TUDOR TALK

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Tuesday 7th August
Pre-season Friendly
Hemel Town 2 Luton Town XI 3

Luton took control of this match in the early stages with some neat passing football, but just couldn’t find the finish to turn their pressure into goals.
Hemel meantime were content to hit on the break, and did manage to create some good opportunities to score, especially in the first half. But they too in the end failed to reap the reward some of their moves deserved.
The hatters took the lead on twenty five minutes when Joel Grant broke away down the right wing and his low cross found an unmarked Calvin Andrew in the middle for a simple finish.
Prior to that both Garry Sippetts and Drew Roberts had half chances and Steve Sinclair also managed to rattle the Luton bar from a neatly worked corner, but slowly following the goal Luton started to increase the pressure, and good chances fell to Rob Sinclair and Elliott Ricketts - both spurned - whilst Hemel keeper Steve Smith also pulled off a fine save to deny Grant.
Hemel’s equaliser came with two minutes of the half left, and came some what against the run of play. Ollie Burgess broke in to the box and drew keeper Ross Foulds out, the young keeper committing himself rather rashly and leaving his goal unguarded. Burgess quickly laid the ball off to Aaron Cavill who’s first time cross was then headed into the empty net by Sippetts with a deft flick.
Two goals early in the second half however, were to sow the match up for the visitors.
Three minutes in Ricketts shot from twenty yards deflected wickedly off Nathan Bowden-Haase to give Smith no chance as he went the wrong way, and then ten minutes later Steven O’Leary planted a curling free kick inside Smith’s right hand upright, again giving the keeper no chance of reaching the ball.
In between goals Roberts found himself one on one with Foulds for the second time in the match - and for the second time slapped the ball straight at the keeper - and Burgess failed to find the target at all with a free header at the far post, following an excellent swirling cross from Chris Herron.
But as in the first half Luton began to dictate matters and despite some heavy pressure Smith had only one real save to make, tipping Andrew’s shot from the angle athletically over his bar.
Hemel finally pulled a goal back with a minute to go - Burgess again running into the box on the right, his low shot cum cross deflecting heavily off substitute George Beavan and into the net. But Luton in the end were well worth the win.
This was however a better performance than last time out for the Tudors.

Hemel Town: Steve Smith, Jamie Kearns, Chris Herron, Aaron Cavill, Nathan Bowden-Haase, Steve Sinclair (Dean Cracknell 67), Ollie Burgess, Robbie Kean (Fabio Valenti 78), Garry Sippetts (Danny Nicholls Jnr 78), Drew Roberts, Paul Edgeworth.
Subs (Not Used): Chris Wild, Yiadom Yeboah, Ian Brown & Ollie Brown.

Luton Town: Ross Foulds, Marvin McCoy, Lewis Emanuel, Steven O’Leary, Harry Hogarth (George Beavan), Adrian Pettigrew, Joel Grant, Rob Sinclair, Calvin Andrew, Ryan Charles, Elliott Ricketts.
Subs: Jamie McGuinness, Ben Strong, Dean Hamilton, Matt Maitland.