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Watson unconcerned by reserves defeat
Beasant boys feature for the Hatters
A 3-1 home defeat to Ipswich Town in the totesport.com Combination League on Tuesday was far from the end of the world for Luton Town's second string according to coach Kevin Watson.
A strong Luton line-up saw Lewis Emanuel return from a three-month lay-off with an hour of football, while first-teamers Ed Asafu-Adjaye, Andy Burgess, Callum Reynolds, Ryan Charles, Asa Hall and Mark Nwokeji, plus youth teamers Taylor Nathaniel and Jack Wood, all got 90 minutes.
Watson admitted Ipswich had "popped the ball round nicely", but said reserve team games were really about helping players returning from injury, aiding players' progression and keeping up match fitness.
He said: "I said to the players, 'don't worry too much about the results because reserve team football isn't so much about the result'.
"That doesn't have any impact at all on the first team. You will never have the same team two weeks in a row in reserve team football."
The Tractor Boys had the better of the encounter, especially in the closing stages when they could have scored more.
Ipswich took the lead through Liam Trotter's calm finish on 18 minutes, only for Luton's Dagenham loan man Mark Nwokeji to equalise five minutes before the break.
Pablo Counago gave Ipswich the lead from the spot with 17 minutes left after Burgess was penalised for handball.
Nwokeji then hit the bar with a header, but Ipswich dominated late on with Owen Garvan thumping home a third off the bar on 80 minutes.
Meanwhile, two sons of former Wimbledon keeper Dave Beasant played the full 90 minutes in the encounter.
Both are members of the Glenn Hoddle Academy where the former Dons stopper is a senior coach.
Sam Beasant played in goal and his brother Nick featured up front, and Watson refused to discount having a future look.
He said: "Me personally, I don't think Sam had a huge amount to do, but made one good save at the start of the second half, and I felt Nick held the ball up well and linked the play."
Triallist James Dayton was also given almost half an hour and Watson believes he probably deserved a slightly longer go.
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Weather for Luton
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -1 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: -1 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North west
