LUTON TOWN - WEDNESDAY 28/12/2005

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Christmas matches are always ones that throw up interesting local games. This time it was an evening trip to the rusty and ancient Kenilworth Road. Luton had been doing surprisingly well in the league following their promotion from League One, and they faced a Brighton side in their best run of form for 9 months, after winning back-to-back games. With no Tom Witham, Mark Potter made his Crocs on Tour debut alongside McCarthy and Kane on the trip to Luton, which made up phase 2 of McCarthy and Kane's 36 hour drinkathon
Mode of Transport: Luton and Brighton are connected directly by a railway, which is very handy. We therefore boarded a Thames link train from Haywards Heath to Luton
Team: A much changed 4-4-2 line up of: Kuipers, El-Abd, Butters, McShane, Mayo; Hart, Carpenter, Hammond, Carole; McCammon, Turienzo.
Kit: Luton wore their home number of white shirts, black shorts and white socks, while Brighton chose their changed strip of all maroon. Michel Kuipers plummeted for a green, black and white combination goalkeepers jersey, coupled with black shorts and stockings
Mark McGhee's Attire: We are unsure as to what Mr McGhee was wearing, probably because he was so embarrassed by the inept performance that he did not move from the dugout during the game
Weather: A cold evening, with snow and ice loitering on the pavements of Luton
Stadium Rating: Kenilworth Road is a unique ground in many ways. Nestled in-between the houses, it is facility wise, possibly poorer than Withdean. However, in terms of generating an atmosphere it is top notch due to its compact nature. One of the most characteristic grounds in England, novel points include one entire stand being executive boxes, and the away turnstile being through a front room that has been converted into an entrance. 6/10
Food Rating: Due to a lack of effort in bothering to que up for some food, we are unable to rate this category
Entertainment: None was on offer from Luton, but there were several entertaining moments within the ground, such as seeing one man hit his father and then walk off, and then the man that got hit attempting to punch McCarthy as he berated Dean Hammond for a mistake that lead to Luton's 3rd. 1/10 for the club, 10/10 for Brighton's own fighting fans
Friendliness of Locals: Didn't really get to see many Luton fans, although McCarthy had a rather long conversation with a man in a pub by the station, and he was a charming chap. The few Luton fans we met on the train also seemed like good people. 7/10
Standard of Local Females: There was a distinctive lack of females in and around the Luton area, and none at all that were memorably attractive. 1/10
Steward Rating: Knew what they were doing, and were not heavy handed at all. Extremely impressive, especially the one outside the stadium who asked what was under Kane and McCarthy's Santa hats, to which they responded bombs. The steward then said "Don't go shouting that in Luton, you will get locked up for 28 days for being a terrorist" as a reference to Luton being the place where the 7/7 bombers left from 
Flag Attention: Unfortunately the previous evenings drinking had had its affect, as the flag was forgotten
Match Report: Luton Town continued their dominance over Brighton with a well deserved 3-0 victory. Mark McGhee changed his line-up with one eye on the massive Millwall match this coming weekend, and it proved to be costly as his side were outfought, out battled and out played on an extremely disappointing night
Thought of the Day: Not as much thoughts, but two classic quotes. Firstly, from the man who attempted to punch McCarthy, as he told the Crocs on Tour "You three and possibly the biggest pair of pricks I have ever seen", and then after this confrontation, one gentleman behind leant over to us and said "Don't worry lads, keep moaning and if he does that again I will climb over and plant him one"