UPDATED: Tough trip to the Iron stirs memories of first game in charge for Hatters boss Still

Experienced Town chief John Still is expecting a massively tough test at Braintree tomorrow (Tuesday) night, writes Mark Wood.
Welling v Luton Town. Photos by Liam Smith. wk 46.Welling v Luton Town. Photos by Liam Smith. wk 46.
Welling v Luton Town. Photos by Liam Smith. wk 46.

The Hatters have never won at Cressing Road and neither have they ever had a permanent manager in charge when heading to the Iron.

Former boss Paul Buckle watched on from the sidelines the season before last as Town lost 3-1 under Alan Neilson’s stewardship, while last season manager John Still was a keen onlooker, having just been appointed, as the Hatters produced a terrible performance in a 2-0 defeat.

Talking about the defeat back in February, Still said: “I got back in the car and I went home with Terry (Harris) and I said to him, ‘Tel ring Dagenham up and tell them we’ve changed our mind.’ I did, jokingly may I add.

“When a club changes a manager, it’s not very often it’s because the team’s doing great.

“It’s normally because things haven’t gone well.”

Still has spent a large chunk of his managerial career in non-league and knows just how ‘challenging’ a trip to the Iron can be.

He said: “There were no surprises and you know what, I’ve known Braintree as a football club for a long time.

“I’ve known their chairman there for a long time and even before he was at Braintree.

“And one thing I’ve always been aware of, is we used to go there pre-season with Dagenham, I can never say that we’ve looked at it and for this was good.

“It’s always tough, it’s that sort of place. It’s always tough. And as Newport County (in the FA Cup at the weekend) found, it’s tough there, it really is tough, but it’s great, I love it.

“I always try to put over to people that one of the joys in this job for me, at this stage in my career, is challenges.

“People go there and can get beat, and that’s the challenge. Come on, let’s got there and not get beat, that’s the challenge.

“So I look forward to it, I really do. It’s what the job’s about, the games, I love the games.

“I love the challenge of the games, and the more difficult the challenge the more difficult the game, the better the challenge.

“So I’m looking forward to it, but it will be a tough game.”

Braintree have had a decent start to the season and are only two points behind the Hatters with 29 points from 17 games so far this season.

Still continued: “Their home form is good. They’ve had a decent start to the season, but it’s the same as I say every week! It’s tough, they’re all tough.

“But you know what, we play tough games every week. Whether that’s because that’s how the league is or because we are Luton and people up their game, I don’t know, but for me, other really than one game at the start of the season at Southport, I’m not saying we’ve played well every week, but we’ve been up for every game that we’ve played.

“As far as I’m concerned it won’t be any different tomorrow night. We’ll be up for it, we’ll be ready for it, and if we are, then we’ll put in a good account.”

The Hatters may never have won at Cressing Road, but Still has, and he is confident his side can get a result.

“Clubs can get associated with certain things,” he said. “You’ve never beaten so and so, or you never lose to so and so.

“But as managers you’ve got your own. I tell you, I’ve got clubs I never beat, seriously, and I’ve got clubs I’ve never got beaten by regardless of where I’ve managed.

“But clubs have their bogey teams and clubs have bogey players, he always scores against us.

“You see that centre forward, played six games scored six goals, and always scores against us.

“I have players I look out for. I know he’s going to score, he always scores against me and you have those sort of things.

“But that’s the challenge as well, that’s all part of it for me. “

And Still is predicting it will be a ‘proper’ football match against a Braintree side that are well capable of upsetting any team.

Still added: “If someone said to me, you can do what you want this coming Saturday, it’s FA Cup Saturday, I’m not doing working, I’m not doing anything.

“Braintree are at home to a Football League club, Braintree are at home I’m going to be hypothetical, to Middlesbrough, I’m going to Braintree because I know that’s going to be a proper cup tie.

“Because it’s that sort of ground, it’s that sort of place, and that’s every credit to them.

“I know Alan (Devonshire) very well, he’s done a good job there. The previous manager, Rod Stringer did really, really well in getting them into the Conference. He’s a good friend of ours Rod who’s just had a good run with Bishop’s Stortford.

“And before that, one of our close pals, Robbie Garvey done very, very well there. So we know them very well, and they’re tough games.

“It’s proper football, it’s not glamour football, it’s proper football, so that’s the challenge and that’s what we want to do.”