This match report was kindly provided courtesy of the superb Luton Town news Website www.lutontoday.co.uk.  Lutontoday.co.uk kindly allow us to use their match reports, and, as Hatters fans, we'd urge you to check out their excellent Website, which always contains up-to-date Luton Town news, views and match reports.  The photos are also with the kind permission of Luton Town Football Club and their excellent photographer Gareth Owen.

VENUE Layer Road ATTENDANCE 4,309 REFEREE M L Dean (Wirral) MATCH DATE 22 January 2005 KICK OFF TIME 15:00

COLCHESTER UNITED Aidan Davison   Sam Stockley   Wayne Brown   Pat Baldwin   Joe Keith   Guylain NDumbu-Nsungu 78   Stephen Hunt   Kevin Watson   Neil Danns Gavin Johnson   Greg Halford   Craig Fagan   SUBS NOT USED George Elokobi   Jamie Cade   Gareth Williams   Dean Gerken

LUTON TOWN Marlon Beresford   Kevin Foley   Chris Coyne   Curtis Davies   Sol Davis   Keith Keane   Steve Robinson   Kevin Nicholls   Paul Underwood   Peter Holmes 29   Steve Howard   Rowan Vine   Enoch Showunmi 74   SUBS NOT USED Alan Neilson   Dino Seremet   Michael Leary

Match Report	22 January 2005
Colchester United 0 - 0 Luton Town

COLCHESTER UNITED 0 N/A  LUTON TOWN 0 N/A

STALEMATE AS COLCHESTER HOLD THE HATTERS...

Luton Town were thankful for two important blocks from goalkeeper Marlon Beresford as they fought out a goalless draw at Layer Road against Colchester United.

In a game of few chances, the hosts created the best two openings of the game in the second-half, firstly when U's midfielder Neil Danns found the ball at his feet just six-yards from goal midway through the second period and then when Kevin Watson burst clear into the right-hand side of the penalty area in the last minute.

But Beresford smothered superbly from Danns and pushed aside Watson's drilled effort at the death to give the Hatters a share of the spoils.

With second-placed Hull City going down 0-1 to Doncaster Rovers, the draw moved Luton a point clear of the Tigers at the top of League One.

The Hatters showed two changes to the side that comfortably beat Stockport County 3-0 last week with Keith Keane replacing Ahmet Brkovic, who was missing with a thigh strain, and Sol Davis returning after suspension to replace Alan Neilson at left-back.

Both sides knocked the ball around attractively in the opening exchanges, but failed to create any clear openings.

A Steve Howard 25-yard effort that went straight at Aidan Davison in the third minute and a weak header from Colchester's Danns at Marlon Beresford in the 21st minute after Watson's free-kick on the left were the best the two teams could offer.

"Instead, the home fans took pleasure in taunting former loanee Rowan Vine"

Instead, the home fans took pleasure in taunting former loanee Rowan Vine every time the Luton forward became involved in the play.

Keane was the next to threaten in the 24th minute, but Davison comfortably gathered his 10-yard header from Davis’ cross.

The Hatters suffered a blow in the 29th minute when Paul Underwood limped out of the action, pulling up holding his left leg after delivering a cross from the left, to be replaced by Peter Holmes.

Joe Keith finally had the game's first meaningful effort on target on the half-hour mark when he turned Chris Coyne on the edge of the area and fired in a 23-yard strike that was well held by Beresford.

Both sides continued to cancel each other out until Howard placed an eight-yard header just past the post from Kevin Foley's right-wing cross four minutes before half-time.

The second-half continued in much the same vein with both sides lacking invention until Howard played a one-two with Vine before blazing over from 25-yards in the 57th minute.

Keith then curled a 20-yard free-kick over the bar on the hour after Coyne was harshly penalised for fouling Danns.

"The clearest opening of proceedings came in the 67th minute"

The clearest opening of proceedings came in the 67th minute when Gavin Johnson's chip into the penalty area was touched on by Fagan to Danns, but the former Blackburn Rovers man saw his six-yard effort blocked by Beresford.

Watson then burst into the area in the final minute, but Beresford again came to Luton's rescue, superbly pushing the midfielder's low 12-yard drive aside.

Newell's Comments	22 January 2005
Colchester United 0-0 Luton Town “It was a difficult game and you have to give Colchester credit – they came at us at times and played some decent stuff so I am not too unhappy with the point and Marlon made some good saves at the death. “This isn’t a bad result – it is a point and when we played them after Boxing Day it was a decent point because they were fresh and I feel this is a decent point today – I am not unhappy at all. “Rowan Vine did OK and sometimes you try too hard and sometimes nothing that you try comes off and also the added thing that you’ll get some stick from the supporters and sometimes it affects you and sometimes it doesn’t but today wasn’t his day and we just have to accept that. “It will affect you if you miss Brkovic who has been playing all season, but I think Keith Keane did OK and we lost Underwood with a hamstring and that means the two players who have been playing wide for you all season are missing and it will affect you because the lads who have come in and have not had regular football but I am still not unhappy with their performances. I am not too unhappy with their performances but I would be silly to say it didn’t affect us. “Paul Underwood went off with a hamstring injury and the best case scenario I would say is he will be missing for a couple of weeks at least, but we don’t want to find out it is a six-week job. “We’re top by a point but it is only January and as I have said on numerous occasions since Christmas, I am not worried about the table – I am happy about our position, but to those who were worried a couple of weeks ago after Hull’s magnificent run, I said it couldn’t go on forever but if they keep that form going until the end of the season they deserve the title but I would be very surprised and as it happens they’ve dropped points at home and lost today. “We have Tranmere next week coming to our place and we have a game in hand on them so it is in our hands but there is still a long way to go. “Ahmet Brkovic and all of the players we want to get right for next week and he has had this niggling thigh for a few weeks – maybe even a couple of months - and it hasn’t gone away so it may be that he needs ten days complete rest and we will see if that does the trick. We would like him back but we want all of our players fir and available.”

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