July 2001

GRIFFITHS SCORES AGAIN AS LUTON BEAT QPR IN PRE--SEASON FRIENDLY

Carl Griffiths struck in the 47th minute for his third goal in as many matches this pre-season to give Luton a 1-0 win over Second Division QPR in front of a crowd of 3,049.

Griffiths, who was signed for £60,000 from Leyton Orient, had also scored in the matches with Boreham Wood and Dundee.

Luton fielded five trialists during the game, and the starting line-up for Luton was as follows: -

Carl Emberson, Emmerson Boyce, Matthew Taylor, Russell Perrett (trialist), Richard Dryden, Adrian Forbes, Matthew Brazier (trialist), Aaron Skelton, Lee Mansell, Carl Griffiths, Steve Howard.

QPR fielded a reserve team, only ex-Arsenal defender Matthew Rose a survivor of QPR'S 2-1 FA Cup Third Round replay win over Luton.

Another thing to note is that the Hatters will not run out to 'Let Me Entertain You' by Robbie Williams next season, but will run out to 'Gimme Some Loving' by the Blues Brothers'.

Luton's best chances of the first-half came when Steve Howard blasted over after 27 minutes, Lee Mansell just missed with a header and Matthew Taylor saw a 40th minute shot deflected over.

Luton made half-time substitutions and brought on Mark Ovendale for Carl Emberson in goal, trialist Didier Santini coming on for Richard Dryden, former QPR player Steve Morrow, another trialist, coming on for Matthew Taylor and Adam Locke replacing Aaron Skelton.

Just two minutes into the second-half Carl Griffiths scored for Luton, Griffiths pulling down a looping Adam Locke header and slotting the ball home via the post.

Just a minute later Adrian Forbes headed a Matthew Brazier corner onto the crossbar. Luton then replaced Adam Locke, who had only come on at half-time, with Peter Holmes in the 59th minute.

Steve Howard then headed a Peter Holmes free-kick across the area after 68 minutes, but Emmerson Boyce put the ball over the bar. Just three minutes later Howard was replaced by another trialist, Farnborough striker Bruno Mendonca. Jude Strling then replaced Emmerson Boyce after 76 minutes.

Peter Holmes almost made it 2-0, but his shot from the edge of the area curled just wide of the post after good closing down from Mendonca.

Liam George then replaced Carl Griffiths after 80 minutes before QPR almost equalised, Mark Ovendale superbly pushing a Daly effort behind for a corner. In the last minute Luton made two more substitutions, Stuart Douglas replacing Adrian Forbes and Kent Karlsen coming on for Lee Mansell.

The full set of trialists were Steve Morrow, formerly of Arsenal and QPR; Bruno Mendonca, a Portugese striker from Farnborough; Didier Santini, a French ex-Marseille, Bastia and Toulouse and Lille midfielder; Matthew Brazier, formerly of QPR and Fulham and Russell Perrett, an ex-Portsmouth and Cardiff defender.

Luton's next match is at home to Norwich City on Saturday.
Story date: Tuesday, July 31, 2001

QPR FRIENDLY PREVIEW: FOUR NEW HATTERS WILL ALL PLAY

Luton face a friendly with Second Division QPR at Kenilworth Road on Tuesday night, with a 7:45 pm kick-off. For many Luton supporters it will be the first glimpse of new signings Carl Emberson, Adrian Forbes, Carl Griffiths and Aaron Skelton.

The Hatters have played two friendlies so far in which they fielded a full squad of first-team players, winning against Boreham Wood, but losing 3-2 to Scottish outfit Dundee after leading 2-0. There are now just 13 days to the first match of the season, away at Carlisle United on Saturday, August 11th and the friendly with the R's is the first of three home friendlies for the Hatters in 8 days, with Norwich City visiting on Saturday and then Premiership Tottenham coming to Kenilworth Road the following Tuesday.


Luton manager Joe Kinnear will field his four new summer signings, with Carl Emberson expected to play a half each with Mark Ovendale in goal, Aaron Skelton operating in midfield alongside Adrian Forbes (pictured) and Carl Griffiths (pictured) is expected to start up front with Steve Howard.

Luton met QPR last season in the FA Cup Third Round, with Luton leading QPR 3-2 deep into injury-time only for Lee Nogan to handball and needlessly concede a penalty, which Gavin Peacock converted to earn QPR a replay at Loftus Road. Lee Mansell marked his Luton debut with a goal in under a minute, but QPR eqaulised in injury-time once again and then scored the winner in extra-time to go through to the Fourth Round and a home tie with Arsenal, which they lost 0-6!


They were also releagted from Division One and are currently in administration. Manager Ian Holloway (pictured), who took over the R's following Gerry Francis' departure, has been forced to sell many of his best players, including 6 ft 6" striker Peter Crouch, who joined Portsmouth for £1.5 million. Defender Jermaine Darlington signed for Wimbledon for £200,000 and striker Michel Ngonge joined Kilmarnock on a free transfer. Holloway was also forced to released almost the entire squad, including midfielder Keith Rowland, who spent a loan spell with Luton last season. Of the other released players, the most noticable are defender Karl Ready and striker Chris Kiwomya, who scored both of the goals in QPR's 2-1 win over the Hatters last season.

Holloway has been able to purchase a few new players, striker Leroy Griffiths the only player who has joined for a fee, signing from non-league Hampton & Richmond for £40,000, and who scored in QPR's 3-1 friendly win over Chelsea. Holloway has also signed striker Dave McEwan on a free transfer from Tottenham, and has acquired the services of three Watford players. Goalkeeper Chris Day, who made 13 appearances for Watford has joined, along with midfielder Steve Palmer, who made 272 appearances for the Hornets and Frenchman Alexandre Bonnot, who had an unsuccessful trial with Luton last season.


Holloway will be pleased to have retained the services of midfielder Richard Langley (pictured), who is rated at over £1 million and who has attracted the attention of several higher division clubs. Langley missed a penalty in QPR's 2-1 win over Luton last season, although he shone throughout the two matches as a pacy and highly talented player.

Many Luton supporters will be itching to see the new signings and to basically watch the Luton players again, so a trip to Kenilworth Road on a warm summer's evening can't be too bad!
Story date: Monday, July 30, 2001

TEAM PREVIEW: MACCLESFIELD TOWN

As the 2001-02 season draws closer, we are building-up to the new campaign by previewing each of the 23 other teams in the Third Division. Today, it's Macclesfield Town.

A GUIDE TO MACCLESFIELD TOWN...

Macclesfield Town will be looking to improve on last season’s 13th place League finish and push for a play-off place during the forthcoming season. The Silkmen are one of the smaller clubs in the Third Division, having only been promoted from the Conference in the 1996-97 season.

While the 1996-97 season is remembered as the most successful season so far in Macclesfield’s history, the 1997-98 campaign will also hold a prominent place in the clubs history, this too proved to be a treble season success.

The first trophy claimed was the Conference Championship Shield, this particular piece of silverware remaining in the Moss Rose trophy cabinet for a record equalling third consecutive season and the Cheshire Senior Cup was won for a record 19th time.

In the domestic season, The Silkmen continued to re-write the history books. They were the first team to attain promotion since Wycombe Wanderers four years previously and very few teams knew what to expect.

The campaign began in the best possible way as Macclesfield beat Torquay 2-1 with goals from Efe Sodje (who was signed from Stevenage and who also later went on to play for Luton) and Richard Landon.

The greatest achievement came in the League at the start of their first Football League season. The Club were looking for a respectable position, mainly to retain their football league status. Amazingly, after the third Saturday of the season, Macclesfield headed the table.

Expectations started to grow and as Christmas approached, a play-off place looked a realistic hope. As the New Year arrived, an automatic promotion place also looked possible.

At the end of the season Macclesfield finished comfortably in the runners-up spot. The foundation of this success and promotion to the Second Division at the first attempt was the unbeaten home form. Macclesfield Town were the only club in the English professional game to be unbeaten at home in their league campaign, a record that even Arsenal and Manchester United could not boast. The record at home that season has yet to be beaten P23 W19 D4 L0

Although Macclesfield were relegated from the Second Division in their first season, they were not disgraced and of their 19 League defeats, 14 of those were by a single goal margin. The Silkmen met Luton during that season, their first ever encounters with the Hatters. Goals from Stuart Douglas and Phil Gray earned Luton a 2-2 draw at The Moss Rose Ground, while the Silkmen won 2-1 at Kenilworth Road on May 1st 1999, the winner coming from a certain Simon Davies, who former Luton manager Lennie Lawrence had signed from Manchester United for £250,000 and then handed a free transfer to after just months at Kenilworth Road. Davies was released by Macclesfield, having failed to make an impact there too, and he moved to Rochdale, only to be released by them this summer.

Last season saw Macclesfield finish in mid-table mediocrity, with the Silkmen failing to fully recover from the loss of manager Sammy McIlroy, who had taken over the Northern Ireland manager’s position. McIlroy’s assistant, ex-Manchester United striker Peter Davenport was appointed as his successor. However, Davenport failed to follow in the footsteps of McIlroy and he was sacked and replaced as manager by McIlroy’s former assistant, Gil Prescott. By Christmas of last season Macclesfield were hovering just above the relegation zone, but Prescott turned things around and the Silkmen eventually finished in 13th place.

Their star player was striker Richie Barker, but he left to join Rotherham United and Macclesfield’s main goal scoring hope this season is Lee Glover, who was signed on loan to Luton by David Pleat in the early 90s from Nottingham Forest, but he was injured on his debut and returned to the City Ground after just one match.



Glover (pictured) started his career at Nottingham Forest in 1987. He played 20 times for Forest and scored 3 goals. In 1989 he joined Leicester City on loan scoring 1 goal in 5 games. He returned to Forest and played 56 games scoring only 6 goals. He then joined Port Vale in 1994 and played 52 games for the Vale scoring 7 times. Before joining Macclesfield in July 2000, he spent 3 seasons at Rotherham United. Glover scored 10 goals last season, including a brace in a 2-0 win at Barnet.


Glover will be partnered in attack by summer signing Kyle Lightbourne (pictured). Lightbourne has signed a two-year deal with Macclesfield after being released by Stoke City at the end of last season. A pacy player who poses a threat to defences both in the air and on the ground, he had more than most to celebrate after the Auto Windscreens Shield victory at Wembley as Stoke were in great danger of losing their place in the competition in the first-round game at home to Darlington when Kyle came off the bench to score two (the second a "golden goal") and see them through to the ultimate prize. He won another cap when he played and scored in Bermuda's 5-1 victory over the US Virgin Islands in a World Cup qualifying match last March. Former Walsall striker Lightbourne once cost Coventry £500,000 when they signed him from the Saddlers, and he scored one of the best goals seen at Kenilworth Road by an opposing player when Luton beat Walsall 3-1 in the 1996-97 season.


Lightbourne is Macclesfield’s third summer signing with Prescott also securing the signatures of Wrexham defender Dave Ridler (pictured) and Chris Byrne from Stockport. Ridler competed with Steve Roberts for a place alongside skipper Brian Carey in the centre of Wrexham's defence in the 1999-00 season.

He is a player who always seems to have time and impressed many at the Racecourse with his no-nonsense displays. He was released by Wrexham at the end of the 2000-01 season after putting in a mighty 104 league appearances for the Welsh side and scoring 1 goal.
The summer has also seen the departures of 8 players, with Prescott losing the services of two of his best players – midfielder Kieron Durkan and defender Rae Ingram, who joined Rochdale and Port Vale respectively – both players leaving under the Bosman ruling. Goalkeeper Tony Bullock joined Ross County, while veteran midfielder Steve Wood signed for Stalybridge Celtic.

The Macclesfield captain and star defender is Darren Tinson (pictured). Tinson was a five figure signing from Northwich Victoria in February 1996 and it was a case of Sammy McIlroy finally getting his man. In 1993, both Macclesfield and Northwich were keen to sign Darren, and he opted for the Vics, before finally switching to Moss Rose three and a half years ago. Comfortable at right-back and in the centre of defence, Tinson is a dominant player in the Macclesfield line up. Tinson won the player of the season award for 2000-01.


Fellow defender Steve Hitchen (pictured) put in a transfer request by has since come off of the list at his own request. Hitchen was Sammy McIlroy's first signing when preparing Macclesfield for League football. He began his career with a two-year contract at Blackburn, and made the bench for a match in their Champions League campaign. Injury ruled him out of most of 1997-98 but he made a great return to form and won all of the 1999-00 Player of the Year awards. In the very first match of the 1999-00 season against Northampton, he broke his leg and was ruled out of the game for 6 months. He had handed in a request last season after being unhappy with backroom staff and also claiming that the club had "Lacked ambition" but his withdrawal of his transfer request will delight the Macclesfield fans.
Macclesfield will be looking to improve on their final position last season and with some good players and an astute manager, they could well be play-off challengers come the end of the season.

BETTING ODDS

Bet 365.co.uk give Macclesfield Town the following odds of winning the Division Three Championship next season: -

Macclesfield are priced at 40/1 to win the Third Division Championship along with Kidderminster and Torquay, which makes the Silkmen the joint third favourites to be relegated to the Conference come the end of the season.

TRANSFERS

The Macclesfield Town transfers for the 2001-02 season so far: -

PLAYERS IN
Kyle Lightbourne – Stoke City (Free Transfer)
Dave Ridler – Wrexham (Free Transfer)
Chris Byrne – Stockport County (Free Transfer)

PLAYERS OUT
Kieron Durkan – Rochdale (Bosman Free Transfer)
Rae Ingram – Port Vale (Bosman Free Transfer)
Steve Wood – Stalybridge Celtic (Free Transfer)
Tony Bullock – Ross County (Free Transfer)
Simon Collins – Released
John Askey – Released
Daniel Booth – Released

YOUR SAY

Have your say on how well you think Macclesfield Town will do this season by clicking the "Comments" link below!

Team Preview By: James Garley

LUTON V's WATFORD YOUTH GAME IS OFF

The youth team game between Luton and 'rivals' Watford, to be played tomorrow (Saturday), has been called off. The news was published on the clubs website this afternoon. No reason was given, neither was there any details of when the fixture will be played.

As soon as more details are released we will update you.
Story date: Friday, July 27, 2001

TEAM PREVIEW: LINCOLN CITY

As the 2001-02 season draws closer, we are building-up to the new campaign by previewing each of the 23 other teams in the Third Division. Today, it's Lincoln City.

A GUIDE TO LINCOLN CITY...

Lincoln City will be looking to push for a place in this season’s play-offs after a disappointing 2000-01 season, which saw the Imps finish in 18th place in Division Three.

With an experienced manager, Alan Buckley, and no less than 5 new signings to date, Lincoln will be hoping to reproduce the form that saw them earn promotion to Division Two in 1998-99, although they were relegated back to the Third Division after just one season in Division Two.


Buckley (pictured) joined Lincoln City in late February 2001 as a replacement for Phil Stant, who had been dismissed the previous day. As a player he represented Nottingham Forest, Walsall, Birmingham City, Stourbridge, Tamworth and Kettering Town.

Just prior to his departure to Birmingham City, Buckley had made his first start in management when he took over as Walsall's caretaker-boss for a few weeks following Dave Mackay's departure. This was the main reason for him leaving. However, within a year he was back as manager, a job he held for two years. In January 1982 Buckley left Walsall - yet within four months Walsall were once again unveiling their latest manager – Alan Buckley!

In July 1986, Buckley said a final farewell to Walsall, though no doubt everyone expected him to return within months. This just did not happen and instead he joined Stourbridge and Tamworth as a player, before Kettering Town offered him the player-manager's position.

In July 1988, he was poached by Grimsby Town, where he became one of their most successful and favourite managers in recent years. He eventually parted company with Grimsby in 1994 when he moved to West Bromwich Albion. The move quickly turned sour and by 1997 Alan was sacked by the Baggies as he and all the ex-Grimsby players (whom Alan had signed) were blamed for the Midland club's poor fortunes. Within months Grimsby were welcoming Buckley and most of their ex-players who had followed him to West Brom back to Blundell Park. The success stories began again as Grimsby won promotion back to Division One and were the Auto Windscreen Shield winners. With just two weeks of the 2000-01 season played, Buckley was surprisingly sacked as Grimsby manager and remained unemployed until joining the Imps in February 2001.

Buckley has brought in a new number two during the summer as he continues to rebuild the structure of the club. Former manager Keith Alexander, who had spells as manager of non-league Northwich Victoria and Ilkeston Town, has joined the Imps as director of coaching.

Former Grimsby, Stockport, Lincoln and St Lucian international striker Alexander managed Lincoln for a year from May 1993. He went on to establish Ilkeston as one of the leading sides in the Dr Martens Premier Division. He took charge of Northwich last October before leaving the Drill Field Club to take over his new role with Lincoln.

Among Buckley’s five summer signings are ex-Luton winger Kingsley Black, and Buckley’s son Adam – both of whom have joined the Imps from Buckley’s former club Grimsby.


Black (pictured), a vastly experienced player, joined Lincoln on loan in October 2000. Kingsley began his career as a trainee with the Hatters and became a vital part of our successful late 80s side. As we won the League Cup and appeared in two other Wembley Cup finals, international recognition was earned for several of our players, and in Kingsley's case he went on to represent Northern Ireland.

As the players began to earn more caps, the bigger clubs were soon at Luton recruiting their players and after five years at Luton, Kingsley made a £1.5 million pound move to Nottingham Forest. He immediately fitted in at Brian Clough's young, but successful Forest side which earned the club huge praise for its passing and skilful football. However, some of that skill was lost when Clough retired from management and soon Kingsley found himself as a squad player rather than first choice. He moved to Grimsby for £25,000 in July 1996, and after four years with the Mariners he joined the Imps on loan. The move was made permanent during the summer, with Black joining Lincoln on a free transfer.

Midfielder Adam Buckley signed a two-year deal with Lincoln and he became his dad’s third summer signing. The 21 year-old made a total of 15 League appearances for Grimsby, although he failed to appear in the Mariners first-team last season.

Buckley’s other summer signings have seen defender Paul Morgan join from Preston North End, Andy Smith sign from Grimsby and goalkeeper Paul Pettinger join from Rotherham United – all of the players joining on free transfers. Buckley fought off the attention of Chesterfield to sign Pettinger, who will compete with Alan Marriott for the number one spot.


Among Lincoln’s star players are Peter Gain and Lee Thorpe. Midfielder Gain (pictured) originally joined Lincoln in January 1999 on loan from Spurs, along with Neale Fenn and both were expected to lead Lincoln to Division Two safety. That did not happen, not through their fault, but because both hardly played for the club. This led to many a discussion, not least from Tottenham's Director of Football David Pleat, asking why Gain and especially Irish Under-21 International Neale were not selected for the first-team.

Despite not playing first-team football, Gain decided to try his luck permanently at Lincoln and signed for £15,000 in March 1999. This may have been the right decision, as whilst Gain was a regular in the Tottenham reserve side, he never made the first-team. He did, however, represent Spurs in the Youth Cup Final, which they lost on penalties.


John Beck signed striker Thorpe in July 1997 on a free transfer following off-the-field problems at Blackpool. Their loss was Lincoln's gain, as Thorpe's first season at Sincil Bank saw him finish leading scorer with 14 goals, overcoming initial supporter criticism.

He also scored the goal that took Lincoln back into Division 2. However, despite his 14 goals, Lee spent most of the 1999-00 season out of position and this was a costly mistake. For as the season drew to a close, Lee was once again deployed as striker and this saw him hit 6 goals in the final 7 matches.

A row at the start of January 2000 saw Lee dropped from the team and his days at Sincil Bank seemed to be ending but the disagreement with chairman John Reames has now been sorted. Named as Player Of The Season for the 1999-2000 season.

Although not fancied by the bookies as serious title contenders, Lincoln City could most definitely be challenging for a play-off place, if they can solve the defensive frailties that they had last season.

BETTING ODDS

Bet 365.co.uk give Lincoln City the following odds of winning the Division Three Championship next season: -

Lincoln City are priced at 25/1 to win the Third Division Championship, which makes them the joint ninth favourites along with Cheltenham Town.

TRANSFERS

The Lincoln City transfers for the 2001-02 season so far: -

PLAYERS IN
Adam Buckley – Grimsby Town (Undisclosed)
Andy Smith – Grimsby Town (Free Transfer)
Paul Pettinger – Rotherham United (Free Transfer)
Kingsley Black – Grimsby Town (Free Transfer)
Paul Morgan – Preston North End (Free Transfer)

PLAYERS OUT
Tony Bullock – Released
Chris Perkins – Released
Richard Peacock - Released

YOUR SAY

Have your say on how well you think Lincoln City will do this season by clicking the "Comments" link below!

Team Preview By: James Garley

LUTON LOSE TO DUNDEE IN FRIENDLY

Luton threw away a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 tonight in a pre-season friendly with Scottish Premiership side Dundee. Summer signing Carl Griffiths scored again to make it 2 goals in 2 games in this behind-closed-doors match. Griffiths scored after just 5 minutes, slotting past the goalkeeper after a threw ball from Matthew Spring.

An own goal gave the Hatters a 2-0 lead, but Dundee scored twice to make it 2-2 at the break. Wholesale changes were made at the interval by Luton, with only Lee Mansell and Aaron Skelton playing the full 90 minutes.

A goal midway though the second-half gave Dundee a 3-2 win.
Story date: Monday, July 23, 2001

TEAM PREVIEW: LEYTON ORIENT

As the 2001-02 season draws closer, we are building-up to the new campaign by previewing each of the 23 other teams in the Third Division. Today, it's Leyton Orient.

A GUIDE TO LEYTON ORIENT...

Leyton Orient were last season’s Third Division beaten play-off finalists, losing to Blackpool at the Millennium Stadium – but they will be hoping to go one better than that this season and earn promotion to Division Two.

Leyton Orient beat Hull City 2-1 on aggregate last season in the play-off semi-finals, setting up a final with Blackpool. The O’s took the lead after just 27 seconds through Chris Tate. Blackpool equalised after 34 minutes, but just 2 minutes later Orient were back in front through Scott Houghton. A Blackpool equaliser just before half-time set up a pulsating second-half, but goals from Paul Simpson and Brett Ormerod condemned Leyton Orient to another season in Division Three as the Tangerines win 4-2.


Manager Tommy Taylor (pictured) has been busy in the transfer market this summer as he looks to build on last season’s 5th place League finish. The summer has seen the arrivals of 5 new players, including midfielder Scott Oakes, well known to Luton fans after his goal scoring antics of the 90s for the Hatters, most notably his hat-trick in a 3-2 FA Cup Quarter-Final win over West Ham in 1994.


Oakes (pictured) joined Orient on a free transfer after being released by Cambridge manager John Beck at the end of the season. Oakes, who has also played for Leicester City and Sheffield Wednesday during his career, was yet another reserve team player used very sparingly in the Sheffield Wednesday first-team by Danny Wilson, gracing the 1998-99 Carling Premiership for all of 74 minutes after his £425,000 move from the Hatters. Oakes, whose father was a member of 70s pop sensations ‘Showaddywaddy’, joined Orient at the same time as Hadland, who arrived on a free transfer from Rochdale. Taylor has been chasing Hadland for some time and the former Reading youngster finally put pen-to-paper on a deal after passing a medical at Brisbane Road with Oakes.

On signing the duo, Tommy Taylor said, "They have both passed their medicals and we are pleased with them.

"We have agreed two-year deals with both of them."

The O’s have also signed midfielders Scott Canham (his second spell at Brisbane Road) and Jeff Minton, while striker Gary Fletcher has signed from Conference outfit Northwich Victoria for £150,000.

Minton joined the O’s on a Bosman free transfer from Rotherham, and the former Brighton ace, a goal scoring midfielder, is likely to be one of the stars of the Third Division next season. After signing Minton, Taylor said, "I have been trying to sign him for three years and he has become a better player in that time so to get him now is really good. Some other clubs offered him more money, but he wanted to move to London so that helped.

"He is strong – I bet he will hardly lose a tackle all season – and he is a good passer too.

"Everywhere he has played he has taken the set-pieces so that gives us another option and he can see people early to help the attacks.

"He is the sort of player I would rather have on our side than against us and he is the type of player we have not had at the club for a few years.

"He knows a few of the boys which is good, and he played with Scott Houghton at Spurs.

"That should be the final signing now and I am really pleased with the quality we have brought in, especially in the midfield.

"There are not many teams in the division who have got a midfield with players who can open play up so that is what we will be looking to do."

Gary Fletcher bagged 13 goals last season for Northwich, impressing during Northwich’s FA Cup run, which saw them beaten 3-2 by Leyton Orient, with Fletcher catching the eye of Tommy Taylor. A £150,000 fee was enough to take the Vics’ hot shot to Brisbane Road.

They have also lost the services of two of their best players – midfielder Ahmet Brkovic to Stoke and striker Carl Griffiths, who, of course, has joined Luton for £65,000. Brkovic, a 26-year-old Croatian-born playmaker, scored four goals in 38 appearances last term and joined the Second Division side on a Bosman free transfer. Taylor also released Belgian midfielder Wim Walschaerts and Frenchman Emmaneul Vasseur, deeming the foreign pair surplus to requirements at Brisbane Road.


Griffiths (pictured) will be a big loss to Orient, and hopefully a big gain for Luton. Having had three spells with Orient, Griffiths was a firm fans’ favourite at Brisbane Road, and the O’s top goal scorer last season, scoring 19 goals in all competitions from 43 appearances. Griffiths will be difficult to replace - with only Iyseden Christie of the current strikers at the club ever having hit double figures for League goals per season.

His departure will put added pressure on youngster Jabo Ibehre. Ibehre is a highly promising youth-team player who has already made a few appearances in the first-team. Tall and good in the air but also a skilful ball-player, he surprised many with a mature performance coming on as a substitute in a home Worthington Cup leg against Newcastle. He can play in central or right midfield or in attack.


Defender Matt Lockwood (pictured) is one of Leyton Orient’s star players. He signed at the start of 1998-99 on a free transfer from Bristol Rovers, whom he immediately helped to eliminate from the Worthington Cup. Already looking a good acquisition then, he had matured into an assured and talented player, and has been the subject of much transfer speculation, recently being linked with a £350,000 move to Millwall. Although played as a left-back for most of his O's career, his real value to the team is as a provider, and occasional scorer of goals. His crosses have led to many of Orient's strikes in the past two seasons, and his repertoire from dead ball situations ranges from the conventional cross to the spectacular long-range strike, as well as a deadly in-swinging corner that has become his trade-mark and already brought one direct score. Netted the winning shoot-out penalty that took Orient to the '99 play-off final, and was elected to the PFA Division 3 team of the year last season.

Leyton Orient will be hoping to go one better than last season and earn promotion to Division Two and, should they keep hold of their better players, they could most definitely be thereabouts come the end of the season.

BETTING ODDS

Bet 365.co.uk give Leyton Orient the following odds of winning the Division Three Championship next season: -

Leyton Orient are priced at 14/1 to win the Third Division Championship, making them the joint seventh favourites along with Plymouth and Hartlepool.

TRANSFERS

The Leyton Orient transfers for the 2001-02 season so far: -

PLAYERS IN
Gary Fletcher – Northwich Victoria (£150,000)
Scott Oakes – Cambridge United (Free Transfer)
Jeff Minton – Rotherham United (Free Transfer)
Phil Hadland – Rochdale (Free Transfer)
Scott Canham – Unattached

PLAYERS OUT
Ahmet Brkovic – Stoke City (Bosman Free Transfer)
Carl Griffiths – Luton Town (£65,000)
Emmanuel Vasseur – Released
Wim Walschaerts - Released

YOUR SAY

Have your say on how well you think Leyton Orient will do this season by clicking the "Comments" link below!

Team Preview By: James Garley

GRIFFITHS GETS ON SCORE SHEET AS LUTON BEAT BOREHAM WOOD

Luton won 3-1 this afternoon in a pre-season friendly at Boreham Wood. Hatters boss Joe Kinnear fielded a full-strength side for the match with new signings Carl Emberson, Aaron Skelton, Adrian Forbes and Carl Griffiths all playing.

Griffiths got on the score sheet, with the other Luton goals coming from midfielder Lee Mansell (again!) and Steve Howard.

The full Luton line-up was: -

Carl Emberson, Emmerson Boyce, Matthew Taylor, Richard Dryden, Kent Karlsen, Matthew Spring, Adrian Forbes, Aaron Skelton, Lee Mansell, Carl Griffiths, Steve Howard.

Luton now travel to Scotland where they will play Dundee in a behind-closed-doors match and Arbroath.

Story date: Saturday, July 21, 2001

TEAM PREVIEW: KIDDERMINSTER HARRIERS

As the 2001-02 season draws closer, we are building-up to the new campaign by previewing each of the 23 other teams in the Third Division. Today, it's Kidderminster Harriers.

A GUIDE TO KIDDERMINSTER HARRIERS...

Kidderminster Harriers had a good first season in the Football League, finishing 16th in the 2000-01 season and consolidating their place in Division Three. Worcestershire’s first ever Football League team were promoted from the Conference the previous season and they will be hoping to achieve a play-off place this season.


With a good young manager in Jan Molby, Kidderminster are more than likely to upset some of the more fancied teams this season. Molby (pictured) has had a long and distinguished playing career with Ajax and Liverpool. Now at 37 years of age, he finds himself in his second stint of football management.

He started his backroom career at Swansea City where, despite a reasonable start, things didn't work out for him and he was sacked. He joined the Kidderminster in May 1999. In his first season at Aggborough he steered the team to promotion and into the ranks of the Football League for the first time in the club’s history. This achievement earned him a 4-year contract with Kidderminster. He is an intelligent manager with an excellent knowledge of the game. He has assembled a talented and hard working squad, which has a good mixture of youth and experience.

He has purchased five new players so far during the close season as he attempts to build on the foundations he has already set in place. Seven players have also left the club, six of those deemed surplus to requirements and released by Molby. Molby was, however, disappointed to lose the services of ex-Stoke and Cambridge midfielder Neil MacKenzie who turned down a new contract offer to join Second Division new boys Blackpool on a Bosman free transfer.

Molby has moved to replace MacKenzie with Mansfield’s Mark Blake. Former Aston Villa, Leicester and Walsall midfielder Blake has joined Kidderminster on a Bosman free transfer. On signing Blake Molby said, "Mark is a very strong, versatile player and should turn out to be a fantastic signing for us. He scored nine goals from midfield last year and he has since told me he was disappointed with that figure! If he can weigh in with the same tally again I'll be more than happy."


Molby has also purchased another two midfield players – Sam Shilton from Hartlepool and ex Liverpool trainee Danny Williams from Wrexham – both on free transfers. Midfielder Sam Shilton (pictured) is the son of former England goalkeeper Peter Shilton. Originally Sam arrived at Hartlepool on a three-month loan/trial deal from Coventry and he certainly got off on the right foot with a goal against Darlington on his Hartlepool league debut.

However, it then all went a bit wrong and Sam never really got into the swing of first-team football. A couple of injuries meant time on the sidelines. Chris Turner still managed to convince both Sam and father Peter that Hartlepool was the club for them, and a permanent deal was done. A goal on his return to former club Plymouth was the highlight for Sam, and he established himself as a regular member of the Hartlepool squad last season. However, he was deemed surplus to requirements at the end of the season and he has joined Kidderminster on a free transfer.

Jan Molby first came across Danny Williams via his Liverpool connections. Back then Williams was a trainee at Anfield and considered to have a bright future ahead of him. However things didn't go his way and after nearly a couple of years on Merseyside he made a move to 2nd Division Wrexham. Some good showings at the Racecourse ground earned him a handful of Welsh under-21 appearances.
He spent 2 years with Wrexham, which included a loan spell last season out at Conference side Doncaster Rovers.
At 13 stone and a shade over 6 foot, his physical presence is something to be reckoned with. He is rated a great passer of the ball.

Defender Steve Jones is another new arrival, signing a two-year deal after being released by Swansea City, Molby aware of Jones’ ability having managed him during his time at the Vetch Field.


The last signing of the summer has seen 17 year-old striker Matt Lewis (pictured) sign from Coventry-based side Marconi. Standing at 6 ft 1", Lewis becomes the youngest ever player to be awarded a professional contract by Kidderminster. Lewis bagged 52 goals in total last season for the Marconi youth and first-team.

After signing Lewis, Molby said, "I am so pleased he has agreed to come here as we have been chasing him for a long, long time. Potentially the kid has everything. He's tall, very quick and more importantly he has the ability to pass the ball into the back of the net. Matt is still very raw but I think he will be a very quick learner.

"We're looking to safeguard the future of the club, hence the reason why we are looking at younger players. Although he is still eight months short of his eighteenth birthday, I wouldn't be surprised if he isn't knocking on the first-team door before the end of the season - he has the potential to play in the Premiership. Unlike many clubs we don't operate a scholarship scheme here yet. I think offering three years will give him ample opportunity to develop and show what he can do."


A key player for Kidderminster is defender Adie Smith (pictured). Adie has been with Kidderminster since 1997 when he joined from neighbors Bromsgrove Rovers. A fee of £19,000 brought him to Aggborough. Since joining Kidderminster he has established himself as one of the most popular players at the club. He is a hardworking player who doesn't know how to give up. In his Conference days this approach earned him a call-up to the England semi-pro side. He has continued to impress since the club entered the league and agreed a full-time 2-year contract during the close season. A real team player and a vital member of the back line.


Midfielder Andrew Ducros (pictured) is Kidderminster’s record signing. He started his career with Premiership Coventry City. He made a few appearances in the first-team but his progress came to a halt at Highfield Road.

In the summer of 1999 he made a brave move and dropped down to the Conference joining Nuneaton Borough in an attempt to get himself noticed. This worked and he quickly made a big impression at Nuneaton. Jan Molby moved in during the summer break and paid a club record of around £100,000 to secure the services of Ducros. He has quickly become a first-team regular and crowd favourite. Ducros scored 2 goals last season, a consolation in a 1-4 defeat to Blackpool and in a 3-3 draw at Lincoln.


Striker Ian Foster (pictured) is Kidderminster’s main striking threat. In the 1999-00 season, on his way to a tally of 17 goals, he demonstrated a knack for being in the right place at the right time that suggests his spell as an apprentice with Liverpool wasn't entirely spent cleaning boots. Last season a hamstring injury has caused him problems and restricted his league appearances. Following manipulation therapy it his hoped that he will not need to go under the surgeons knife to cure things. The addition of Tony Bird and Matt Lewis will present him with some competition for a regular place in the starting line-up. Much is expected of him when he returns to full fitness. Scored 2 goals last season, in a superb 2-0 win at Brighton and a 3-1 home win over York City. Only managed 15 appearances due to the injury.

Kidderminster are certainly a club who are heading in the right direction and with a good young manager and some promising new signings, they could well follow in the footsteps of other clubs like Wycombe and Macclesfield who rose from non-league football into Division Two.

BETTING ODDS

Bet 365.co.uk give Kidderminster the following odds of winning the Division Three Championship next season: -

Kidderminster are priced at 40/1 to win the Third Division Championship along with Macclesfield Town, York City and Torquay United.

TRANSFERS

The Kidderminster transfers for the 2001-02 season so far: -

PLAYERS IN
Mark Blake – Mansfield Town (Bosman Free Transfer)
Sam Shilton – Hartlepool United (Free Transfer)
Danny Williams – Wrexham (Free Transfer)
Matt Lewis – Marconi (Coventry-based) (Free Transfer)
Steve Jones – Swansea City (Free Transfer)

PLAYERS OUT
Neil MacKenzie – Blackpool (Bosman Free Transfer)
John Durnin – Released
Thomas Skovbjerg – Released
Ian Bogie – Released
Tim Clarke – Released
Barry Horne – Released
Steve Pope - Released

YOUR SAY

Have your say on how well you think Kidderminster will do this season by clicking the "Comments" link below!

Team Preview By: James Garley

HATTERS TAKE ON BOREHAM WOOD

Luton take on Boreham Wood today (Saturday) in a pre-season friendly at Boreham Wood FC. The Hatters are expected to take a strong squad, which could include new signings Carl Emberson, Aaron Skelton, Carl Griffiths and Adrian Forbes.

The club have played just one pre-season friendly so far, winning 3-0 at St. Albans City in a match that saw Luton field reserves and trialists.

The match should be a good warm-up for the Luton players ahead of their trip to Scotland where they will play a behind-closed-doors match with Dundee and another game against Arbroath.

The Hatters also have home friendlies with QPR, Norwich and Tottenham.
Story date: Saturday, July 21, 2001

KINNEAR ANNOUNCES SQUAD NUMBERS FOR THE 2001-02 SEASON

Luton manager Joe Kinnear has announced the squad numbers for the forthcoming season. New signings Aaron Skelton, Adrian Forbes and Carl Griffiths have been designated numbers in the starting eleven, while new goalkeeper Carl Emberson has been given number 16. Skelton wears number 2, Griffiths is number 10, while Forbes has been given number 7 - worn by Peter Thomson last season. Thomson has been given number 26.

The squad numbers for the 2001-02 season are: -

1 Mark Ovendale
2 Aaron Skelton
4 Matthew Spring
6 Marvin Johnson
7 Adrian Forbes
9 Stuart Douglas
10 Carl Griffiths
11 Liam George
13 Stuart Fraser
14 Andrew Fotiadis
15 Matthew Taylor
16 Carl Emberson
17 Emmerson Boyce
18 Adam Locke
19 Steve Howard
20 Peter Holmes
21 Richard Dryden
22 Dean Brennan
23 Jude Stirling
24 Scott Ward
25 Dean Standen
26 Peter Thomson
29 Kent Karlsen
32 Lee Mansell
Story date: Thursday, July 19, 2001

PETRI HELIN RELEASED BY LUTON

Finnish international defender Petri Helin has been released on a free transfer by Luton Town despite still having a year left to run on his contract.

Petri joined the Hatters in November 2000 on a Bosman free transfer from Finnish Premier Division outfit FC Jokerit. A combative wing-back cum midfielder who likes to get forward and support the attack, Petri had earned 18 caps for Finland when he joined Luton, including a cap against England in the 0-0 World Cup Qualifying draw in October 2000.

He started his career at Finnish side Porin Pallo-Toverit, making his debut in 1988. After just 12 games and 2 goals, he moved to Finnish giants HJK Helsinki, a dream move for Petri as it meant he was representing his hometown club. He quickly established himself as a first-team member by making 18 appearances in his first season. In 1990, his second season at HJK Helsinki, he bagged 4 goals from midfield in 24 appearances, a good return for a midfield player. He then played 60 games in the next two seasons, 30 appearances in each of the seasons, scoring 5 goals.

Earning rave reviews at HJK Helsinki for his bursts from midfield into the opposition's box, he was on the move again when an offer to join Danish outfit Ikåst FS was to good to turn down. Having spent four seasons with HJK Helsinki, he spent three in Denmark. He was a first-team regular in his first season, scoring 3 goals in 28 matches, but in his second season he only played 18 games. In 1995, he only figured in 2 games, an extremely disappointing return for such a good player. So he grabbed the opportunity to return to former side HJK Helsinki with both hands and signed again for his hometown club in 1996.

After two seasons with HJK Helsinki, where he made 31 appearances and scored 2 goals, he joined Finnish side Pallokerho-35 in 1998 and he made 27 appearances and scored 2 goals. But he only stayed with the club for one season before joining Premier Division side FC Jokerit for the 1999-00 campaign. Given the captaincy at FC Jokerit, he played 21 games and scored 1 goal as the side finished runners-up in the Premier Division. A regular international for Finland, it says a lot for his ability that he plays for a country who include stars such as Charlton's Jonatan Johanssen, Chelsea's Mikael Forssell and Liverpool's Jari Litmanen among their squad.

He made his international debut in October 1994 against Estonia, and Finland won the game 7-0! A month later he made his second appearance, in a 5-0 European Qualifier win over the Faroe Islands in Helsinki. He scored his first goal for his country in a 2-2 friendly draw with Trinidad & Tobago in Port of Spain in February 1995 and his other international goal came in a 4-0 win over the Faroe Islands in a European Qualifier in April 1995.

Regarded as somewhat of a major transfer coup for Luton, manager Ricky Hill identified Petri at the beginning of the season to replace Gary Doherty who had been sold to Tottenham. Hill flew to Finland and a deal was agreed but Luton had to wait for official clearance before they could sign Petri.

On signing Petri, Hill said, "I am delighted to have beaten a number of English and European clubs to sign a very good player."
Luton chairman Mike Watson-Challis said, "Only a few weeks ago Petri Helin was in the Finnish team that held England to a draw in the World Cup. His style and seniority is exactly what our team needs to strengthen its overall performance. When I took over at the start of the season, Doherty had been sold off and Lennie Lawrence had failed to line up any new talent. It takes time to build a really strong team but, with the signing of Helin, we are now on our way."

Having joined Luton with the Hatters struggling at the bottom of Division Two, Petri made his debut shortly after arriving, in a match at Bury. He made a sensational debut, scoring the equaliser to earn Luton a 1-1 draw at Gigg Lane. Although he showed some international class at first, his form dipped in a struggling side and after the sacking of Ricky Hill, who had brought Petri to Kenilworth Road, his form deteriorated rapidly. He kept his place in the side for the most part under both of the new managers, Lil Fuccillo and Joe Kinnear, although towards the end of the campaign he was not in the side, and he wasn't even named as a substitute for the last match of the season, a 1-1 draw with Port Vale. In total, he made 27 appearances for the Hatters in all competitions.
Story date: Wednesday, July 18, 2001

TEAM PREVIEW: HULL CITY

As the 2001-02 season draws closer, we are building-up to the new campaign by previewing each of the 23 other teams in the Third Division. Today, it's Hull City.

A GUIDE TO HULL CITY...

Hull finished in 6th place in the Third Division last season, losing in the play-offs to Leyton Orient having put together a magnificent run despite the club’s off-the-field problems.

Hull were in severe financial trouble last season, with former owner David Lloyd even locking the Boothferry Park gates, refusing members of staff entry into the ground. Players were not receiving their wages, and so left the Tigers, two of the best players, Ian Brightwell and Clint Marcelle joining Darlington on free transfers. However, the players put aside the off-the-field problems and a superb run of form saw Hull rise up the league table, earning a place in the play-offs with a 6th place league finish. Hull won the first-leg of the play-off semi-final 1-0, John Eyre scoring after 69 minutes, but they were beaten 2-0 in the second-leg at Brisbane Road, losing 2-1 on aggregate and condemned to another season in Division Three.


They will be hoping to go one better than that this season though – with a new chairman, Adam Pearson, and no less than THIRTEEN signings costing over a million pounds in total. A complete rebuild of the squad has seen popular players like Jamaican international Theodore Whitmore, John Eyre and David Brown told they have no future with the club. Manager Brian Little (pictured) has been quick to sign new players, and the vast number of signings has seen Hull installed as the bookies favourites to win the Third Division Championship.

Little has also signed a new contract this summer, despite having two years left to run on his previous contract. The new deal keeps him with the Tigers until July 2006. Chairman Adam Pearson said, “I always wanted Brian to be a part of the club's long-term plans and I'm delighted that he's signed. He's one of the top managers in the game and I'm sure he'll continue to help us move forward.”

Little said, “I'm delighted to have got the contract aspect sorted out. We've had a busy summer in the transfer market and have worked really hard to bring in the players we wanted.

“Most of them are young guys and we're trying to create a new team, a new club and one that's progressive. It may take a while for things to come together and only time will tell whether we've gone down the right channels.

“Obviously it's my job to make sure we compete well and that's what I'll be concentrating on now that everything has been sorted out.”
Little is one of the most respected managers in the game today. Before management, Durham-born Little was a striker for Aston Villa, and was also capped by the England national team. He scored 60 goals in around 250 league games for Villa before injury cut short his career in 1981.

He was briefly caretaker-manager at Wolverhampton Wanderers for 8 games in 1986. He then had a successful spell at Darlington. He took over in February 1989, and couldn't help the Quakers survive relegation from Division 4 (old) to the Conference. However, in his first full season he took Darlo back into the Football League, and then won the Division 4 title in their first season back.

He then left Darlo to join Leicester City, and took them to the play-offs three seasons running, beating Derby in the final in '94 to take the Foxes to the Premiership. However, he resigned in November after the Filberts had failed to win a game in the top flight. This didn't deter Aston Villa in signing their former hero three days after his resignation. He took the Coca-Cola League Cup to Villa Park in 1996, and also took the Villains to Europe after they finished highly in the league.

In 1998 he resigned as Villa sunk to the bottom half of the Premiership, days before a UEFA Cup Quarter Final. He soon returned to management though, joining Stoke in the summer. Although he took the Potters to the top of the table for a spell in 1998-99, a dramatic drop in form saw them finish a place below the play-offs. He quit, but joined West Bromwich Albion in August.

Little was forced to sell some of the club's best players at the Hawthorns, and after the Baggies were hovering around the relegation zone for most of the season, he was sacked in March. He then took over at Boothferry Park in May.

Thirteen new players have arrived at Boothferry Park as Little tries to build a squad capable of winning the Championship. Midfielder Ryan Williams has arrived from Chesterfield for £150,000, defenders Ben Petty and Nicky Mohan have joined from Stoke on frees, while defender Any Holt has signed from Oldham for £150,000 after a successful loan spell with Hull last season. Perhaps the two biggest signings made by Little have been striker Lawrie Dudfield and midfielder Julian Johnsson.


Dudfield (pictured) joined Hull from Leicester City for a club record fee of £250,000, which beat Hull’s previous record transfer fee when they signed Peter Swan from Leeds more than 12 years ago. The 20 year-old striker had successful loan spells with Lincoln and Chesterfield last season, scoring three goals in nineteen appearances and he became Little’s ninth pre-season signing. He has also represented non-league Kettering Town in his career, and they will receive £50,000 should Hull win promotion within the next three seasons.


Midfielder Julian Johnsson (pictured) is the Faroe Islands international captain. 26 years-old, and standing at 6 ft 3”, he has won 46 caps for his country and joined Hull for £50,000 from Norwegian side Sogndal. He is expected to play a big part in Hull’s promotion challenge, with Little hoping he can use his experience of playing against some of the biggest names in the world to help the younger players.


A key player for Hull is central defender Ian Goodison (pictured). A Jamaican international, he joined the Tigers along with midfielder Theodore Whitmore, who has since left Hull. Goodison didn't look the part when originally brought to the club and played at full back. A skilful centre back who looks laid back and totally out of place in this hustle and bustle division but reads the game well and uses brain rather than brawn.

The 28 year old was Jamaica's World Cup Captain and now leads their present team which means he misses many City matches through international call ups.

Cool, calm, collected and consistent, Goodison has proved to be the more important of the two Jamaicans. He won the various Player Of The Year Awards for 2000-2001 by a landslide. Badly missed whilst on International duty but the partnership of Goodison and Justin Whittle were almost unbreakable in the run into the Play-Offs.

Other signings have seen striker Gary Alexander sign for £150,000 from Swindon (he scored for Swindon in Luton’s 3-1 win at the County Ground last season), goalkeeper Matthew Glennon arrived from Bolton for £50,000 and midfielder David Beresford was signed from Oldham.
They also have an ex-Luton player in their squad, midfielder Rob Matthews.

Hull will surely be one of the main challengers this season, although with so many new signings, it may take time for the side to ‘gel’ together. Having said that, they are certainly a club who are on the up and the future finally looks bright for Hull City.

BETTING ODDS

Bet 365.co.uk give Hull the following odds of winning the Division Three Championship next season: -

Hull are priced at 5/1 to win the Third Division Championship, which makes them the favourites to win the division, ahead of Bristol Rovers who are priced at 13/2 and Luton, who are priced at 15/2.

TRANSFERS

The Hull transfers for the 2001-02 season so far: -

PLAYERS IN
Gary Alexander – Swindon Town (£150,000)
Matthew Gelnnon – Bolton Wanderers (£50,000)
Ryan Williams – Chesterfield (£150,000)
Lawrie Dudfield – Leicester City (£250,000)
Michael Price – Everton (Free Transfer)
Scott Kerr – Bradford City (Free Transfer)
Julian Johnsson – Sogndal (£50,000)
David Beresford – Oldham Athletic (Bosman Free Transfer)
Nicky Mohan – Stoke City (Free Transfer)
Ben Petty – Stoke City (Free Transfer)
Andy Holt – Oldham Athletic (£150,000)
Matthew Bloomer – Grimsby Town (Free Transfer)

PLAYERS OUT
Lee Bracey – Released
Theodore Whitmore – Released
John Eyre – Oldham Athletic (Free Transfer)
Steve Wilson – Released
Jon Whitney – Released
Kevin Francis – Released
Mark Atkins – Released
Gary Brabin – Released
Jamie Wood – Released
David Brown - Released

YOUR SAY

Have your say on how well you think Hull will do this season by clicking the "Comments" link below!

Team Preview By: James Garley

KINNEAR'S TRIALISTS REVEALED

The trialists looking to impress Joe Kinnear this pre-season have been revealed and here is our guide to the players trying to earn a contract at Kenilworth Road...

Bruno Mendonca

TEAM PREVIEW: HARTLEPOOL UNITED

As the 2001-02 season draws closer, we are building-up to the new campaign by previewing each of the 23 other teams in the Third Division. Today, it's Hartlepool United.

A GUIDE TO HARTLEPOOL UNITED...

Hartlepool had a very good 2000-01 season, which culminated in them finishing fourth and narrowly missing out on automatic promotion - and then they lost in the play-offs to Blackpool. They will be hoping to go one better this season and make it into the Second Division, but much of their success will depend upon how well they can cope without last season’s top goal scorer Tommy Miller, who has joined Ipswich for £800,000.

The Vics finished with 77 points last season, just three behind Chesterfield who were the last automatically promoted team. They met Blackpool in the play-off semis, but were beaten 2-0 in the first-leg at Blackpool and they were then beaten 3-1 in the second-leg at Victoria Park. All that after they finished 5 points and 3 places higher than Blackpool in the League.


Their star player was midfielder Tommy Miller (pictured) who bagged 20 goals last season, finishing as the Vics top goal scorer. He had also bagged a very impressive 16 goals the previous campaign and he was also selected in the PFA Third Division Team of the Year. Miller had turned down a £500,000 bid from Wigan Athletic with Nottingham Forest also bidding a similar amount during the 1999-00 season, but after failing to win promotion last season with Hartlepool, a move was always on the cards and Miller signed for Ipswich for £800,000, returning to the club who released him as a 15 year-old. He turned down offers from Crewe and Coventry to make the move to Portman Road and he will be in a squad playing in Europe next season.


Manager Chris Turner (pictured) has moved to strengthen the squad during the summer, signing three new players. Birmingham defender Jon Bass has arrived, as too have Port Vale midfielder Tommy Widdrington and Mansfield midfielder Darrell Clarke. Bass is a 25-year old right wing-back, who has spent his entire career with Birmingham, and during his eight years there, he has played 81 games for the Division One club. Widdrington is a battling midfielder, who has played nearly 300 games in his career, playing for Southampton, Grimsby and Port Vale among others. The only player out of the three to have cost a transfer fee is Darrell Clarke, signed for an undisclosed fee from Mansfield. Clarke played 174 matches for Mansfield, scoring 28 goals.

Turner said of his new signings, "These are the players I've been looking for since the end of last season. I'm glad to get the formalities of the signings sorted out, but there have been no problems at all. I know the fans have been getting a little impatient, but we've got the guys we wanted. Jon is a big lad with good experience and will provide competition for Arnie for the right wing-back berth. Tommy brings great experience for a lad of his age - he gets plenty of tackles in and is a great talker and motivator, something we've been lacking. Darrell is coming from a club in our division but we feel that he's the type of player we can do something with. He's the type of player who can create things in the last third of the pitch and do the damage in the opponents' box."

Shortly after, Turner signed former Sheffield Wednesday striker Richie Humphreys from Cambridge on a free transfer.

Turner became the 37th manager of Hartlepool United Football Club since 1912 in February 1999. The former Manchester United, Sheffield Wednesday and Sunderland goalkeeper took over the reins at Victoria Park from temporary joint manager Brian Honour and Paul Baker who had stepped into the firing line after Mick Tait received his P45 after two-and-a-half years in the job. The Pool board took a long time in appointing Turner and interviewed several candidates along the way. At the time Turner was the youth team coach at Wolverhampton Wanderers and had an excellent record winning his leagues Championship and coming runners-up during his two seasons in charge.

Turner's top-flight experience cannot be argued with, but he faced a huge task in keeping Hartlepool in the league. Within weeks of taking charge at the Vic, Hartlepool were bottom of the table and five points adrift. A 1-0 win away at Shrewbury Town proved the turning point along with the signings of the experienced Gary Strodder and strikers Gary Jones and Chris Freestone. Having saved Hartlepool from relegation and then taken the Vics to the play-offs last season, Turner is one of the most respected young managers in the game and he has already attracted the attention of higher division clubs.


A key player for Hartlepool is defender Graeme Lee (pictured). Lee is one of the greatest success stories of the Hartlepool youth set-up. Having come through the ranks the Middlesborough born player is set for a big future in football. With composure of a seasoned pro, Lee has been a regular at the back for Hartlepool and has over 120 appearances under his belt. This figure would be much higher but for injuries during the 1998-99 season that saw Lee restricted to just a dozen starts.

During the 1999-00 season Chris Turner used Lee as a striker whilst Hartlepool’s recognised forwards failed to find the net. An 8-goal return for the season proves that the towering youngster can adapt to the target man role comfortably.

Lee is another play who has forced many a club scout to make the trip North and check out his progress. A move to a higher league is just around the corner.


Among Hartlepool’s squad last season was a familiar name – Shilton. Midfielder Sam Shilton (pictured) is the son of former England goalkeeper Peter Shilton. Originally Sam arrived at Hartlepool on a three-month loan/trial deal from Coventry and he certainly got off on the right foot with a goal against Darlington on his Hartlepool league debut.

However, it then all went a bit wrong and Sam never really got into the swing of first-team football. A couple of injuries meant time on the sidelines. Chris Turner still managed to convince both Sam and father Peter that Hartlepool was the club for them, and a permanent deal was done. A goal on his return to former club Plymouth was the highlight for Sam, and he established himself as a regular member of the Hartlepool squad last season. However, he was deemed surplus to requirements at the end of the season and he has joined Kidderminster on a free transfer.

Another highly-rated player is striker Kevin Henderson. Henderson began his career with non-league Morpeth Town, before a move into league football with Sheffield United. However, he was soon on the move as then Burnley manager Chris Waddle had a £100,000 offer accepted for Henderson’s services and he was off to Turf Moor. Kevin's chances were restricted to sub appearances and just one goal, so when the chance came to join Hartlepool on a free transfer during the summer of '99, Kevin had no hesitation in moving back to his native North East. However, injuries restricted his chances during his first season, although he did score one of the all time greatest goals at Victoria Park - an overhead kick from the edge of the box against York City. He shot to prominence last season though, scoring 19 goals as Hartlepool just missed out on promotion to Division Two.

Although Hartlepool are not considered to be title challengers, they could most definitely be serious contenders, especially if teams like ourselves, Bristol Rovers and Oxford don’t find life in Division Three as easy as they had hoped.

BETTING ODDS

Bet 365.co.uk give Hartlepool the following odds of winning the Division Three Championship next season: -

Hartlepool are priced at 14/1 to win the Third Division Championship, making them the joint 7th favourites to win the Championship along with Leyton Orient and Plymouth Argyle.

TRANSFERS

The Hartlepool transfers for the 2001-02 season so far: -

PLAYERS IN
Jon Bass – Birmingham City (Free Transfer)
Tommy Widdrington – Port Vale (Free Transfer)
Darrell Clarke – Mansfield Town (Undisclosed)
Richie Humphreys - Cambridge United (Free Transfer)

PLAYERS OUT
Tommy Miller – Ipswich Town (£800,000)
Ian Clark – Released
Sam Shilton – Kidderminster Harriers (Free Transfer)
Lee Fitzpatrick – Released
Colin West – Released
Craig Midgley – Halifax Town (Free Transfer)

YOUR SAY

Have your say on how well you think Hartlepool will do this season by clicking the "Comments" link below!

Team Preview By: James Garley

TEAM PREVIEW: HALIFAX TOWN

As the 2001-02 season draws closer, we are building-up to the new campaign by previewing each of the 23 other teams in the Third Division. Today, it's Halifax Town.

A GUIDE TO HALIFAX TOWN...

Halifax had a very disappointing 2000-01 season, finishing second bottom of the Third Division with 47 points, just two points ahead of Barnet, who finished bottom and were relegated to the Conference. They have, however, began to rebuild and build a squad that can move them on to the next step – promotion to Division Two.


They are another Third Division club who have a good young manager in charge in the form of ex-Everton midfielder Paul Bracewell (pictured). His career has been an illustrious one in both playing and coaching. He has twice achieved divisional Championships as an assistant manager - first as Peter Reid’s number one at Sunderland in 1996 and subsequently at Fulham under current England boss Kevin Keegan last year.

As a player he achieved promotion to the Premiership with Newcastle in 1993 and was an FA Cup finalist with Sunderland in 1992. His playing career is best remembered for his time at Everton during their prosperous period in the eighties. He won the League Championship in 1985 and appeared in the FA Cup finals of 1985, 1986 and 1989 and was also a European Cup Winners’ Cup winner in 1985.

He was manager of Fulham for little under a season after the departure of Keegan, and was ousted when owner Mohammed Al-Fayed targeted former French international Jean Tigana as the man he wanted in the hot seat. His time in charge was marked by their best ever league start and FA Cup run, and best ever league placing for 25 years.

He has been quick to purchase new players to make sure that last season’s disappointing campaign will not be repeated. He has so far signed four new players, bringing in Preston left-back Dominic Ludden, Sheffield United defender Andy Woodward, Hartlepool midfielder Craig Midgley and Scunthorpe defender Paul Harsley. He has also released five players from the club, including ex-Luton midfielder Steve Thompson and former Bolton winger David Lee, who has joined Morecambe.


Bracewell acquired the services of an ex-Premiership star and £1 million player at the end of the last season. With the Shaymen struggling at the foot of the Third Division, Bracewell signed former Barnsley, Charlton and Bradford midfielder Neil Redfearn (pictured) on a free transfer from Wigan Athletic as player/coach. He is an incredibly experienced midfielder who has played and performed at every level and he moved to The Shay just short of deadline day.

Only three years ago, he was signed by Charlton Athletic from Barnsley for £1,000,000.

Overall he's played over 500 Football League and Premiership games, scoring a reasonable amount of goals along the way. Most of those have come from the penalty spot from where he has an awesome record. He was persuaded to come to the Shay as coaching was seen as the next logical step in his career. It's not known what role he will play in the future setup of Town but his two-and-a-half year contract suggests that he could progress into management with the Shaymen. A lot will no doubt depend on how long and successful a reign Paul Bracewell has.

Neil has also claimed the captain's armband as he's described as a natural leader, Bracewell saying, "You can sense the influence Neil Redfearn has had both on and off the pitch and that is why I signed him."


Another key player for the Shaymen is striker Steve Kerrigan (pictured). The former Shrewsbury finished as Halifax’s top goal scorer last season with 19 goals and he was rumoured to be a one-time target for Luton manager Joe Kinnear. He signed for the Shaymen for a fee of £20,000 just prior to the 1999/2000 transfer deadline, and has since turned into Mark Lillis' best signing. Shrewsbury boss Kevin Ratcliffe was resigned to seeing him leave for nothing at the end of the season, so it only took Mark Lillis' relatively small offer, much to the fury of the Shrews fans.

He's a hard worker who can suddenly come up with a goal despite looking to have a poor game, and as such is the nearest Halifax have come to another Geoff Horsfield (who is now a £1 million+ player with Birmingham) despite all those who have been and gone in between.
Strong in the air and a good touch of control make him a great player to carry the front line. He recently signed a new one-year deal with Halifax and will be their main threat next season.


He is partnered in attack by ex-Notts County striker Gary Jones (pictured). He won the Division Three 'Golden Boot' with Notts County in 1997, scoring 31 goals, but he has since failed to provide such killer instinct since leaving for Hartlepool.

He signed for the Shaymen, initially on loan, in March 2000 just prior to the transfer deadline, and together with Steve Kerrigan helped give Halifax's front-line what had been missing since Geoff Horsfield's transfer to Fulham.

In-between his loan period at the Shay and his permanent signing, he returned to the Victoria Ground to give a good showing in Hartlepool's play-off campaign.

Gary is an unselfish hard working forward who compliments Kerrigan very well.

Halifax are not considered to be serious promotion challengers by many pundits, and although they may not realistically be challenging for promotion this season, they are certainly a club who are moving in the right direction.

BETTING ODDS

Bet 365.co.uk give Halifax the following odds of winning the Division Three Championship next season: -

Halifax are priced at 50/1 to win the Third Division Championship, making them the joint second favourites to be relegated to the Conference, along with Shrewsbury Town and Carlisle United.

TRANSFERS

The Halifax transfers for the 2001-02 season so far: -

PLAYERS IN
Andy Woodward – Sheffield United (Free Transfer)
Dominic Ludden – Preston North End (Free Transfer)
Paul Harsley – Scunthorpe United (Free Transfer)
Craig Midgley – Hartlepool United (Free Transfer)

PLAYERS OUT
Lee Potter – Released
David Lee – Morecambe (Free Transfer)
Steve Thompson – Released
Mark Bradshaw – Released
Ian Richards - Released

YOUR SAY

Have your say on how well you think Halifax will do this season by clicking the "Comments" link below!

Team Preview By: James Garley

LUTON SIGN NORWICH WINGER FORBES

Luton have today signed Norwich City winger Adrian Forbes for £65,000 on a three-year contract.

Adrian was born in Greenford, London, and primarily a right-winger, he possesses real pace and although short in stature he is very strong and good in the air.

After playing in youth games and then making appearances in a truncated Avon Insurance Combination League, Adrian became yet another teenager in the Norwich set up to make his appearance in the first-team in the 1996-97 season. He is of similar build and stature to former Canaries favourite Ruel Fox, and learning to concentrate for the full 90 minutes of every match, he made his debut from the substitutes bench on the last day of August in a 1-0 win at Carrow Road over Wolves. Given more games, he was magnificent in the FA Cup tie at Leicester, producing a cool and combative display just two days after turning 18. In total, he played 11 first-team matches during the campaign, 7 of them coming from the bench.

He maintained the rate of progress in 1997-98 that brought him through Norwich’s ranks the previous season and by the end of the campaign he was almost regarded as a senior player in his own right, despite his tender years. He broke his goal scoring duck with a brace as Norwich won 2-1 at Birmingham in November. He was also called up to the Nationwide U-21 squad to face its Italian counterparts at Charlton.

1998-99 was a slightly disappointing season for Adrian as he suffered with injuries, making just 15 league appearances during the campaign, although when he did play, he was impressive and the Norwich supporters were pleased to see him in the side.

In the 1999-00 season, Adrian featured regularly, making 26 appearances and scoring one goal, even though he was in competition with fellow right-winger Cedric Anselin, a summer recruit.

The 2000-01 season saw Adrian continue to establish himself as a regular member of the first-team and a firm favourite with the Canaries supporters. He played in a total of 33 matches in all competitions, scoring 3 goals – in a 1-0 home win over Birmingham, a 1-1 draw with Blackburn and a consolation in a 4-1 defeat at Watford.

However, the summer arrival of Mark Rivers from Crewe, and fellow right-wingers Steen Nedergaard and Paul Dalglish meant that Adrian had been pushed down the pecking order at Carrow Road and so he found himself needing to move in order to gain regular first-team football.

A very pacy player with an eye for goal, he will certainly cause problems for Third Division defences as Luton look to bounce straight back to Division Two at the first attempt.
Story date: Monday, July 16, 2001

FOTIADIS SIGNS NEW TWO-YEAR DEAL

Luton striker Andrew Fotiadis has today signed a new two-year contract with the Hatters.

Andrew started the opening game of the 2000-01 season, playing in attack alongside Mark Stein. He hit the bar in the dying minutes as the Hatters were beaten 0-1 by Notts County. He continued to keep his place in the side for the following 6 games, scoring the opener in a 1-1 draw at Rotherham before getting injured. He was out of action for over a month, returning to the side as Luton threw away a 3-0 lead to lose 3-4 to Wrexham at Kenilworth Road in October. He was a regular member of the side for the next few months, and he also scored two goals in two games as Luton lost 3-2 at Bournemouth and drew 3-3 with QPR in the FA Cup Third Round. His best performances of the season arguably came when Joe Kinnear arrived as manager in February, with Andrew scoring the third in a 3-1 win at Notts County in Kinnear's second game, having only been on as a substitute for 3 minutes. However, an injury sustained at Millwall in March ended Andrew's season early. In total, he scored 4 goals in 27 matches in all competitions, although many of his appearances came from the substitutes bench and Luton fans would dearly love to see the local boy come good.
Story date: Monday, July 16, 2001

TEAM PREVIEW: EXETER CITY

As the 2001-02 season draws closer, we are building-up to the new campaign by previewing each of the 23 other teams in the Third Division. Today, it's Exeter City.

A GUIDE TO EXETER CITY...

Exeter are the favourites to be relegated to the Conference next season, even crisis club Carlisle have been given better odds by the bookies to avoid relegation! The Grecians finished 19th last season, 5 points above Barnet who finished bottom and were relegated to the Conference.

Although they finished above Devon rivals Torquay United, they also finished below fellow Devon rivals Plymouth Argyle, who finished 12th.

However, manager Noel Blake has had a major clearout during the pre-season, releasing eight players, including young striker Robert Speakman and midfielder Mark Rawlinson, who has joined Bournemouth. He has also brought in three new players, two of whom have arrived from rivals Plymouth Argyle. Long-serving Argyle midfielder Martin Barlow (pictured), who spent 12 years at Home Park, made the short trip to St. James’ Park, following fellow Arygle striker Sean McCarthy, who also left Plymouth to join the Grecians. Blake has also acquired the services of young midfielder Jay Richardson, who was released by Premiership Chelsea.

Blake has missed out on two signing though, after failing to land veteran striker Guy Whittingham and Darlington forward John Williams. Whittingham turned down the Grecians, while Williams joined Swansea instead. Blake said that the club will continue to miss out on transfer targets because of a cash shortage. He said, "I look for players and I find I simply can't compete with some clubs, not just when it comes to buying players, but also on wages.

"I am still speaking to a lot of players. I'm trying to change that losing mentality that has surrounded the club."


Blake (pictured) replaced Peter Fox as Exeter manager in January 2000, signing a two-year deal with the Grecians. Blake's first mission would be to improve the Grecian's diabolical away form. But the task proved to be Mission Impossible, as City were thumped 5-0 by the not so perfect hosts, Rotherham United.

Home victories over Torquay United and Rochdale followed the 5-0 drumming, and Blake's men found themselves in the semi finals of the Auto Windscreens. City's Semi-Final opponents were Second Division Brentford. Goals from Gary Alexander and Geoff Breslan as well as an own goal by Bees defender Powell, left City relishing the prospect of making their first ever Wembley appearance.

Reaching the Southern Section Final of the Auto Windscreen's arguably remains Noel Blake's finest managerial achievement. Over 1,000 travelling Grecians made the short trip to Ashton Gate. But the dream was to come to a humiliating climax, the referee dismissed 3 City players, debutant Alex Inglethorpe broke his arm and 4 Bristol City goals put the tie miles beyond City.

If that wasn't bad enough, Blake and company still had to battle against the possibility of relegation. City were gradually scraping points and finally secured their Football League status with a 3-0 victory over Lincoln City. Despite Blake's hard work Exeter finished the season in a dismal 21st place.

Blake demanded a major improvement from the mediocrity of 21st in the basement league. In a very busy summer, Blake bravely opted to axe 13 squad members and promptly replace them with 15 new signings. The Exeter manager said, "If there were any prizes for hard work then the club would succeed because I have put the work in for the club."

Team spirit had undoubtedly improved over the hectic summer and the Grecians remained optimistic for the coming season. The new campaign was opened with the visit of Cardiff City, the recently relegated team narrowly beat the unsettled City 2-1. City's first victory took a long time coming. A Flack header and a marvellously taken effort by Christian Roberts sealed a 2-0 victory at the hands of Macclesfield. An impressive draw at Barnet as well as victories against York City and Carlisle United pushed Exeter into an unfamiliar 8th position, but they lost their way and eventually finished 19th.


Their main danger is striker Steve Flack (pictured). He joined the club from Cardiff City for £10,000 in 1996. Standing at 6 ft 3”, he is a strong target man, although he doesn’t have a great goal scoring record, with just 43 goals in the past 5 seasons. Flack scored 13 goals last season, including a brace in a 3-0 win at York. He has attracted the attention of higher division clubs, although Exeter have so far resisted any offers to cash in on him.


Exeter also have two ex-Luton players among their squad – forward Graeme Tomlinson (pictured) and Jamie Campbell. The ex-Manchester United striker had a loan spell with the Hatters during Lennie Lawrence’s reign as manager, but after he suffered a broken leg at Port Vale, he returned to Old Trafford. He moved to Macclesfield on a free transfer before another free transfer switch to Exeter. However, Tomlinson has failed to stamp any form of consistency with any of the clubs he has joined and he has struggled to command a regular first-team place at St. James’ Park.

Ex-Hatter Campbell was released at the end of the 1999-00 season by Brighton boss Micky Adams and he moved to Exeter. Campbell, who has also played for Cambridge and Barnet, has made well over 250 appearances during his career.


Another key player for Exeter is young striker Christian Roberts (pictured). Christian joined Exeter on a free transfer from Cardiff City and he is arguably the best player in the squad. He's got pace, skill and a good finishing ability. He made it into the first team following a series of good substitute performances and has been a regular first-team member ever since. He bagged 7 goals last season, including two in a 3-1 home win over York.

Exeter are not fancied to be challenging for honours this season, but with some excellent young players, they might surprise a few people during the upcoming season.

BETTING ODDS

Bet 365.co.uk give Exeter the following odds of winning the Division Three Championship next season: -

Exeter are priced at 50/1 to win the Third Division Championship, making them the favourites to be relegated to the Conference.

TRANSFERS

The Exeter transfers for the 2001-02 season so far: -

PLAYERS IN
Martin Barlow – Plymouth Argyle (Free Transfer)
Sean McCarthy – Plymouth Argyle (Free Transfer)
Jay Richardson – Chelsea (Free Transfer)

PLAYERS OUT
Kwame Ampadu – (Released)
John Wilkinson – (Released)
Jon Ashton – (Released)
Steve Epesse-Titi – (Released)
Michael Cooper – (Released)
Alex Inglethorpe – (Released)
Mark Rawlinson – (Bournemouth, Free Transfer)
Robert Speakman – (Released)

YOUR SAY

Have your say on how well you think Exeter will do this season by clicking the "Comments" link below!

Team Preview By: James Garley

TEAM PREVIEW: DARLINGTON

As the 2001-02 season draws closer, we are building-up to the new campaign by previewing each of the 23 other teams in the Third Division. Today, it's Darlington.

A GUIDE TO DARLINGTON...

Darlington had a poor campaign last season but they will be looking for a great improvement this season and after some new signings, one in particular a very good buy, they could be among the promotion challengers. With a rich, ambitious chairman in George Reynolds, and a young upcoming manager in Gary Bennett, the times are looking up for Darlington – and the good news is also further enhanced with the development of a new stadium.

Darlington finished in a very disappointing 20th league position last season, having reached the play-off final the season before. However, the summer has seen a number of players released as manager Gary Bennett continues to redevelop the Quakers’ squad, and he has also purchased two new players to add to a number of new buys he made at the end of last season. He has arguably made the best Third Division signing of the pre-season so far with the acquirement of Middlesborough defender Neil Maddison (pictured) after he was released from the Riverside Stadium on a free transfer. He has also signed powerful York City striker Barry Conlon for a five-figure fee, while striker John Williams has returned to former club Swansea on a Bosman free transfer. Bennett did, however, fail to sign Sunderland winger Neil Wainwright after a successful loan spell at the Feethams last season.

Ex-Southampton star Maddison agreed a three-year contract with the Feethams Ground club. The 31 year old started his career at Southampton. He was a trainee alongside a certain Alan Shearer. Their friendship grew and Neil was eventually to be Shearer's best man at his wedding.

He joined Middlesborough in 1997 for £250k and was duly nicknamed 'Mad House' after some grueling games where he held no prisoners. His greatest Boro game was scoring 2 cracking goals in the 6-0 victory over Swindon. But he struggled to get first team action over the last season and was frustrated by Bryan Robson's treatment towards him.

Maddison said, "Reserve team football is nothing to me at this stage of my career, I need to be playing first-team football and that is why I went on loan to different clubs. All I wanted was a chance to play for Boro, but I've learned over the years that football is a funny game. It kicks you in the teeth when you least expect it."

Maddison rejected offers from several First Division clubs, including Sheffield Wednesday to join Darlington and it is a massive signing for the club.


Player of the Year Craig Liddle is a defender who is being monitored by several higher division clubs and he was an inspiration to those around him with his professional approach and dependability at all times, and proved extremely popular with the fans since he joined from Middlesborough. He had a superb 1999-00 campaign as Darlington reached the play-off final and he was recognised with selection in the PFA Third Division team.

Another key player for the Quakers is striker Glenn Naylor (pictured). Ex-York City striker Naylor is Darlington’s main danger up front following the departure of Marco Gabbiadini to Northampton the season before last. He bagged 15 goals last season, including a hat-trick in a 6-1 FA Cup First Round win over AFC Sudbury.

Another ex-Middlesborough player is goalkeeper Andy Collett, who has also represented Bristol Rovers and he received the Performance of the Season Award from the Darlington supporters after a heroic display last season.

Bennett also signed three new players at the end of last season who will be extremely important if Darlington are to do well. Defender David Brightwell and midfielder Clint Marcelle both signed from Hull City, while midfielder Mark Ford arrived from Torquay for £15,000.
Luton actually met Darlington twice last season having been drawn against the Quakers in the FA Cup Second Round. The first match ended 0-0 at the Feethams Ground, with the Hatters winning the replay 2-0 at Kenilworth Road courtesy of goals from Paul McLaren and Lee Nogan to seal a Third Round home match with QPR.

With a rich chairman backing them, Darlington could most definitely be challenging for honours during the forthcoming season.

BETTING ODDS

Bet 365.co.uk give Darlington the following odds of winning the Division Three Championship next season: -

Darlington are priced at 22/1 to win the Third Division Championship, and with their millionaire tycoon chairman George Reynolds, they might be worth a bet if you don’t have the bottle to bet on the Hatters!

TRANSFERS

The Darlington transfers for the 2001-02 season so far: -

PLAYERS IN
Neil Maddison – Middlesborough (Free Transfer)
Barry Conlon – York City (Undisclosed)

PLAYERS OUT
Jordan Tait – Released
John Williams – Swansea City (Bosman Free Transfer)
Paul Beavers – Released
Jesper Hjorth - Released

YOUR SAY

Have your say on how well you think Darlington will do this season by clicking the "Comments" link below!

Team Preview By: James Garley

LUTON SIGN CARL EMBERSON

Luton have today signed goalkeeper Carl Emberson on a free transfer. Emberson has signed a two-year deal and becomes Joe Kinnear’s third pre-season signing after the arrivals of Aaron Skelton and Carl Griffiths.

Emberson arrives at Kenilworth Road after he trained with the Hatters. He had previously been with Walsall where he was number two to Jim Walker, but he was released after they won promotion to the First Division last season.

6 ft 1” and born in Epsom, he began his career with Millwall but he made his debut when joining Colchester on loan in the 1992-93 season, where he went on to make 13 appearances. He eventually joined Colchester permanently for £25,000 in July 1994 after failing to make a first-team appearance with the Lions.

He made 20 appearances during his first full season with the U’s, 1994-95, but it was during the following season that he shot to prominence. Having won his Colchester first-team place the previous season, he made the goalkeeper’s position his own, following a string of impressive performances. He was an ever present, until breaking his thumb at Leyton Orient in March, and he missed five games, but then returned with two clean sheets to further the U’s play-off challenge.

However, after being the first choice goalkeeper the previous season, he lost his place to Garrett Caldwell at the start of the 1996-97 season, but he could little have imagined that he would be starring in a Wembley final only months later. With Caldwell injured and Carl back in the side, he produced a series of fine displays throughout the rest of the campaign as his command of the penalty area developed, giving many excellent performances, including a penalty save at Wembley. He had by now achieved well over 100 league appearances for Colchester.

He was again an ever-present during the 1997-98 season and he continued to progress, although a dip in form in mid-season would have seen him dropped had Tamer Fernandes not been injured. He responded to the challenge and hit imperious form, conceding only two goals in the following nine games, and crowned his campaign when named Man of the Match in the play-off final at Wembley.

He was the U’s first-choice goalkeeper the following season, making 36 league appearances, and he left the club at the end of the season, joining Walsall on a free transfer under the Bosman ruling. However, he made just 5 league appearances during the 1999-00 season, after making his debut in a 4-1 League Cup victory over Plymouth Argyle.

He was again the understudy to Jim Walker during the 2000-01 season and he played in just 5 matches in all competitions, before being released in May after making just 11 appearances for the Saddlers.

Hatters boss Joe Kinnear said, "Carl is a very experienced goalkeeper. He has good presence, is a good talker, has a safe pair of hands, and was a valuable member of Walsall’s promotion side last season. He was out of contract on June 30 and under the Bosman ruling he was free to move, so I have stepped in before Plymouth Argyle, who also wanted to sign him.

"He will be in competition for the First Team goalkeeper spot with Mark Ovendale. This is my third signing after Aaron Skelton and Carl Griffiths and there will be more players coming to the Club. I am very happy with how things are panning out. The players are in great shape and enjoying Daley Thompson and Mick Harford’s fitness and training methods. We are very much looking forward to the new season."

Story date: Friday, July 13, 2001

TEAM PREVIEW: CHELTENHAM TOWN

As the 2001-02 season draws closer, we are building-up to the new campaign by previewing each of the 23 other teams in the Third Division. Today, it's Cheltenham Town.

A GUIDE TO CHELTENHAM TOWN...

Cheltenham will not be fancied by most people to be challenging for honours this season, but a neat and tidy little outfit, they could well cause some shocks during the forthcoming campaign. Having only come into the Football League two seasons ago after winning the Conference, they have established themselves well, finishing 9th and just four points outside the play-offs last season.


They provide Luton’s first home opposition of the 2001-02 season and have one of the most highly respected young managers in the English game in Steve Cotterill (pictured). The former Wimbledon and Bournemouth striker decided to turn his hand to management in 1995-96, guiding League of Ireland outfit Sligo Rovers to a highest-ever third place and thereby guaranteeing European qualification. He resigned during the 1996-97 season in order to return to England and rejoined Southern League Cheltenham Town, as a player, in December 1996. He was soon back in management though, as caretaker player-manager in January 1997, following the sacking of Chris Robinson. Cotterill succeeded in turning around a faltering promotion campaign by guiding the Robins to the runners-up position behind Gresley Rovers, which was sufficient to secure promotion due to Gresley's Moat Street ground being some way short of the standard demanded by the Conference.

Cotterill committed himself to the manager's job in the summer of 1997 and led Cheltenham to two glorious seasons in the Conference. The Robins ended 1997-98 as Conference runners-up, won the FA Trophy with a 1-0 success over Southport at Wembley, and also equalled a club-best FA Cup run by reaching the third round. The following season, Cotterill's Cheltenham went one better by winning the Conference and gaining promotion to the Football League, bringing professional football to the town for the first time. For good measure, Cotterill was also named Conference Manager of the Year in both 1997-98 and 1998-99, and non-League Manager of the Year in 1997/8. He further enhanced his reputation by taking the Robins to eighth position in their first season in the Third Division, only missing out on a play-off spot on the last day of the season.
Cotterill's success at Cheltenham has not gone unnoticed by other clubs. He was short-listed for the job at Oxford United in January 1998 and has since been linked with several further vacancies, most notably Swindon Town in October 1998. He also turned down the chance to become assistant to Lawrie Sanchez at Wycombe Wanderers in February 1999.

Several further links emerged over the ensuing months, including vacancies at Bristol City, Reading and Gillingham, but Oxford United provided the biggest threat. The U's made two firm offers but, after a few days thought, Cotterill decided to remain with his hometown club. Having been the key factor behind a complete turn-around in fortunes at Whaddon Road over the past four seasons, it seems only a matter of time before Cotterill will move to a bigger club.


The summer has seen the arrival of three new players – all on free transfers – defender Keith Hill (pictured) from Rochdale, defender Steve Jones from Swansea City and goalkeeper Carl Muggleton from Stoke City. They also look set to make their fourth summer signing this week with the capture of our-of-contract Port Vale striker Tony Naylor, who finished as Vale’s to goal scorer last season and presents a massive signing for the Robins.

Their most dangerous player is veteran striker Neil Grayson (pictured) who finished as the top scorer last season with 15 goals in 34 appearances in all competitions. The former Northampton and Hereford hit man cost the Robins £18,000 in March 1998. Grayson's popularity lies not just in his performances, but also his total commitment to the club and desire for the game. He even has a tattoo on his right arm pledging his allegiance to the Robins.
Grayson first caught the eye of Cheltenham fans when his powerful 20-yard drive helped Hereford to a 3-2 win over the Robins in the opening weeks of the 1997-98 season. By the end of that campaign he was at Whaddon Road.


Although his early performances caused some supporters to question why manager Steve Cotterill had paid so much for a 33 year-old striker, Grayson soon won-over the fans and can confidently claim to be one of the greatest players to don a Robins shirt in the history of the club.

His presence in the collective memory of supporters was further strengthened in scoring one of the most spectacular goals seen at Whaddon Road, against Plymouth Argyle, on 23 November 1999. Not only was his effort from 40 yards out, but the ball travelled from goalkeeper Steve Book and into the Plymouth net without even touching the ground. Kicking the ball out of his hands, Book's clearance was met by a cheeky back-flick from Hugh McAuley, a short distance inside the Plymouth half. Alert as ever, Grayson produced a first-time, left-foot volley, which sailed beyond surprised Argyle keeper Jon Sheffield.

Another key player is Australian midfielder Lee Howells, who joined the club from Brisbane United for £1,000 in November 1991 and is a huge favourite with the Whaddon Road crowd. Although initially turning out for the Robins at full-back, Howells didn't take long to establish himself as an important figure in midfield, capable of playing in either the central or wide roles. At his best, he was probably the most influential player in the team, with his creative displays a pleasure to watch.

Two hernia injuries wrote-off much of the 1995-96 season, but Howells went on to help Cheltenham to considerable success over the next five years.

Cotterill also narrowly failed to sign former England and West Ham striker Tony Cottee, 36. Having been released by Millwall, Cottee decided that he did not want to uproot his family and he hung up his boots leaving Cotterill still searching for a new striker – although the search looks to be over now with the imminent arrival of Naylor.

Cheltenham are definitely a club heading in the right direction, so don’t be surprised if you see them in or around the play-offs come the end of the season.

BETTING ODDS

Bet 365.co.uk give Cheltenham Town the following odds of winning the Division Three Championship next season: -

Cheltenham are priced at 25/1 to win the Third Division Championship, and if you fancy an outside bet, they might be worth a shout.

TRANSFERS

The Cheltenham Town transfers for the 2001-02 season so far: -

PLAYERS IN
Keith Hill – (Rochdale, Free Transfer)
Carl Muggleton (Stoke City, Free Transfer)
Steve Jones (Swansea City, Free Transfer)
Tony Naylor (Port Vale, Bosman Free Transfer) - Possible at time of writing

PLAYERS OUT
Mark Freeman – (Boston United, £15,000)

YOUR SAY

Have your say on how well you think Cheltenham Town will do this season by clicking the "Comments" link below!

Team Preview By: James Garley

TEAM PREVIEW: CARLISLE UNITED

As the 2001-02 season draws closer, we are building-up to the new campaign by previewing each of the 23 other teams in the Third Division. Today, it's perennial strugglers Carlisle United.

A GUIDE TO CARLISLE UNITED...

Carlisle – Luton’s opponents on the opening game of the season - are in deep trouble at the moment with the season just 4 weeks away. In fact, that is an understatement. The fans have threatened to boycott next season’s home matches in protest against chairman Michael Knighton and this has led to Carlisle sacking 5 players in the last week, as they were the highest earners at the club. If that wasn’t bad enough, manager Ian Atkins has left to become assistant manager at Cardiff and star player Scott Dobie has been sold to West Brom for just £150,000.


However, four of the sacked players have been reinstated after threatening legal action with the club forced into a humiliating climb-down. The return of the "fired four" comes after the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) warned United that its attempts to sack them broke Football League rules.

Lee Maddison, Carl Heggs, Steve Soley and Steve Halliday were told they had been dismissed on Thursday. Maddison said, "Why couldn't they have told us in May, when we could have started looking for other clubs? They were obviously just waiting for an excuse."


Three of the four - Soley was injured - trained at the ground yesterday but away from the remainder of the first-team squad. Carlisle claimed they did not have enough cash to pay the players' wages because fans were boycotting season tickets. Now they will be forced by the Football League to continue paying the four.

PFA executive John Bramhall said: "Under Football League regulations they cannot terminate players' contracts unless there is a persistent or serious breach of the contract. That clearly isn't the case. The players have gone back to the club.

"If the club are looking to make settlements on those contracts it is up to the players whether they accept it or not. If not they stay at the club."


Another blow came for the Cumbrians when new "signing" Daryl Clare, from Grimsby, walked out on the club after less than a week.
Clare said he was not about to join a "Sinking ship" after watching the illegal sacking of the four senior players.

Carlisle had agreed terms with Clare and he was all set to sign a two-year contract but within 48 hours the four players were sacked and manager Ian Atkins was given permission to talk to other clubs. Clare said, “It doesn't sound as if Carlisle are going in the right direction and that is the last thing I want," said Clare. "I don't want to join a sinking ship and it's a massive shame as I was impressed when I came up."

Members of the Carlisle & Cumbria United Independent Supporters' Trust (CCUIST) voted almost 3:1 in favour of a boycott of home games.
Asked if they would consider boycotting selected league games at Brunton Park, some 331 voted "yes". There were 114 "no" votes and six undecided. 73% of the CCUIST membership returned their ballot papers and the vote will be seen as an overwhelming vote of no confidence in the current Carlisle regime.


Carlisle have almost no squad left, with the majority of the squad comprised of youth team players, and they also have no manager. Only one coach remains, youth team boss Billy Barr and it is a desperate situation for the club.

Speaking to a Carlisle supporter, here’s what he had to say, “We are the football club with more dubious claims to fame than any other in the known universe. We are the stingiest club in the League (official), we have narrowly avoided relegation to the Conference for the last three years and we are the most isolated League club in
England. We are also the flukiest. It is not safe to assume your three points are in the bag if you're 3-0 up with 15 minutes to go. Chances are, our mascot will get the first, the second will be a dubious 80-yard effort from our Physio (booting the ball back into play after it has gone out for a throw-in), and the equaliser will come courtesy of a wind-assisted clearance punch from our keeper of one of your corners.

"Luton fans can expect a warm welcome as they enter Brunton Park as we are too busy being hostile to our current owner to pay any real attention to any opposition that might happen upon us. For those of you in the dark, our owner is one Michael Knighton - yes the guy that tried to buy Manchester United, forgot to leave the M6 and ended up with us. Knighton has got this great scheme on the go. Banned from being a Company Director after a tax middle at a public school he used to own, he put his son in charge of the club. He then formed a holding company in Gibraltar, and arranged for a transfer of shares to take place to allow this Company to own Carlisle United. Shortly before he did this, he took out a massive mortgage on the ground. All in a day's work for Mr. K, who alleges he is trying to sell the
club.

"Luton fans will be treated to some of the best seats in the ground as they do not actually face the pitch. This is true. When our new (and I must admit impressive) East Stand was built it was done so as part of a grand plan which involved moving the pitch and re-developing the surrounding area. In addition, you may find yourself evicted from this stand at half-time as the source funding for this impressive stand has never quite been fully established. Other than the stand you will find yourselves that no other progress has been made. Still, never mind."

So they are certainly troubled times for Carlisle – even more bad news (yes there is one final twist!) is that last season’s top goal scorer, Ian Stevens, is set to leave the club on a Bosman free transfer and join Third Division rivals Halifax Town. Oh dear.

BETTING ODDS

Bet 365.co.uk give Carlisle United the following odds of winning the Division Three Championship next season: -

Carlisle are 50/1 to win the Third Division Championship, that makes them second to least favourites ahead of Exeter City, and also second favourites to be relegated to the Conference. I somehow doubt they will win it myself…

TRANSFERS

The Carlisle United transfers for the 2001-02 season so far: -

PLAYERS IN
None

PLAYERS OUT
Scott Dobie – (West Brom, £150,000)
Peter Keen - (Free transfer)
Julian Darby - (Free transfer)
Mark Winstanley – (Free Transfer)
Tony Hemmings – (Free Transfer)
Mick Galloway – (Free Transfer)

YOUR SAY

Have your say on how well you think Carlisle United will do this season by clicking the "Comments" link below!

Team Preview By: James Garley

TEAM PREVIEW: BRISTOL ROVERS

As the 2001-02 season draws closer, we are building-up to the new campaign by previewing each of the 23 other teams in the Third Division. We start off by previewing Bristol Rovers, who came down with the Hatters from Division Two last season.

A GUIDE TO BRISTOL ROVERS...

Rovers were unlucky to be relegated from Division Two last season, finishing just one point below Swindon Town with 51 points. The 2001-02 season will be their first ever season in the bottom league division. However, they have been quick to bring in an experienced manager, bringing former boss Gerry Francis back as manager in place of Garry Thompson, who becomes Francis' assistant.


The former England captain managed Rovers for four seasons during the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was persuaded to put off his plans to retire from management after standing down as manager of Queen's Park Rangers in February, having turned down a new deal to spend more time with his family.

During the summer he had turned down two further offers to go back into management before Rovers approached him. Francis said of the forthcoming campaign, "The objective for the coming season has to be trying to get promoted. There is little doubt that the players here are good enough, and I've watched a few tapes over recent times to see that. The squad needs a bit of strengthening - we haven't got a goalkeeper yet, and last season we had problems scoring goals, but the nucleus of a good side is here.

"I said that I was going to retire and spend time with my family, but I also said to never say never. I didn't expect to be back in football for the new season - I turned down another contract at QPR and two managerial offers from other clubs also.

"But I spoke to Geoff Dunford and I've seen him a few times over a period of time. Geoff played a major part in me changing my mind. Last time I was here this club and this board gave me the chance to kick-start my career as a football manager and there's no doubt that Bristol Rovers was a great stepping stone for me."


Rovers also have some very good players. Striker Nathan Ellington is an all-action striker who remained an important member of Bristol Rovers’ first-team squad in 1999-2000. "The Duke", as he was nicknamed, a former Walton and Hersham player who cost £150,000 when only 17 years-old, he could always be relied upon to make an impact when being introduced from the substitutes’ bench. In his three starts for Rovers Nathan scored cracking goals in the 3-0 victory at Brentford, the 1-1 draw at Wycombe Wanderers and the 5-0 rout of Oxford United.

He has now established himself as a firm favourite with the Rovers fans following the summer sales of strikers Jason Roberts, Jamie Cureton and Bobby Zamora. Still a teenager, he finished as the top scorer for the Gasmen last season with 15 goals.


Midfielder Vitalijs Astafjevs is a Latvian international who finished as Rovers second top goal scorer last season with 5 goals. He made his league debut when coming on as a substitute against Wrexham in January 2000 and started his first game for Rovers the following week. He ended the campaign with 16 appearances and two goals to his name.

A creative left sided midfielder with an eye for goal, he is expected to be a key figure in the manager's plans throughout the season. He is likely to terrorise Third Division defences with his non-stop running and his excellent long-range shooting. Suffered last season as Rovers struggled, but Rovers supporters will be hoping that he is back to his best next season.


Defender Steve Foster (no relation to the ex-Luton captain!) is one of the most highly-rated defenders in the Nationwide League. He joined his local club Mansfield Town as a schoolboy and signed a pro-contract for them after two years as a trainee. He made the first of his five league appearances for the Stags against Scunthorpe United in August 1993.

He left Mansfield to team up with his former boss George Foster at Telford Utd and gained a reputation as one of the finest central defenders in Conference Football. He then signed for Woking for a fee of £9,000 in October 1996. His final appearance for them was at Wembley the following May, when he finished on the winning side in the FA Umbro Trophy.

BETTING ODDS

Bet 365.co.uk give Bristol Rovers the following odds of winning the Division Three Championship next season: -

13/2

That makes Rovers the second favourites to win the Third Division title, just ahead of Luton who are priced at 15/2, and just behind favourites Hull who are priced at 5/1.

TRANSFERS

The Bristol Rovers transfers for the 2001-02 season so far: -

PLAYERS IN
None

PLAYERS OUT
Robbie Pethick (Brighton - Bosman Free)
Christian Lee (Released)
Alex O'Reilly (Released)
Nick Culkin (Manchester United - loan return)

YOUR SAY

Have your say on how well you think Bristol Rovers will do this season by clicking the "Comments" link below!

Team Preview By: James Garley

HELIN SET FOR STOCKPORT TRANSFER?

Finnish international defender Petri Helin looks set to leave Luton and join First Division outfit Stockport County. Helin looks set to leave the Hatters for (erm!) the Hatters after just eight months at Kenilworth Road following his move from FC Jokerit.

Helin struggled to command a regular place towards the end of the season and he was replaced at right wing-back by both Paul Shepherd and Emmerson Boyce as his form suffered in a struggling side.

Helin had a further year left on his contract and reports suggest he will be leaving on a free transfer.
Story date: Wednesday, July 11, 2001

TALK BACK!

You can now write your own responses to the news articles here on Lutonfc.com! We have been setting it up so that you, as a visitor to the site, can shed your own opinion on the latest stories from Kenilworth Road!

We are always looking to improve the site and we wanted to increase the amount of user-interaction within the site, and we hope that along with the message board and our columns section, this is another step towards achieving that!

To give your opinion on any story, simply click the “Comments” link at the end of the relevant article. Fill-in your details and your comments on the article, and then click the “Submit” button. Your comments will now appear alongside other visitors’ comments!

Enjoy!

Story date: Wednesday, July 11, 2001

THREE PLAYERS HAVE GONE?

According to details given out to the Supporters Club AGM on Sunday night three players have been released from their contracts with LTFC. These include old boy Mark Stein, Paul Shepherd and Tresor Kandol.

It has already been reported that Kandol has had trials with Colchester this week.

The more suprising angle is that Shepherd has been released. Shepherd, who signed on deadline day last season, has not really had a chance to show what he can do for the club in the small number of games he participated in.

The fans were also informed that both Andrew Fotiadis and Liam George are on week-to-week contracts but were expected to sign new ones in the near future.
Story date: Wednesday, July 11, 2001

LUTON SIGN CARL GRIFFITHS

Luton have completed the £65,000 signing of Leyton Orient striker Carl Griffiths on a two-year contract.

Griffiths quickly said that he was "Delighted to be at Luton Town" before he sprinted off to join the rest of the Hatters players for training!

Carl started his career at Gay Meadow with Shrewsbury Town, making his debut in the 1988-89 season, where he went on to score 6 goals from 28 appearances, and he scored 4 goals in 18 appearances the following season as he began to make a name for himself as a highly-rated young striker. Another 4 goals from 19 appearances followed in the 1990-91 campaign, while he doubled that tally the following season from 27 appearances.

Carl had an amazing 1992-93 season when he scored 27 league goals from 42 appearances, which earned him the Golden Boot award, and the following season he scored 5 goals in 9 appearances and this devastating form in front of goal was enough to persuade Manchester City to pay £500,000 for him in October 1993. He scored 4 goals in 16 matches in his first season at Maine Road, but after just 2 appearances in the 1994-95 season, he was transferred to Portsmouth in August 1995 for £200,000.

He went to Portsmouth in a deal that took Kit Symons to Maine Road, but he never got the opportunity of a run-in in the first-team, making just 2 starts in 15 appearances and scoring twice. He was subsequently sold to Peterborough on transfer deadline day for £225,000, becoming their record buy in the process. He scored within two minutes of his debut before he suffered an injury three games later which forced him to miss the remainder of the campaign.

He failed to get a proper run with Posh in 1996-97, appearing more from the bench than making starts, and he was loaned to Leyton Orient in October. He made such an impact with his unselfish running and his goal scoring that he became an instant hit with the fans and it was the vital boost to both the team and the fans when he joined the O's permanently towards the end of the season for £100,000 after 6 goals in 13 matches.

He seemed to have a knack of scoring important goals and he was Leyton Orient's top goal scorer in the 1997-98 season with 18 goals in 33 matches, including a hat-trick in an 8-0 win over Doncaster. He had another fairly good season in 1998-99, scoring 8 goals in 24 matches for Orient before he was, to the disgust of the O's fans, loaned to Wrexham where he scored 3 goals in 4 matches (including the winner in a 2-1 victory at Luton) and then transferred to First Division Port Vale on transfer deadline day for £100,000. He played just eight league games for Vale, scoring one goal, in a 2-0 home win over QPR before he was sold back to Leyton Orient for £90,000 in December 1999, taking his cumulative transfer fee total to over £1.2 million. He scored a hat-trick in his third match back with the O's in a 5-1 win at Chester, and he finished the season with 4 goals in 11 league appearances.

He was back to his best in the 2000-01 season, scoring 19 goals in all competitions from 43 appearances as Orient reached the play-off final, only to lose to Blackpool.

He becomes Joe Kinnear's second signing of the pre-season after he acquired the services of Colchester defender Aaron Skelton on a Bosman free transfer.

Carl's signing looks to be an astute piece of business by Joe Kinnear and if he can reproduce the goal scoring form he has shown throughout his career, then he will undoubtedly become a huge favourite with the Luton fans.
Story date: Tuesday, July 10, 2001

DOUBLE OLYMPIC CHAMPION THOMPSON JOINS HATTERS COACHING STAFF

Daley Thompson, the double Olympic champion, has joined the Hatters coaching staff as the new fitness coach.

Thompson has signed a one-year contract and he has already begun work with the players. He won Olympic decathlon gold medals in 1980 and 1984 and he is rated by many as Britain's greatest ever athlete.

Luton manager Joe Kinnear said, "Daley Thompson is our new fitness coach and I’m delighted that he has decided to join us. I have worked with him for six years and he will be spending a year at the club."
Story date: Monday, July 9, 2001

HARFORD APPOINTED FIRST-TEAM COACH

Mick Harford has been officially appointed as first-team coach of Luton. Ex-Hatters favourite Harford, who scored 92 goals in 216 matches for Luton, left his position as coach of Wimbledon a couple of months ago and he has returned to Kenilworth Road to work under former Wimbledon colleague Joe Kinnear.

Harford, who was capped by England during his time at Kenilworth Road, said, "I am delighted to be back at Luton Town and will be working hard with the manager, players and backroom staff to restore our fortunes. I remember from my time here as a player that Luton fans are amongst the best in the country. We need your support more than ever now and all of us here will do our best to deserve it."

His appointment is sure to please Luton supporters who will always remember the fighting spirit and never-say-die attitude he had as a player.
Story date: Monday, July 9, 2001

RELEASED KANDOL HAS TRIAL WITH COLCHESTER

Luton have released striker Tresor Kandol on a free transfer and he is going to Second Division Colchester United on trial.

Kandol, who scored 4 goals last season, 2 at Bristol Rovers in a 3-3 draw, one against Sunderland in the League Cup and an equaliser at Wycombe, was out of contract at Kenilworth Road and has been told by Joe Kinnear that he has no future with the club.

Kandol is the cousin of former Colchester star Lomano Tresor Lua-Lua and it is this link that has brought about the trial. U's boss Steve Whitton said, "I'm going to have a good look at the lad next week. You never know what you've got until you can see what they can do.

"But a new start and a new challenge might coax the best out of the boy. Who knows? There might be a little bit of the old Lua Lua magic waiting to burst out of him."
Story date: Saturday, July 7, 2001

GRIFFITHS TO SIGN ON MONDAY

Just 2 days after confirming that Aaron Skelton is on his way to Kenilworth Road, and hours after Norwich admitted that they had accepted an offer for midfielder Adrian Forbes, the club has confirmed that Leyton Orient striker Carl Griffiths should sign for the Hatters on Monday, subject to passing a medical. The fee is in the region of the £65,000 mark.

The Welsh striker, who will turn 30 in nine days, started his career at Shewsbury in 1988 and moved for £500,000 to Man City after scoring 27 goals in the 1992-93 season. He moved to Portsmouth in 1995 for £200,000 and then onto Peterborough for £220,000 in March 1996. He was on the move again in October 1996, as he went to Leyton Orient for £100,000, and then signed for Brian Horton at Port Vale in March 1999 after scoring 32 goals in 70 games for Leyton Orient. He returned to Leyton Orient in December 1999.

He scored 19 goals last season, bringing his career total to 125 in his 330 league appearances.

Leyton Orient manager Tommy Taylor said, "So many things have happened with Griff over the past year, nothing suprises me now. Carl decided it was in his best interests to leave to club and so he went on the transfer list.I told him it was up to him whether he wanted to stay or not. He knew he would be in the team but he wanted a better contract to stay here and we could not afford to offer him that.

"Luton have given him a good deal and I am not bothered that they are in the same division as us. We have got players that can compensate for his departure and I wish him good luck at Luton. I had not had any calls for him and I expected him to be here. Whether I get someone else in or not now depends on how pre-season goes but we have got plenty of good strikers here. The fans will not be very happy that he has left but I can not help that. We tried to talk him in to staying but he is the one that wanted to go."

Griffiths is a huge favourite with the Brisbane Road fans and he will be a great addition to the Hatters squad should he sign.
Story date: Friday, July 6, 2001

ANOTHER POSSIBLE SIGNING

Joe Kinnear seems to be on a roll. Today on the Norwich website manager Nigel Worthington said that he had accepted an undisclosed fee for midfielder Adrian Forbes.

Worthington said "We have had an offer from Luton for Adrian which we have accepted. During the next couple of days Adrian will be talking to Luton"

Forbes is 22 and has spent all of his career at Norwich so far, making 106 starts, 33 substitute appearences and has scored 6 goals, including the winner in a 1-0 defeat of Birmingham last season. The right-footed winger has been capped by his country with an appearence for England Youth.

Meanwhile, Tribal Football mention that 19 year-old midfielder Daniel Aliffi will be having a trial at Kenilworth Road this month.
Story date: Thursday, July 5, 2001

SKELTON FINALLY SIGNS AND HARFORD'S ARRIVAL CONFIRMED

Luton today confirmed that Aaron Skelton has signed a two-year contract with the club. This ends a couple of months worth of speculation regarding him.

Hatters manager Joe Kinnear said, "Skelts has been Colchester’s Player Of The Year for the past two years and I’m very fortunate to get him on a Bosman, otherwise I’m sure he would have cost a hundred grand plus. The Bosman’s worked in our favour. He was a very promising kid here at one stage and he’s delighted to return. I think he’s matured since he left here, and he can play in various positions - he’s a great utility player. He can at a push play full-back, and he can play centre in midfield in a holding role. He’s very solid and reliable, and a good passer of the ball.

"My message to the fans now is that I’m being patient. I know the fans might be getting a little bit itchy and wondering when the players will be coming, but I assure you that there will be a completely different squad here."

26 year-old Skelton made just 13 first-team appearances for Luton before he was released on a free transfer by Lennie Lawrence in July 1997 and he moved to Layer Road. He made 144 appearances for the U's and he was voted the Player of the Year last season.

He is a versatile midfielder or defender who possesses a powerful shot from distance. He missed the start of the 1999-2000 season while continuing his recovery from the broken leg he suffered at Wycombe the previous March, and the team missed his contribution. He returned to action in October, and due to defensive injuries was used as a centre-back for much of the campaign. In all, he featured in over half of Colchester’s games during the 1999-00 campaign, and he also scored four goals.

Aaron is hoping that his injury problems are now firmly behind him, and they look to be – he was a virtual ever-present last season, scoring 5 goals, a penalty in a 1-1 home draw with Bury, a consolation goal in a 3-1 defeat at Stoke, a brace in the 3-1 home win over Bournemouth in September and a penalty in the U's 3-0 win over the Hatters at Layer Road.

Kinnear also commented on the first game of the season, away at Carlisle, "We travel up north on a regular basis, but it’s got to be done and it’s best to catch these sort of teams on long journeys on decent pitches in August than on mud in January. But we’ve got to prepare ourselves for the unexpected. It’s not going to be an easy ride, but I am assembling a much better quality squad."

Also in the same breath the club confirmed that Mick Harford will be starting work on 09/07/01.
Story date: Wednesday, July 4, 2001

SKELTON EXPECTED TO SIGN TODAY AND THOMSON COULD BE ON HIS WAY

Aaron Skelton is expected to finally complete his Bosman free transfer move from Colchester United to Luton this afternoon. Skelton was absent from training with the U's yesterday and BBC Three Counties Radio have reported that Skelton will sign at 3pm today.

Skelton was expected to sign over a month ago, with Hatters manager Joe Kinnear stating that he was "99% sure Skelton would sign" and that "He's ours." However, the move has been delayed without apparant reason. Skelton does, however, look like he is going to sign for the Hatters at last and become Kinnear's first pre-season signing.


Meanwhile, transfer-listed Luton striker Peter Thomson is having talks with Second Division Swindon Town about a move to the County Ground report BBC Three Counties Radio. Thomson does not feature in Kinnear's future plans and is surplus to requirements at Kenilworth Road. He was signed by former manager Ricky Hill for £100,000 from Dutch side NAC Breda, but scored just two goals, both in a 3-1 win at Stoke, and he has failed to impress in Bedfordshire.
Story date: Wednesday, July 4, 2001

STILL NO NEWS

There is still no news at Kenilworth Road about any new arrivals or over the uncertainty surrounding Mick Harford's arrival as first-team coach.

There had been rumours that there would be a press conference today, presumably to unveil either Harford or a new signing, but again, as has happened so often with Luton, there was no press conference and Hatters supporters are still left in the dark.

Luton's Third Division rivals Hull City have already signed 10 new players for the forthcoming season, including £250,000 on Lawrie Dudfield from Leicester, £160,000 on Chesterfield's winger Ryan Williams and £50,000 on Faroe Islands captain Julian Johnsson. Many Luton supporters are wondering why we have yet to sign any new players when sides like Hull have already signed 10 new ones. However, it may not be time to panic just yet with Kinnear rumoured to be on the verge of making some announcements regarding new signings this week. A club spokesman said, "Joe has kept his cards very close to his chest. There should be some news regarding new signings this week."

Kinnear has been linked with two goalkeepers - Manchester United's Nick Culkin and ex-Hatter Ian Feuer, now at Wimbledon. There are also rumours that he is targetting another ex-Hatter, Kim Grant, who is now playing in Portugal. Many Luton fans, however, would not be too keen to see striker Grant return to Bedfordshire.

And so we wait for some news...
Story date: Monday, July 2, 2001

WHOSH AUCTION UNDERWAY

WHOSH are holding an auction on eBay, of items that have been donated to WHOSH, or collected by WHOSH, over the past few years. All proceeds from these sales will go towards running costs for the WHOSH web site and e-mailing list.

The items are being auctioned using eBay, which is a popular and reputable system and is available worldwide. Any item bought will sent by post anywhere across the globe. Although you need to register with them to bid, it is FREE to all buyers. There are no charges for bidding or buying. You can go directly to the item for auction by clicking on the links below. Payment can made via Paypal, which means you can use your credit card to pay for these items (see www.paypal.com). The Auction will close on July 9th.

Item 1 - Emerson Boyce Signed Shirt
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1162071947

Item 2 - Signed Ball
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1162072296

Item 3 - Programme Signed by Joe Kinnear
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1162073012

Item 4 - Programme Signed by Joe Kinnear
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1162073213

Item 5 - Collectable Card Signed by Brian Stein
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1162072519

Item 6 - Collectable Card Signed by Mark Stein
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1162072764

Item 7 - LTFC Letterhead with 15 Autographs
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1162073686

Item 8 - Programme from 1963
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1162073435

Item 9 - Signed Ball
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1163195050

If anyone has any query, please email Mark Austin privately on mmaustin@dial.pipex.com

For more auctions of Luton memorabilia, check out eBay
Story date: Monday, July 2, 2001