Luton Town vs Derby County - Match Preview

Team News

Beresford: Returns to action tomorrow

Luton - A similar team to the one that lost at home to Queens Park Rangers will face Derby County on Saturday. The only change is likely to come in goal. Marlon Beresford has finished a one match ban and will replace the unimpressive Dean Brill in goal on Saturday. There may also be a recall for left winger Dean Morgan. Morgan lost his place in the team last Saturday to Ahmet Brkovic, and after impressing for the reserves in the midweek win over Colchester, in which he scored, Morgan may earn a recall. However, Brko did score in last Saturday's match, which will work in his favour when Newell decides to select his team. Other than that, there will probably be very few changes. Coyne, Underwood, Parkin and Davis are all still sidelined. However, Richard Langley may make a return to the squad in some form. Langley was rested for the match against his previous club last Saturday but played in the reserves match midweek, so his participation in the match is uncertain. What isn't going to be uncertain is the media interest in the match that will undoubtedly surround the clash. Despite apologising to Amy Rayner for his comments on female match officials, Newell is still facing criticism for refusing to change his views on women. Why should he change them just because the majority of the media want him to change them? A person is entitled to their views, even if some people believe they are misguided or wrong. Most of those who thinks his views are misguided are actually misguided themselves, as they believe it was those comments that nearly got him the sack this week. Very few people realise it was his comments on the chairman, which got much less publicity, that got him in hot water, and his views on women in football were really a smokescreen for the board. Let's now hope that everyone shuts up about the whole story, which people must be sick of hearing about. I won't mention it again on this website unless anything else happens, and hopefully no one in the media will either, although there will doubtless be a few tabloid newspapers who call Newell 'sexist' and criticise him for degrading women's role in society. Ironically, it will probably be the same newspapers who have topless women in their paper every day. Rant over.

Predicted Team - Beresford (GK), Emanuel (DL), Foley (DR), Barnett (DC), Heikkinen (DC), Brkovic (ML), Edwards (MR), Robinson (MC), Bell (MC), Vine (SC), Boyd (SC)

Derby - The main team news for the Rams is that ageing striker Paul Peschisolido may return for Derby from an injury which has kept him out of the team since September. Other than Peschisolido, Michael Johnson will not return for Derby County despite recovering from an injury, as he is suspended. Derby are in excellent form, winning the last three games and four out of the last six. They are also unbeaten in three away games, so Luton look like the underdogs. If anything is in our favour, then it is probably head to head record. Luton haven't lost against Derby in the last five games and generally have a superior record against the Rams. There is one ex-Luton player in the Derby County squad. Luton legend Steve Howard will be lining up against Luton tomorrow. He scored 102 goals for Luton in total after signing in 2001 for £50,000, so he knows all about playing and scoring at Kenilworth Road, and the way our defence has been performing recently he will probably get at least one more goal.
Prediction
The unstability surrounding Newell's future all week will not have had a positive effect on the players, just as the events in the last month with Sol won't have either. Hopefully we can bounce back though. I think we will be trying to stop the rot and get a 2-2 draw.

Howard: Returning to familiar surroundings