Morgan-Smith a major doubt for Wrexham clash

he 22-year-old had to go to hospital after the 4-0 win at Histon on Monday as he was suffering problems with his asthma and it looks unlikely he won’t be risked at the weekend, with nothing riding on the match.

Speaking to the press on Thursday afternoon, manager Gary Brabin said: “He’s good in himself, but he hasn’t trained today. He’s had a few more tests which is standard procedure.

“We don’t want to be putting him at risk, we want to make sure everything is OK.

“We need to be 100 per cent sure before we risk pushing him ahead. He’s seeing someone today and I’m sure he’s seeing someone tomorrow as well, but as of today he’s not in contention.”

Defender Freddie Murray and striker Danny Crow are definitely out too, but while Murray looks like he won’t play again this season, Crow is giving himself an outside chance.

Regarding the former Cambridge forward, Brabin said: “He’s improving every day, jogging now and doing a little bit of directional work.

“We’re pleased with his progress but we’re not too sure at the moment. We want to get him right and see how strong he is. If he can show he is sharp then maybe I can consider him as part of the group.”

With both Luton and Wrexham assured of finishing third and fourth in the Conference table, barring a miraculous Red Dragons victory at Kenilworth Road, Brabin admitted he was undecided on what sort of side to field, with Hatters facing Wrexham again in the play-offs just five days later.

He continued: “The last few weeks or so I think everyone guessed we would get Wrexham in the play-offs. We’ve tried to put that to the back of our minds and we’re delighted with the way we’ve progressed.

“It’s a bit of a freak situation, but it is what it is and we knew the possibility beforehand. It’s something we’ve got to overcome and it’s part of our preparation for the play-offs.

“We can play our strongest side going into the play-offs, or you can play a completely different side. At the moment, we’re still preparing, still training, still working on a few things and I’m going to make a decision over the next 24 hours or so.”

The Hatters boss is close to working out his best 11 for the following Thursday though, when the serious action starts.

He said: “I’ve got it in my head, which if I’m honest, I probably had it in my head from the start.

“I wanted to see this group of players though. Some of them have surprised me, some players have really come to the forefront and given me a different option. There’s a couple of injuries as well, but I’ve definitely got a strong nucleus of what I consider my best side.

“I want to be going into the play-off games and hopefully the final with a squad of players who all deserve a shirt. I’m looking at the squad now and we’ve got more selections than we did a month ago. That’s not changing any of the personnel, I think a few of the players have come to the forefront, and they all have to work hard for their places.

“I think we’ve raised the bar a little bit and the standard shows every day in training. They’re all enjoying it and they all want to play football.

“All the lads are confident and raring to play. Those who have needed a bit of a rest have had a rest and those who needed some game time have had game time.

“We’ve had some good performances and some good results, so collectively we’ve got what we wanted out of it.”

With the match kicking off at 5.15pm on Saturday, Brabin doesn’t anticipate any problems adapting to the different start time, and expects his players to treat it like any other game.

He added: “It’ a professional game. We’ve got to be prepared for any day at any time. One of the things I’ve done since I’ve come here is change the times of training so we are used to that.

“The lads have responded fantastically well to that so I can’t see that being a problem.

“Fresh from being a player myself, I don’t think you can go into any game half-hearted, whether it’s a pre-season friendly or what have you.

“You take every game the same way and if you don’t, you soon get a nasty shock and in some cases that could even lead to injury.

“I think you’ve got to prepare for every game exactly the same, no matter who the opposition or what the event and I’m sure that we’ll do the same.”