LUTON Town will give a late fitness test to flying winger Amari Morgan-Smith ahead of tonight’s home match with York City.

Morgan-Smith, 21, limped out of Luton’s last league match against AFC Wimbledon on Wednesday after 19 minutes and the former Ilkeston attacker, recently linked with a move to Premier League Fulham, looks unlikely to feature against the Minstermen.

Ex-City midfielder Alex Lawless will also be unavailable due to a clause in the transfer agreement that took him from Bootham Crescent to Bedfordshire although the Welshman has been struggling to break into the Hatters’ team of late in any case.

Prior to Saturday’s 4-0 FA Trophy victory over Uxbridge, in which he played at right-back as the home side made ten changes, Lawless had not figured in any of manager Richard Money’s four previous starting line-ups with the 1988 Littlewoods Cup winners remaining the same in those games.

Should Morgan-Smith be ruled out, Godfrey Poku could be handed his first league start of the season and line up in the middle of midfield alongside captain Keith Keane with Andy Drury moving on to the left flank.

But the Hatters will continue to be without crocked quartet Freddie Murray (hernia), Shane Blackett (groin), Adam Newton (heel) and Charlie Henry (ankle).

Teenage defender Alex Lacey, who has been included on the bench for recent Blue Square Bet Premier fixtures, is doubtful after picking up a knock during the Hatters’ Trophy victory, as is former Barrow striker Jason Walker.

Luton will be bidding for a sixth successive clean sheet when City arrive at Kenilworth Road and Money’s men have won their last four league games at home.

The third-placed Hatters have scored more home goals than any other side in the division – 29 from 11 matches. But leading 13-goal marksman Matthew Barnes-Homer has not netted in his last three outings.

Team (probable): Tyler; Gleeson, Howell, Pilkington, Kroca; Gnapka, Poku, Keane, Drury; Crow, Barnes-Homer.


Match facts

YORK City lost all seven of their Football League games at Kenilworth Road (1967 to 2002), but last term drew 1-1 in the Blue Square Premier and won 1-0 in the play-off semi-final at this venue.

Last month, the game was abandoned 0-0 in the 56th minute because of snow and the City line-up was: Ingham, Parslow, McGurk, C Smith, Carruthers, Weir, Barrett, J Smith, Chambers, Meredith, Rankine.

It happened on January 18

1936: City lost a Division Three North fixture at Accrington Stanley 7-2. Fred Speed and Peter Spooner were the marksmen.

1958: Terry Farmer made his debut and scored in a 4-1 defeat at Bury and City were 20th in Division Three North.

1964: A run of nine winless league games (one draw, eight defeats) ended with a 3-0 home victory over Newport County with Gerry Baker (2) and Jim Goldie the scorers watched by 2,144. City were 23rd in the Fourth Division.

1969: City crashed to a 5-2 home defeat at the hands of Grimsby Town in front of 3,808. Ted MacDougall and John Coleman were on the scoresheet and the club were in the bottom four of the Fourth Division.

1975: Jimmy Seal and Chris Jones (2) were the marksmen in a 3-2 win at Norwich City watched by 23,382. City, who were 17th in Division Two (Championship), thus completed the double over the Canaries who went on to win promotion to the top flight at the end of that season.

1986: Keith Walwyn netted both goals in 2-2 draw at Plymouth and City were ninth in Division Two (League One).

1992: City ended a run of ten league and cup games without a win when they beat Carlisle United 2-0 at Bootham Crescent thanks to two goals from Tony Barratt. The attendance was 1,953 and City were 21st in Division Four.

2000: A 2-2 draw at Darlington with Barry Conlon and John Williams on target. Without a victory in eight outings, City were in the lower reaches of the Third Division (League Two).

2003: Swansea City were beaten 3-1 at Bootham Crescent with Peter Duffield (2) and Michael Reddy the scorers in front of 4,611. City were tenth in the Third Division.

Compiled by David Batters