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VENUE Prostar Stadium ATTENDANCE 6,188 REFEREE A Taylor MATCH DATE 1 November 2008 KICK OFF TIME 15:00

SHREWSBURY TOWN Glynn Garner   Ben Herd   Michael Jackson Graham Coughlan   Marc Tierney Chris Humphrey   Steven Leslie 82   Paul Murray   Gylfi Sigurðsson 78   Ben Davies   Kevin McIntyre   Richard Walker   Grant Holt   SUBS NOT USED Steve Hindmarch   Kelvin Langmead   Michael Symes

LUTON TOWN Conrad Logan   Keith Keane   Harry Worley   Ian Roper   Jake Howells   Claude Gnakpa   Jordan Patrick 86   Michael Spillane   Rossi Jarvis   Paul McVeigh   Tom Craddock   Chris Martin   Wayne Andrews 61   SUBS NOT USED Dean Brill   George Beavan   Mark Farthing

Match Report	1 November 2008
Shrewsbury Town 3 - 0 Luton Town

SHREWSBURY TOWN 3 Paul Murray '4 Ben Davies '76 Grant Holt '87  LUTON TOWN 0 N/A

HAPLESS HATTERS BEATEN BY SHREWS...

Under-strength Luton Town froze against high-flying Shrewsbury Town on their first ever visit to the Prostar Stadium.

The Salops dominated proceedings from start to finish as the Hatters’ hotchpotch team, filled with players out of position and seemingly lacking interest, just couldn't cope as Shrewsbury outclassed them with a goal in the first-half and two late in the second.

Still ravaged by injuries, manager Mick Harford was forced to name the same starting XI that started the abandoned game against Bournemouth on Tuesday night.

The Hatters also named the same five players on the bench, with both YTS midfielder Mark Farthing and schoolboy striker Jordan Patrick among the substitutes.

Luton made a slow start to the match and Shrewsbury went close in the very first minute. Conrad Logan got nowhere near Chris Humphrey's corner and record signing Grant Holt's header flashed just over.

"And things got far worse moments later when the Salops took the lead on four minutes"

And things got far worse moments later when the Salops took the lead on four minutes. Keith Keane's header out went straight to Paul Murray and his low bouncing effort from 25-yards out flew through a crowd of player before nestling in the bottom left-hand corner.

The Shrews continued to push on and only a great Keane tackle on Holt prevented the former Forest man from running clear on eight minutes.

Jakes Howells then came to the visitors' rescue again moments later as the Hatters' struggled to live with the lively Salops.

Luton gradually began to work their way back into the game after a lackadaisical start, with Claude Gnakpa heading over Howells' deep free-kick on 15 minutes.

Shrewsbury went close again two minutes later due to some more haphazard Luton defending. Logan came for another ball into the box he was never going to get and Richard Walker's header ran just wide of the left-hand upright.

However, Luton almost struck straight back seconds later when Gnakpa flashed a shot across the face of goal from 20-yards out.

The lively Ben Davies outpaced Luton's defence seconds later and fired a shot into the side netting, while Kevin McIntyre should have doubled their lead on 22 minutes. A handball appeared to help the midfielder to race clear on goal, but his tame effort was well saved by the legs of Logan.

Some good play by Michael Spillane, Tom Craddock, Paul McVeigh and Chris Martin gave Hatters' fans some hope with some nice play on 25 minutes, but Luton were struggling to make an impact against a strong and well-drilled Shrewsbury side.

Davies got on the wrong side of Luton's defence again on 32 minutes and his curling effort drifted just wide of the far past.

Luton, though, gritted their teeth and Paul McVeigh almost made something happen a minute later. Harry Worley drove forward from the back and teed up the Ulsterman, whose 30-yard effort was turned over the bar by Glynn Garner.

And two minutes before the break Luton almost grabbed a lifeline following Keane's long thrown. Martin and Craddock combined to set up Rossi Jarvis on the edge of the box but the midfielder fired just wide.

The Salops made another good start to the second-half and should have doubled their lead a minutes in. Humphrey's cross was allowed to run all the way through to Davies at the far post but Logan once again denied the Shrews skipper.

And Logan was forced to make another excellent save on 58 minutes to deny Michael Jackson's far post header from a corner.

Luton then had decent appeals for a penalty waved away by referee Anthony Taylor on 61 minutes. Shrewsbury had struggled to clear a Luton corner and Davies appeared to go through Craddock to win the ball.

Holt went close again when he tried to turn a header home at the far post on 63 minutes, while Jackson sent a thumping header just over seconds later.

"Davies made sure of victory for the hosts with a 76th-minute screamer"

With 20 minutes left Jarvis was forced to head away Holt's goal bound header, but Davies made sure of victory for the hosts with a 76th-minute screamer. A lucky ricochet took Davies into the box and he let fly with a swerving screamer from 10-yards out that flew past Logan and into the net.

And with three minutes left hotshot Holt put the icing on the cake for the hosts. Walker fired in a cross from the left and the Holt produced a sublime back heel flick to turn the ball home.

Harford's Comments	1 November 2008
Shrewsbury Town 3-0 Luton Town "I'm very disappointed. We had a little spell in the first-half but we weren't really at the races today and the ball retention wasn't really very good. "If you keep giving the ball away it will end up in the back of the net and it did three times today. "In terms of making decisions on and off the ball today we were very average. "It wasn't the greatest start and we were under pressure for the first 10 or 15 minutes and we looked like conceding. "The lads were warned Paul Murray can hit balls from all angles. "We weren't good today and got what we deserved.”

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