Carling Cup Rd 2: Luton Town FC vs Sunderland AFC

By: Lucas | August 28th, 2007

Sorry I’ve been so lax with this blog space recently. A combination of factors have kept me away (read: I’m lazy), but I’m back and promise to make more frequent posts featuring my dazzling and humorous analyses and insights.

Right now let’s start with the Luton vs SAFC League Cup match from Kenilworth Stadium. I don’t have this one on TV (funny, that), but I’ve got the super-technology of soccernet’s gamecast to keep me informed.

Full Time - Luton 3 : 0 SAFC - The best thing Keane can do right now - after performing ritual sacrifice in the dressing room, of course - is to tell his team to forget all about this unmitigated disaster before they go into the lion’s den that is Old Trafford.

I will keep my promise and keep this space active from here on out. Really. For now I’m off to see if Hartlepool United can survive their match with Wednesday (currently even 1 a piece in Hillsborough into extra time).

75′ GOAL Luton - - Furlong heads in his second, sending Sunderland to certain ignominy. This is horrible. And the icing on the cake is Anthony Stokes comes off with an injury. Just great!

60′ - RED CARD Sunderland - Greg Halford has picked up his second yellow in 10 minutes (the second for a handball). It’s gone from bad to complete garbage. SUB Sunderland - David Connolly on for Darryl Murphy…can it possibly matter at this point?

At least my other Northeast team, Hartlepool, is winning their match 1-0 vs Sheffield Wednesday.

55′ - Keane has made no changes at halftime, and thus far we have 10 minutes of the same: i.e., jack shit.

Halftime - 2-0 Luton - Unless Roy Keane can inspire the team to a comeback, this has the potential to completely snuff out the positive momentum from the early part of the season. After a disastrous loss at Wigan and a home loss to juggernaut Liverpool, and a visit to Old Trafford looming this weekend, a win today is vital for the team’s confidence. There were some encouraging signs as the half drew to a close, with Anthony Stokes putting a couple shots on goal. But against a team two divisions down, should Sunderland really be looking for “encouraging signs?”

43′ - GOAL Luton - Paul Furlong makes it 2-nil…oh hell this is becoming a disaster.

35′ - SUB Luton - Luton make a substitution as Keith Keane comes on for injured defender Richard Jackson. I hate to see players injured and I hope it’s nothing too serious.

30′ - Etuhu shown yellow for unsporting behavior.

28′ - Signs of life as Sunderland finally get a couple of shots. Winning this game should be relatively easy, and would be a really good way to salve the hurt of losing their last two EPL games, including that crap at Wigan. If Keane laid into his boys after that game, what will happen at halftime here if they’re still down 1-0? I shudder to think…

16′ - GOAL Luton - For chrissake, shades of last year’s embarrassing League Cup loss to Bury as David Bell puts the hosts on top.

13′ - Darren Ward is in goal for Sunderland, giving new boy Gordon a rest. Keano’s got three men up front in Murphy, Stokes and Chops. Nothing much happening yet, looks like the Black Cats have had the run of play thus far, despite being outshot 2-0.