The Rovers travelled down the M1 to Luton to play the local Town team on a mild, dry afternoon at Kenilworth Road. Both teams are locked together on points halfway down the bottom half of the table so points are needed by both sides. The Rovers are suffering at the moment from a surfeit of injuries to players. Graeme Lee has a knee injury, Gareth Roberts has a groin problem, Mark McCammon is out with a hamstring problem, Paul Heffernan with a groin strain, Martin Woods with a hamstring problem and Gordon Greer is out with a wrist injury. To add to this is the suspension of Lewis Guy, sent off against Walsall on Tuesday. The Rovers defended the scoreboard end where the away fans were situated.
The opening quarter of an hour was evenly contested as both sides looked for an advantage. The Rovers had the first attempt at goal on 3 minutes when Coppinger, on the left, had a shot from the angle of the area which was blocked and a follow-up effort that Alnwick saved comfortably. Luton's ripost some minutes later through Andrew, who had a shot blocked and Robinson put the follow-up wide. A corner to the Rovers came on 11 minutes, with the ball coming out to Roberts on the edge of the penalty area. His shot was just over the bar. The football, played at a fairly sedate pace, continued to be parry and thrust, with Luton's best attack coming on 21 minutes when a cross from Perry on the right to the far post was headed back by Andrew for Spring to head over the bar. Then, in the 26th minute, Coppinger controlled the ball well, took it to the right byline and a great cross was met with a firm header by HAYTER that nestled nicely in the back of the net. Luton responded by pushing the Rovers on to the defensive but gained no reward. Ten minutes from the break the Rovers had a good six minutes spell. Wilson put wide from 25 yards and two good build-ups on the right were followed by Wilson firing just over the bar and Coppinger having a fierce drive deflected for a corner after 41 minutes. The corner came in from Stock, Coppinger had a shot and hit the post, a scramble followed before the ball was played against Mills' head and hit the post again, with Hayter getting to the ball and hitting the bar before a desperate Luton defence managed to clear. In the closing couple of minutes Spring put over from 30 yards and then Edwards headed over from a cross on the right. The Rovers went in at the interval leading by that single goal.
In an even-steven opening to the second half, Coppinger for the Rovers, worked an opening for himself coming in from the right but scuffed his shot wide. Luton then went down their right, with Furlong hitting a cross to the far post where Sullivan caught the ball off the head of Andrew. Ten minutes in and Goodall fired over from 30 yards and Robinson, for the home team, shot across the face of goal from the right, the ball going out at the far post. Continuing on the attack, Andrew, having just returned to the pitch from changing his shirt, swung over a high cross from the left touchline for FURLONG to dive in and head past Sullivan. The Rovers reply was to win a corner but nothing came of it. Into the last quarter hour and the home team were having the better of things, with Spring firing over from 25 yards but as the last ten minutes came up the Rovers began to hit back. A couple of corners brought the Rovers fans to life as Green headed wide from the second one. At the Rovers end, Fojut headed wide to a free kick from Spring. The game ran down to the end with the score even at a goal apiece, possibly a fair result at the end.
Teams - Luton Town - Ben Alnwick; Chris Coyne, Chris Perry, Jaroslaw, Alan Goodall; Steve Robinson, Matthew Spring, David Edwards, Darren Currie; Calvin Andrew, Paul Furlong
Subs used - Richard Jackson for Coyne 32mins; Paul McVeigh for Currie 84 mins;
Subs not used - Don Hutchison, Ahmet Brkovic, Drew Talbot,
Cautions - Currie, Goodall, Robinson, Furlong,
ROVERS - Neil Sullivan; James O'Connor, Steve Roberts, Matt Mills, Adam Lockwood, Sean McDaid; Brian Stock, Richie Wellens, Mark Wilson; James Coppinger, James Hayter
Subs used - Paul Green for Coppinger 58mins; Sam Hird for Roberts 62 mins; Jason Price for Wellens 89mins;
Subs not used - Craig Nelthorpe, Ben Smith (GK).
Cautions - Mills
