Clinical Cullen Takes Luton Up Into Third

 By Tom Caldon

Luton Town 3 – 1 Dagenham and Redbridge

Cullen ’42, ’45, ’68          Doidge ‘86
Sky Bet Football League Two | Tuesday 21^st October 2014

 

For the first time since his unexpected departure in February 2013, Luton Town manager John Still competed against former employer Dagenham and Redbridge; a club at which he managed for over a decade. While the Hatters hoped to extend their seven game unbeaten run, the Daggers looked to bounce back from a 0-1 defeat at the hands of Newport County. 

Still decided to stick with the same team that won 2-1 at Hartlepool in the previous fixture; giving a home debut to former Boston striker Ricky Miller.

Meanwhile, Dagenham boss Wayne Burnett made five changes to the team that played the previous fixture. One of which was enforced due to Captain Abu Ogogo receiving a red card in the fractious encounter with Newport.

The visitors were the more encouraging team in the opening stages; Ashley Chambers’ jinking run down the right flank culminated in evergreen forward Jamie Cureton dragging a shot inches wide of Luton ‘keeper Mark Tyler’s right hand post.  

In contrast, Luton were tepid in the final third and only the set-pieces of midfielder Andy Drury posed a threat to Dagenham’s goal. One free-kick found the head of imposing hatters centre-half Luke Wilkinson who, despite his recent goal scoring form, could only head tamely into the arms of Daggers keeper Mark Cousins.

Cureton continued to trouble the home defence with his incessant movement when he latched onto another Chambers centre on the edge of the box and acrobatically volleyed over the bar. Another narrow escape for Luton, who seemed to struggle with the windy conditions in the first-half.

By the forty second minute the probing passing of the Dagenham midfield had subsided and Luton seized the initiative. The Daggers defence could only marshal the adventurous Drury to the by-line before he chipped an inviting cross to the back post for the arriving Mark Cullen to leap above the retreating Daggers defender Damien Batt and head in from close range.

Three minutes later, Cullen dealt the daggers a debilitating blow. Tenacious Luton midfielder Jonathan Smith dispossessed opponent Matt Partridge and executed a pass which cleaved through the centre of the Dagenham defence. The recipient, Cullen, took one touch to round Cousins on the edge of the area, and one touch to pass into an empty net; highlighting the forward’s innate balance and eye for goal.

By the interval, the 2-0 score line failed to do justice to the attacking endeavour of Dagenham and Redbridge, whose proficient passing belied their lowly position in the league two table.

After the break, on-loan full-back Michael Harriman showed his first sign of hesitancy in a Luton shirt when he misplaced a backpass intended for Tyler. Partridge pounced on the loose ball but Tyler vigilantly followed his opponent and blocked a shot with his legs.

Ten minutes into the second half, Luton livewire Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu failed to consummate a captivating counter attack which would have put the victory beyond all doubt. Tyler caught from a corner and bowled out to Drury who raced down the right and slid a pass infield to Smith, who in turn passed incisively into the path of Ruddock. With only the keeper to beat, Ruddock blazed over from just inside the area. Despite the missed opportunity, the home crowd rose to their feet to applaud the vigour and intricacy of the move.

In the sixty-seventh minute Luton breached the Dagenham defence for a third time. The exuberant dribbling skills of Ruddock down the left flank took the ex-West Ham midfielder to the by-line. As the Dagenham defenders retreated towards their goal, Cullen cleverly withdrew from the crowded six yard box and waited for Ruddock’s inevitable pull back. Cullen’s powerful volley into the top left hand corner signalled his eighth goal of the season and first senior hat-trick.

If Dagenham played the more appealing football in the first half Luton had dominated the second. A Smith long shot rebounded off the post before midfielder Nathan Doyle had his effort smartly saved by Cousins. It was the way Doyle distributed the ball that gave Luton balance and security; his passing range and selection exuded confidence.

Second half substitute George Porter posed an intermittent threat to Luton’s goal and his trickery was rewarded in the eighty-sixth minute. After gliding past Harriman and Luton captain Steve McNulty, Porter sent a perfect left-footed cross towards the forehead of fellow substitute Christian Doidge who rose to send a bullet header past the helpless Mark Tyler. The goal restored a deserved element of respectability to the score line.

Doidge’s header was almost the catalyst for a late Dagenham revival; the visitors won a series of corners in the closing minutes. One of which, an in swinging kick taken on the right by George Porter, met the head of Cureton, who had once again evaded his marker. The former Reading striker headed powerfully past Tyler, only to be denied by Harriman on the line who poked clear to rectify his earlier error; securing Luton their sixth consecutive victory.

Still will be greatly encouraged not only by the improving cohesiveness of his team, but by the growing potency of Luton’s attacking play. The Hatters will try to further extend their unbeaten run back at Kenilworth Road this Saturday when they take on Northampton Town.

Although Dagenham played expansive football in patches, they lacked the gumption required to achieve a positive result. Burnett will try to galvanise his injury-hit squad ahead of Saturday’s away fixture against league leaders Wycombe.

Teams (Player Ratings In Bold)
  
Luton Town:

Tyler - 6,  Harriman - 6,   McNulty - 7,  Wilkinson – 7,  Griffiths - 6,  Ruddock Mpanzu – 7,  Smith – 7, Doyle – 7,  Miller - 5 (Benson - 54' - 5)  Cullen - 9 (Walker - 85' - 5 )  Drury - 8

Dagenham and Redbridge:

Cousins – 5,  Batt – 5,  Doe – 6, Saah – 5,  Green – 6,  Partridge – 6, Boucaud – 6, (Doidge - 62' - 6)  Bingham - 6  Yusuff  - 5, (Porter - 52' - 7)  Cureton – 7,  Chambers – 7, (Hemmings - 71' - 6 )

 Referee: Andy Davies

Attendance: 7,746 (166 Dagenham fans)

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