Stevenson hopes to keep hold of his shirt ahead of Wrexham visit

Young Town midfielder Jim Stevenson is looking to make the most of any chances that comes his way after making his first appearance for the Hatters in Saturday’s goalless draw against Grimsby, writes Mark Wood.
Boreham Wood v Luton Town. Photos by Liam Smith. wk 29.Boreham Wood v Luton Town. Photos by Liam Smith. wk 29.
Boreham Wood v Luton Town. Photos by Liam Smith. wk 29.

And he promised he has a lot more to offer than Luton’s fans saw during his 45 minutes at the weekend as he aims to be involved in tomorrow night’s BT Sports televised clash at Wrexham.

He said: “Obviously I’m going to be a little bit critical of myself because I want to do as well as possible.

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“But there is more to come, once I get settled and find my feet a little I’m sure I can influence the game, I’m confident in myself.

“But I was pleased with how it went and when I get my next chance, whenever that may be, I will be ready again.”

Stevenson, who signed from Skrill North side Histon in the summer, felt he’d coped quite well with the step up in class and his team-mates had helped him adapt.

“It’s hard to judge it based on 45 minutes of football,” he said. “We were playing well and I just wanted to contribute and help the team to continue to do well as obviously I watched the first half and we dominated.

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“The atmosphere’s much bigger than what I’ve been used to so that was probably the biggest thing, and the football side of things was a step up.

“But when you are playing with good players it helps, so I felt OK, I felt comfortable out there to be honest.”

And he’s determined to continue to apply himself in a bid to impress manager John Still at every opportunity.

Stevenson continued: “I will just take every game as it comes and each day as it comes because the gaffer does reward players that are training well and you can’t slack off and expect yourself to even be on the bench next week.

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“I’ve got to train well and earn the right to be there and then whenever I get my chance I’ll be ready and just try and help the team get as many points as we can.”

On what his targets for the rest of the season were, the 21-year-old added: “I’ve got my targets, I want to push into the team. I had them at the start of the season to be wanting to play and they haven’t changed.

“So I will just continue to work as hard as I can and if I can get myself into the team it’s my place to keep.”

Luton will be hoping that young centre-half Alex Lacey can recover from the twisted ankle he suffered against Grimsby to make the game at the Racecourse Ground.

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There could also be a chance that midfielder Alex Lawless may be available for the first time this season.

Striker Alex Wall and midfielder Solomon Taiwo are both available after recent problems and, although experienced defender Anthony Charles is back training after a shoulder injury, Saturday may come too soon.

Target man Jon Shaw will be unavailable though after having a hernia operation.

Wrexham, meanwhile, have signed centre-back Dave Artell after his release from Northampton Town.

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Striker Joe Anyinsah is doubtful (hamstring) and skipper Dean Keates, who had toe surgery in the summer and is yet to play this season, is definitely out along with centre-back Mark Creighton (hamstring).

Defender Stephen Wright (hamstring) is back in training and should be available, midfielder Jay Harris will return after serving a three-game ban and striker Rob Ogilby is also back from international duty with Wales U21s.