Pelly could return against Tranmere

Hatters boss John Still confirmed that midfielder Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu will be available for selection against Tranmere Rovers this weekend.
Pelly Ruddock MpanzuPelly Ruddock Mpanzu
Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu

The former West Ham youngster has missed the last two matches against Exeter and Newport County AFC after being substituted before half time in the 1-0 win over Northampton Town.

Strikers Alex Lawless and Ross Lafayette are out though, while doubts remain over Alex Lawless as Still said: “Pelly’s back in training, so we’re pleased with that.

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“Ross Lafayette is back in training but not quite ready yet, Alex Lawless is training but not quite ready yet, so we’re not too bad.

“The only person whose got a problem is Alex Wall. He’s got a problem with his leg and missed a week’s training, but I’d like to think he would be back in training next week.”

Defender Scott Griffiths is also available after he sat out of the FA Cup victory on Saturday, but with Jake Howells excelling in his place as a wingback, Still now has a decision to make.

He continued: “When he (Griffiths) came off at Exeter, he trained okay in the week, but because we switched to wingbacks, as he had that little problem, we gave him a little bit of a rest.

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“But he’s trained all week so I have to make a decision on who plays that position.

“I thought Jake was outstanding, perhaps a more natural position for him than Scott.

“Scott has played in there, here and at Dagenham for me, so we’ll have to have a look at that tomorrow.”

Still also faces a query on whether to recall Andy Drury or not after Luke Guttridge was another who had an outstanding performance against Newport, scoring a superb goal from fully 30 yards.

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Making his decision on the best team to defeat Rovers will be a simple one though as Still added: “I don’t find it hard to pick a team, all I’ve got to do is pick a team to try and win a game.

“If you’ve only got 10 players it’s hard, but I said to the boys that played the other day against Dunstable (Beds Senior Cup match), just imagine coming in on Thursday, when you’ve played on Tuesday and scored five goals.

“You’ve got to impress the manager and although we won on penalties, the performance levels were very, very good.

“You need that as I need to be able to look around saying ‘I’ve got to try and find a place for him and for him’, as opposed to saying, ‘I cant play him, can’t play him.’

“At the moment, I have a bit of comfort in terms of my selection process which is good.”

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