Swindon Town vs Luton Town - Preview

Team News
Luton

Luton have almost a fully fit squad to choose from, with the only exception

Parkin in his Swindon days. I don't think anyone has a photo of Parkin in a Luton shirt yet.

being striker Sam Parkin. In his first start since picking up an injury last year, Parkin picked up a problem with his ankle against Dagenham & Redbridge that saw him substituted in the first half. The problem isn't thought to be too serious, but Parkin will definitely be out for the Swindon match at least, possibly even Gillingham next week. However, David Bell is thought to be back in contention for a start against Swindon. The winger from Rushden, who impressed last season, missed the first couple of games of the season because of a calf strain picked up in a pre-season friendly against Stevenage. Providing that Bell is fully fit and ready to start his first match of the season, he would probably get into the starting eleven, although Blackwell has a few selection headaches, particularly with the midfield. With David Edwards performing well in the first two matches of the season, Bell may struggle to oust him from the team, or Edwards or Bell may have to move into the centre of midfield. Currie should retain his place on the left wing after an impressive debut last Saturday that saw him score his first Luton goal. Dean Morgan certainly didn't do enough against Dagenham to warrant a starting place at Swindon, and Emanuel probably won't be moved forward. Up front, with Parkin out, it unfortunately makes it more likely that Paul Furlong will start, probably with Drew Talbot, who opened his account on Tuesday night. However, Blackwell may also opt to give McVeigh a start, as the Northern Ireland international hasn't really been given a chance to show what he can do yet, unlike the other strikers in the team. In defence, Blackwell should have a more straightforward choice, although there are a few decisions still to be made. Richard Jackson should keep his place at right-back and Coyne will probably start in central defence. However, his partner may either be Chris Perry or Keith Keane. Keane performed better than Perry in their matches last week, but Perry was playing against better opposition. Goodall will probably play at left-back, despite Emanuel putting in a good performance on Tuesday. However, with Blackwell seemingly unsure of his best eleven, he could change things around and make a few surprise changes.One thing that is certain is that he will name no keeper on the bench, so if Brill gets injured, who knows what will happen.

Swindon

Swindon manager Paul Sturrock has a few more problems relating to injuries than Kevin Blackwell has. However, unlike Kevin Blackwell, he has a choice of two keepers with the return of Peter Brezovan in the midweek League Cup match against Charlton Athletic. Sturrock may opt for either him or Phil Smith to play in Saturday's match, and he will put his second choice keeper on the bench, unlike Blackwell. Sturrock, however, has a few injuries to deal with. Key defenders Andy Nicholas and Adie Williams are still out, as well as striker Barry Corr, with these three players yet to appear this season. They are all unlikely to feature on Saturday. Having won promotion from League Two last season after finishing third, Swindon may be happy with a mid-table finish this season. Their comeback year in League One started quite well at Northampton last Saturday. Northampton took the lead early on in that match, but Swindon's Christian Roberts equalised from the penalty spot before half time, with the match eventually finishing 1-1. This is currently the only goal that Swindon have scored this season, as their League Cup campaign finished on Tuesday night with a 2-0 home defeat to Charlton. This is the first match for Swindon that is being played under new owners, with what is thought to be a predominantly Portuguese company taking over the club midweek.

Connections

From a Luton point of view, there are a few notable players who have played

David Moss: Luton legend, also played for Swindon

for both Luton and Swindon in the past. Two players who joined the Hatters the same season both left the club to play for the Robins, after being part of the title winning team of 1982-83. There was goalkeeper Jake Findlay, who joined Luton in 1978 and went on to make nearly 200 appearances for Luton before joining Swindon in 1984. The second was the legendary David Moss, who joined in 1978 as well, from Swindon. He went on to make 245 appearances in all competitions, scoring 94 goals in the process before returnning to Swindon the same year as Findlay. Recent years have seen quite a few players who have connections with both clubs. At Luton, Sam Parkin has yet to establish himself as a striker at the club, but he made his name at Swindon Town after being released by Chelsea. He went on to score 73 times in 142 appearances, and will be very unhappy about missing the trip to Swindon this weekend. Out of favour left-back Sol Davis was signed from the Robins, and became a popular figure at Luton, having played regularly for the last five seasons His future is still unclear at the club. Other players who have played for both clubs include Sammy Igoe, Andy Petterson, Richard Dryden, Roy Wegerle, Gary Waddock and the now unpopular Tony Thorpe. Another Luton legend, David Preece, also played for Swindon in a loan spell.

Past Meetings

Unsurprisingly, Swindon have beaten Luton many more times at home than Luton have in Swindon. However, Luton's record isn't too bad against the

Petterson: Remember him? Me neither

Robins away from home either, particularly in recent years. The teams have played 63 times in total against each other, 30 times at Swindon and 33 at Luton. In those 30 matches, Swindon have won 14 times, and Luton have won 7. Swindon have scored against Luton 57 times at home, compared to Luton's 41 goals. The last match between the two sides at Swindon saw Luton take the win in an early season match. Goals from Kevin Nicholls from the penalty spot, an own goal from Rory Fallon and Steve Howard saw Luton home, with Sam Parkin and Alan Reeves on the scoresheet for Swindon. It is unlikely that Parkin is going to be able to play tomorrow, so he will be denied the chance to score against his old club. In the last meeting between the two sides, Luton won 3-1 at Kenilworth Road, thanks to another Kevin Nicholls penalty and goals from Ahmet Brkovic and Peter Holmes. Brko may be given a chance to score against Swindon again on Saturday, although it is unlikely. Loanee Michael Proctor scored the goal for Swindon in the first-half. Swindon's first ever league match was against Luton in 1920, and astonishingly, they beat Luton 9-1 at home, although Luton did restore a little bit of pride a week later by beating the Robins 2-0. Luton's record win against Swindon is a mere 6-2 victory in 1933.

Adie Williams, who won't start for Swindon tomorrow.

Prediction

I'm not sure how Swindon will do this season, as they are a club who are suited to League One, but having just come up, they may struggle initially and could be happy just to survive this season. Despite this, I'm not confident that Luton can continue their 100% record this season into the weekend. I think we'll come away with a 2-2 draw, with Drew Talbot amongst the scorers again. Last week I got the score right, will another miracle happen?