UPDATED: Hatters boss Still wary of ‘big and strong’ Lincoln City

Hatters boss John Still is expecting ‘big and strong’ Lincoln City to provide a real test for his side when they come to Kenilworth Road ob Saturday, writes Mark Wood.
Luton Town v Dartford. Photos by Jane Russell. wk 38.Luton Town v Dartford. Photos by Jane Russell. wk 38.
Luton Town v Dartford. Photos by Jane Russell. wk 38.

Town have been buoyed by a fine 3-0 victory over Dartford on Tuesday night, but the in-form Imps are likely to provide a sterner test.

Tuesday’s result plunged the Darts into the relegation zone, while Lincoln are four points ahead of the Hatters in fourth after a good start to the season.

But Still has already cast his eye over what the Imps have to offer, as he said: “They’re a big, strong side, they’re going to be very competitive and I think they’ll get the ball forward quite quickly. Like all games, they’re tough, the games are tough at all levels now.

“Every game at every level by and large now is tough. Even at the top, top, top Champions League games, the so-called massive clubs in that don’t smash teams. Very rarely do they smash teams, because teams are organised now at all levels.

“I don’t envisage anything other than a tough game on Saturday. Will it be tougher than last week? Probably not.

“Will it be tougher than next week, probably not, because they’re all tough.”

After Luton’s lacklustre showing in the 2-0 defeat at Wrexham on Friday, Still was delighted with the way they bounced back with victory against the Darts and the chances they created.

He continued: “I was really pleased with it. The performance was in line with what we’ve been producing for the last few weeks, albeit with the disappointment at the Wrexham performance.

“But I think if you can keep performing to that level I think results come, that’s how I see it.

“We scored three, we had one disallowed, I think Paul Benson had one knocked off the line. I think we had as blatant a penalty not given as you’re going to get.

“So it showed that we’re creating those opportunities and to a certain extent taking those opportunities.

“So it was pleasing to score because obviously that’s been in short supply.

“As a performance I couldn’t be disappointed with that at all.”

Creating chances in games had been an issue for the Hatters up until Tuesday and Still conceded they probably hadn’t been creating the right kind of chances for his strikers.

Still added: “If you can get the right delivery in the box, and you have people that have a history of scoring goals, I think by and large you’re going to score goals.

“I thought we had been really good up to the final third, and against what I call the so-called better teams in the league.

“And if we include the teams that would have been up there last year that we’ve played just recently, there’s not going to be 10 chances in a game, it’s not going to be like that.

“You’d like to think that you’re going to create a few goalscoring opportunities and we probably haven’t created as many as we would like.

“I don’t really think I can look back and go he’s missed three chances, he’s missed four... Not really missed, no just maybe not made the right sort of opportunities for forwards to score.

“I think that Paul himself showed it, because I think in his second game here against Grimsby he got in on the back post and put it just past the post which was a decent opportunity, lifted one off the goalkeeper that the lad cleared off the line.

“He was showing that he can get into those positions, which he got in the other night. He got a goalscorer’s goal on the back post from a cross and I thought a fantastic header in the second half where he’s looped it back over the goalkeeper that got cleared off the line.

“And if you supply those kind of opportunities for people I think they’re going to score.”

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