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Luton Town Match Preview

General Information
– Supporters who are not attending the match can watch every kick live at The Hive on BT Sport. Full details here.
– The club will be running a five stop coach service to Luton, for full details please click here.
– Supporters wishing to purchase tickets can do so on the day via the turnstiles. 
– The Beech Hill Conservative Club is open to away supporters prior to the match. 
– Please be reminded that kick-off is at 12pm. 
Introduction
– Barnet travel to Luton Town on New Year’s Day looking to end a run of two successive defeats. 
– The Bees were beaten 2-1 by the Hatters on Boxing Day before losing by the same scoreline against Salisbury City two days later.
– Luton followed up their win at The Hive with a 6-0 demolition of Kidderminster Harriers.
– The Hatters are currently flying in the Skrill Premier topping the table on 53 points. 
– The Bees are currently sit ninth in the table but more importantly they remain just three points away from a play-off place.
– Edgar Davids, Carl Fletcher and Jon Nurse are all suspended for the match.
– The match will also see the Bees face former manager John Still who recently signed a new deal with Luton Town.
Team News 
– Edgar Davids, Carl Fletcher and Jon Nurse are all suspended after picking up red cards over the festive period.
– Marciano Mengerink remains out through injury but Luisma Villa and Andy Yiadom could return after missing the 2-1 defeat to Salisbury City.
Last Time Out
28 December 2013
Skrill Premier
Luton Town 6-0 Kidderminster Harriers 
Luton Town: Tyler, Henry, Ruddock (Howells 45), Davis, Griffiths, McNulty, Robinson, Guttridge, Lawless, Benson (Cullen 80), Gray.
Subs: Justham, Mawson, Wall.
Goals: Guttridge 28, 86 Benson 52 Howells 56 (pen), 70 Griffiths 79.
28 December 2013
Skrill Premier
Salisbury City 2-1 Barnet
Barnet: Stack, Stephens, Johnson, Byrne (Gambin 84), Marsh-Brown, Fletcher, Davids, Weston (Crawford 88), Vilhete (Acheampong 88), Hyde, Lopez. 
Subs: Abdulla, Jupp.
Goals: Hyde 20
The Opposition
– Luton Town formed in 1885, they play their home matches at Kenilworth Road.
– Luton were the first club from southern England to turn professional making payments to players as early as 1890. 
– They joined the Football League before the 1897-98 season but left in 1900 due to financial problems before returning in 1920.
– In 1955-56 they reached the First Division and contested a major final for the first time taking on Nottingham Forest in the 1959 FA Cup Final. 
– The club was relegated in 1959-60 and demoted twice more in the following five years to the fourth division but they were promoted back to the top level by 1974-75.
– Town’s most successful period began in 1981-82 when they clinched the Second division title.
– They won the League Cup in 1988 beating Arsenal 3-2 and they remained in the first division until relegation at the end of the 1991-92 season.
– Between 2007 and 2009 financial difficulties cause the club to fall from the second tier of English football to the fifth in successive seasons.
– The last of those relegations came in the 2008-09 season when the club were docked 30 points for various financial irregularities.
– This ended the club’s 89-year spell as a member of the Football League and they have remained in the Conference since. 
Manager
– Luton are managed by former Barnet manager John Still.
– Stiil had two spells in charge of Barnet between 1997-2000 and 2001-2002.
– During that time he took the Bees to the third division play-offs but lost 3-2 in the semi-finals to Colchester United in 1998.
– Two years later he led Barnet to the play-offs once again but they were once again beaten, this time by former employers Peterborough United.
– Still became Director of Football in November 2000 following the appointment of former England international Tony Cottee.
– Cottee left after losing 13 of his 19 games in charge and Still returned as manager but he was unable to prevent their relegation to the Conference. 
– Still remained as Director of Football until the end of the 2001-02 season before leaving to become assistant manager of Bristol Rovers. 
– Since leaving Barnet Still has also managed Dagenham & Redbridge winning promotion to League Two and League One.Â