.

“Training’s been good. I think you always go into a club and you can smell the atmosphere.

“There’s an atmosphere good or bad about the place. And the atmosphere at this football club at the moment is exactly how I would want it to be, it really is.”

Still’s been particularly pleased with the form of his strikers of late, who have been banging in the goals after a quiet start to the season.

He said “We couldn’t score a goal earlier on. I think if I look at Paul (Benson), Mark (Cullen) and Andre (Gray), whoever plays can score and are scoring.

“I look at Alex Wall, who I know can score, we’ve got Jon Shaw, I know he can score.

“I can remember saying that we weren’t scoring but I wasn’t bothered about that, I know we’ll score, these people will score goals, we’ve just got to provide them with the ammunition.

“And we are providing the ammunition and they’re scoring goals. So I never really had any concerns if I’m honest about goals coming.”

Now Still faces the challenge of marrying those two abilities together, although he admitted he sometimes just likes to go for the jugular.

He added: “I knew we could score goals, and I said we’ve shown we can defend as well, but it’s getting the mix right.

“As pleasing as it was to win Saturday, I want to attack and I want to score and I do not want to concede goals as well.

“But in some games you just go out to attack because you believe you can win by just going out and attacking and sometimes you leave yourself a bit bare.

“As long as the result goes in your favour, you don’t worry too much. And sometimes people look too deep about we’re not keeping clean sheets.

“Some games I just want to go out and attack and attack and attack and attack because I believe we’ll score lots of goals.

“And at the moment that’s working. If it changes I might just slightly change my approach, but at the moment, certain games we just go out to attack.”