Sing!

Luton Town FC 1 - 1 Rochdale AFC

Journey:

The last away game of the season (play-off’s notwithstanding) and a change to the advertised programme. Today I was going to be a passenger.

The unwelcome attentions of a security van in midweek had rendered the medium sized Audi unfit for service – so at 09:30 hrs I found myself climbing into the medium sized Seat of Mr. Brookes.

Having covered so many miles this season, I have become rather used to having things ‘just so’. However, today my viciously maligned I-Pod would be taking a well earned rest and the psychologist’s dream that is Jane, my SatNav, would also be able to pop her feet up. It all just felt slightly uncomfortable – I have become a creature of habit – before I know it will own a pair of string-back driving gloves and a tweed hat.

Jane’s day of rest didn’t mean we would be without technology based route planning though. Mr. Culshaw has invested in a SatNav of his own. She is the same model as Jane, although being newer, comes in a more streamlined case.

Younger - and - slimmer! It is probably best that Jane wasn’t there – I would have never heard the end of it. To make matters worse, Mr. Culshaw has named his SatNav as well. He has named her, Jane. What have I started?

With Mr. Brookes at the helm and with Mr. Ashworth rounding out the party we headed for the motorway. M62, M60, M62, M6, M1, an assortment of dual carriage ways in Bedfordshire, the thoroughly cosmopolitan Luton High Street – and we arrived at Kenilworth Road – and then walked miles through narrow ginnel’s to get into the ground because the ‘main entrance’ does not lead to the press area.

On the journey I realised something. Long car journeys, as a passenger, are boring. Without something – like driving – to focus on, there is nothing to do. I even missed ‘Classic’ Jane’s random bonging – although ‘Pretender’ Jane did try to compensate – and perhaps in some way pay tribute to her batty relative – by switching herself off for no reason at all. This is how it begins Mr. Culshaw, this is how it begins…

Weather:

Having started under clear skies in god’s country we rapidly found ourselves in the middle of a torrential rain storm. The further south we went, the worse it got. Just as I began to think my decision not to bother with a coat was going to haunt me – slightly north of Luton, the leaden clouds parted and the sun came out.

Food:

I did inspect the hog roast which was being offered under one of the stands with speculative interest – before deciding against it. I’m not one for the semi-annual health panic that some brand of flu or other generates – but, well, y’know – swine flu!

Ground:

Having had time to size the place up properly – my first observation was that it doesn’t look like something that was built by human hands – it looks like something that grew.

Kenilworth Road looks like it germinated in the middle of some terraced houses and then slowly overwhelmed them – many of the entrances to the ground seem to go through the adjoining houses. No two areas of the ground match – no two rooves line up – the corporate area is a row of what appear to be holiday chalet’s.

Strange, chaotic, wonderful.

Somewhere in the midst of all this were 400 of the Rochdale faithful. Judging from their generally muted performance today, they couldn’t quite believe what they were seeing either.

Action:

If I was a Luton fan, a season which had delivered a mid-table finish and a trip to Wembley with some silver ware to show for it wouldn’t seem at all bad.

Then deduct 30 points - and it seems like a waking nightmare.

Due to the financial mis-doings of directors past, a club who were rubbing shoulders with Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal in my lifetime find themselves planning for life in the Football Conference. Luton were confirmed as relegated last week.

With little to play for but pride, the Luton faithful turned out in droves to watch the Hatters final home game in the Football League. 7000+ according to the man on the tannoy. I had expected long faces and an atmosphere akin to a morgue – but I couldn’t have been more wrong.

People glibly talk about ‘Dunkirk Spirit’ all the time – that very British way of smiling into the face of adversity and ‘getting on with it’. I saw it in spades at Kenilworth Road today. No wrath, no angst, no tears – most of the Luton fans I saw looked like they were going to a church picnic – grinning and joking as they went. Perhaps they should rename it Luton Spirit?

Your team for today: Fielding in goal. Ramsden, McArdle, Stanton & Kennedy at the back. Keltie and Toner in midfield – along with, Gary Jones! The second biggest cheer of the day from the Rochdale fans was reserved for the arrival of Jones on the pitch. Boy have we missed him. LeFondre, Thorpe and Dagnall upfront.

4-3-3 then. Somewhere in Mr. Hill’s office I imagine there is a book called ‘Advanced Association Football Formations – Theory and Practice’ (by Major (ret) Horace Wendell-Smethurst – published 1904) – or something like that. I would like to ask that whenever Mr. Flitcroft see’s the aforementioned Rochdale manager reaching for it – he smacks his hand and says, ‘NO! BURNY!’.

Luton lined up 4-4-2 and proceeded to carve Dale apart. The three man midfield just didn’t work – Jones looked unfit, which isn’t really a surprise, Keltie had forgotten how to make a pass or a tackle and Toner was running around like a lunatic trying to shore up the over pressurized defence. Consequently the front three – Thorpe central, LeFondre wide left and Dagnall wide right were little better than spectators.

On the other hand, Luton played with a freedom and fluidity which comes of already knowing your fate. Their passing was quick and instinctive. There wingers had pace and little fear. Their front-men were wily and alert.

With 7000 home fans singing their hearts out and cheering almost every Luton touch – you could understand why. The stand that Mr. Culshaw and I were commentating from was physically vibrating as the home fans stamped their feet and roared their team on.

All that said, somehow, Dale had managed to keep the scoreline at 0-0 – perhaps if they could struggle on to half time. a re-think might be possible.

Think again…

Around the half hour mark the pressure finally told. With the ball already cleared out of the area, Stanton decided to shove Chris Martin in the back, in the box, just yards from today’s official, Mr. Linnington. Penalty. Tom Craddock didn’t waste the opportunity. 1-0 Luton.

Fortunately, no more damage was done and when Mr. Linnington indicated the interval, 1-0 it remained.

This was going very, very wrong. Dale were not guaranteed play-off football as things stood – they still needed another point to make the matter certain. On the evidence so far it seemed a distant possibility.

Suitably fortified with as many free sandwiches as I could grab in the press room, I trudged back to the commentary area thinking big, gloomy thoughts. Automatic promotion – gone, and now the play-off’s in doubt as well.

Perhaps Mr. Flitcroft had intervened when Mr. Hill reached for Major (ret). Wendell-Smethurst’s tombe again at half time – because when they returned to the field, Dale lined up 4-4-2. The lacklustre Keltie was retired from the action in favour of Rundle and Dagnall, who had seemed Dale’s best player in the first period, also found himself replaced - by Thompson.

The effect was immediate. Luton suddenly didn’t have all the time in the world and Dale had pace and width. LeFondre almost making the most of a Rundle cross early on, which in the end he could only divert wide.

Minutes later Dale were back in the game. Great tenacity from Thompson delivered a cross from the right which Thorpe looked favourite to latch onto – until he was shoved out of the way by a Luton defender, just inside the area. The Hatters defence stopped as a man and looked sheepishly at Mr. Linnington – who was indicating play on.

The instant of delay proved critical. The ball made it’s way to Rundle, who cut inside and finding the Luton defence playing musical statues, had only Dean Brill in the Hatters net to negotiate. A cheeky close range tap did the rest. 1-1!

For the next twenty minutes or so, Dale had a serious effort at taking all three points back north. Efforts from Thorpe and LeFondre could have easily put Rochdale in the lead – but poor finishing, bad luck and a couple of excellent saves from Dean Brill meant that Dale did not capitalise.

With a point seemingly secure, Dale relaxed. Having put up a decent display in front of their fans, Luton seemed content to let them. The game meandered gently towards the final whistle.

The tannoy man reminded people not to run on the pitch - about thirty times. The stewards and then the Police formed a cordon around the playing area. A conga broke out behind me. Someone in the corporate holiday chalet’s unfurled a home made banner behind Mick Harford, the Luton manager, which read ‘LUTON LEGEND’ with a large arrow pointing to Mr. Harford. All the while the Luton fans sang.

Mr. Linnington blew his whistle. No one ran on the pitch. The home fans waved their banners, sang, cheered and clapped as the Luton players made a lap of the field.

Along with the numerous Dale fans who had stayed behind, I clapped to.

Summary:

Rundle’s goal proved to be enough to secure Dale a second successive crack at the play-off’s. The first half was poor – the second half, after the introduction of Rundle and Thompson, was excellent. It was also massively encouraging to see an admittedly tired looking Gary Jones play for 90 minutes.

In other news, I got a text from Mr Keane relating that the Mighty Yellows had secured another victory – 3 goals to 2 - to force a championship play-off with Chadderton. I gather that Keane jnr. made a number of brave saves on the way to victory – one of which had every Dad on the touchline wincing in sympathy.

So, play-off’s for both of our featured teams. What a season! I can feel a song coming on

Turner Watch:

Mr. Turner has been sneezing a lot this week – and has developed the ability to find truffle’s by smell alone. Probably nothing to worry about. Probably…

25/04/09