Marshalls Coaches LLP are looking for imaginative Bedfordshire children to design them a company Christmas card and win a coach trip!

The Christmas card is to be designed on paper or card no bigger than A5 and the design must make some reference to Marshalls Coaches LLP; for example, it could feature their colours, coaches or horse logo.

The categories will be ‘4 to 7 years’, ‘7 to 10 years’, and ‘10 to 14 years’. Please state your name, age and school.

There will be a prize for each category winner and then there will be an overall winner who will win a school coach trip (destination to be 60 miles from its base). The deadline is November 30.

Send entries to: Marshalls Coaches, Unit 4, Firbank Way, Leighton Buzzard, Beds, LU7 4YP.

Hatters defender Dan Potts has vowed to cut out the bookings this season after he received his sixth caution of the campaign at Exeter City on Saturday.

The full back had only just returned from a one game ban for five yellow cards, when he went into referee James Linington’s notebook in the 80th minute for kicing the ball away.

Although Potts felt the decision was harsh, he knows it’s something to keep a lid on, to avoid missing another two matches,

He said: “I don’t really remember doing anything to be honest to deserve it, it was just one of those things.

“When you’re winning games, yellow cards are going to get picked up, what’s more important, three points or a yellow card?

“I don’t want to get too distracted by it, most of my yellow cards this year have come from fouls that have been off the ball sort of stuff and a dive against Colchester which wasn’t a dive.

“So it’s annoying in that respect, but it’s definitely something I’ll try and nip in the bud.”

Potts had also been highly frustrated with the manner in which he received his fifth caution at Accrington, as home defender Mark Hughes threw himself to the floor in an attempt to win a red card from official Martin Coy.

He continued: “I was gutted, really disappointed. It was nothing, obviously you can’t appeal yellow cards, if you could appeal a yellow card it would have been appealed.

“He’s tricked the ref, but that’s happened now, it’s gone.

“Hopefully that doesn’t happen anymore, it was my fifth yellow and it could have been a red I suppose as well, luckily it wasn’t.

“But it’s been put to bed now and hopefully it doesn’t happen again.”

Prior to sitting out Saturday’s win over Stevenage, Potts hadn’t missed a single minute of League Two action this term, easily showing his best and most consistent form for the club since joining from West Ham United in the summer of 2015.

He added; “I’m getting the run of games and personally I think I’m playing well.

“I just want to keep going, keep playing, keep enjoying it. Games come thick and fast, and when you’re playing like this and the team’s playing like this, I can’t wait to go to Crawley now on Saturday.

“Hopefully we can pick up another three points and put another performance in. When it’s like that you just want to keep going.”

Detectives investigating two rapes which happened almost 10 years ago have arrested a man from Luton.

A 35-year-old man was arrested in the town this morning (Thursday) on suspicion of the attacks which occurred over a two-week period in 2007.

On November 30, a 15-year-old girl reported being raped in a secluded area off Totternhoe Road, Dunstable, after accepting a lift from a taxi driver.

Two weeks later, on December 15, a 22-year-old woman came forward to police to report she had been raped at an unknown location in Luton after she had been picked up by a taxi in Dunstable.

Detective Inspector Pushpa Guild said: “We are keen to speak to anyone who may have information about the attacks, and would encourage anyone who might not have felt confident coming forward during the original investigation to get in touch.

“It is never too late to speak to police if you are a victim of sexual assault. Your report will be taken seriously, and specially-trained officers will handle your case sensitively and without judgement. We will not only investigate every report thoroughly but can assist with support and care through trusted partner agencies.”

Anyone with any information about the investigation should call the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit on 101, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.

Cali-R promoter Sid Hudson’s gig on Friday, October 27 will have special guests when former Dunstablian Bob Underwood and his wife Mav return from the United States.

Bob, a former Beecroft and Brewers Hill School pupil who used to live in Stuart Street and was a regular Cali-goer in the 60s and 70s, emigrated to New Jersey in 1979 and still lives at the Jersey Shore, having retired three years ago after 32 years as a vice-president and senior administrator in three New York City hospitals.

The couple kept a place in Luton and will be based there for a month before returning to the US in time for Thanksgiving on November 23.

The gig, at United Services Club, Dunstable, will feature Sid playing soul, Tamla and reggae and is the precursor to the last two Cali-R events of the year: the Christmas Party on Saturday, December 2, at Dunstable Conference Centre, High Street North; and the New Year’s Eve Spectacular on – wait for it! – New Year’s Eve, at the Rufus Centre, Flitwick.

The Christmas Party features the American Four Tops, who headlined in 2009 before a sell-out crowd, keeping alive the music of one of Motown’s favourite groups, but also including music from the cream of soul acts, including Sam Cooke, Ben E. King, the Drifters, Barry White, Sam and Dave and the Temptations.

As always with Cali-R Christmases, there will be a lot of festive surprises with Luton’s very own former World Champion Santa, Ron Horniblew, attending.

The New Year Spectacular will feature Sid on the decks with all the best of soul, Tamla and reggae. Tickets for the United Services Club (£9.50) and the Christmas event (£18) are available from Big Stuff, Queensway, Dunstable (01582 666678); Vinyl Revelations, Cheapside, Luton (01582 876391); and www.cali-r.com. New Year tickets (£14) are also available from Top Gear, Flitwick (01525 715299), and other outlets.

Hatters boss Nathan Jones has confirmed that midfielder Alan McCormack will see a specialist today to try and get to the bottom of his troublesome groin problem.

The 33-year-old has missed the last six games after going off in the first half against Wycombe Wanderers last month, with the Luton chief confirming the news in this afternoon’s press conference.

He said: “We’ve sent Alan McCormack to see a specialist today, because we want to get it sorted.

“It’s an ideal time at the minute, we’re not looking to make wholesale changes, so Alan might not feature as prominently as he would have liked immediately.

“So what we’ll do is take this opportunity to, whatever little issues he has, to sort out.

“We’re blessed with a little bit of a wealth of midfield players, so right at this time, it’s given us a little opportunity to do something which will stand Alan in good stead for longevity, because we’re going to need him.”

When asked if he thought McCormack would need an operation, Jones continued: “We’ll have to wait and see.

“I don’t want to speculate, because it might not be.

“I mention the word operation and people panic, it might not be that, it might be a little procedure, might be an injection.

“He’s gone to see the one that he’s dealt with before and we’ve instigated that.

“Because it’s all well and good coming back and training 80, 85 per cent, then not being involved, but we want to get this right because we have a strength of squad that can cope with a short term little injury.

“We don’t want anyone getting long term injuries, but we have a squad that can do that and it’s about the timing really.

“It’s important as there’s going to no time through December and after.”

The displays of Glen Rea in the holding role is another reason why Jones has sent McCormack to get treatment, as he said: “Glen’s in decent form, I know what I get from Glen, that’s why Glen’s here.

“I trust the kid, I respect him, he was very frustrated when he was left out of the team as it doesn’t happen often under me.

“But he’s had to fight for his place, because that is the strength of what we have.

“He’s done very well in both berths, when I had to drop him into the back three, he handled (Jayden) Stockley very, very well and negated that threat, which was probably Exeter’s primary threat, so was important to do that.

“There’s still massive room for improvement, especially if he wants to be a centre half, there’s room for improvement, if he wants to be a defensive midfield player, there’s room for improvement.

“But that’s why he’s here as we like to develop.”

Meanwhile, on the fitness of Andrew Shinnie and Lawson D’Ath who both travelled to Exeter, but weren’t included in the squad, Jones added: “They were unfortunately were left out.

“Shinnie just lacks a bit of match tempo, so it was hard to put him into such a game like that when we have people who are on the front foot and really doing well.

“Then it was just a straight decision really with Lawson.

“Lawson has had a little bit of a niggle and when we have a little bit of a niggle, we don’t risk anything, because we haven’t had to.

“Two weeks earlier, Lawson would have been on the bench, probably come on, but because of the strength we had this week going into the Stevenage game and going into the Exeter game, we were able to think, okay we can treat that, because we don’t want to take any long term chances for short term gains.”

Hatters boss Nathan Jones heaped praise on captain Scott Cuthbert ahead of the defender’s 100th appearance for the club at Crawley this weekend.

The 30-year-old, who was signed by previous manager John Still from Leyton Orient in the summer of 2015, has been one of the mainstays of the defence this term, forming a solid partnership with Alan Sheehan.

There had been speculation over whether Cuthbert would even have been at this club during the off season, but that was never the case for Jones, who lauded the centre half’s leadership qualities.

He said: “We’ve had real continuity in our team so far and he’s proved that.

“He’s been a great captain for me since I’ve been here. There were a lot of rumours of him going in the summer, he came up to me and we had to clear the air, but I never stated anything about me wanting Scott Cuthbert to leave.

“Scott’s been a fantastic captain. I’ve brought in captains from other teams, captain material, in terms of Johnny Mullins, in terms of Alan McCormack, in terms of Alan Sheehan, James Collins potentially.

“So there’s a lot of people there and I’ve kept faith with Scott as he’s been a wonderful captain for me on and off the pitch.

“I’m delighted with him, but I must be delighted with him, because he’s playing, so anyone in our team, I must be delighted with as the competition is ferocious.”

Meanwhile, striker James Collins added: “He’s an excellent defender, a great pro, and a good friend off the pitch as well.

“I’m delighted for him to make his 100th appearance and hopefully he can carry on the form he’s in, because he’s been excellent so far this season and I hope he can top it off with a win.”

A man has been remanded in custody after being charged with eight child sex offences.

Jacob Freckleton, 28, formerly of Luton, has been charged with three counts of causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity and five counts of making indecent photographs of a child.

He appeared at Luton Magistrates’ Court this morning (Thursday) where he was remanded in custody pending a further court appearance on 20 November.

A 22-year-old Luton man has been found guilty of terrorism offences after planning to fight with Daesh in Syria.

Mubashir Jamil of Luton, was convicted today (Thursday) of being engaged in conduct in preparation for giving effect to the intention to commit acts of terrorism.

He has been remanded in custody ahead of sentencing on 23 November.

The Old Bailey heard that between November 2015 and April 2016, Jamil sent numerous online messages to people he believed could help him in his endeavours, including a covert police officer.

Jamil told the officer about his dreams of travelling to Syria to fight for Daesh and his intention to get fit ahead of his journey. He bought a punchbag and pull-up bar but told the covert officer he was cautious of drawing attention to his fitness programme and had bought a football to play with “so it’s less suspicious”.

Before deciding to travel to Syria, Jamil considered other options, including carrying out a suicide bomb attack. He talked of wanting to see attacks similar to those in Belgium and Paris. In one message, he wrote: “I am saying if you guys can send me someone quickly, and he fits a explosive [sic] belt on me and tells me how to press, I can go find good targets on the same day and press it.”

But Jamil decided to pursue his plans to fight in Syria instead. On Saturday, 9 April he booked a ticket to fly to Turkey on Saturday, 30 April. However, officers arrested him on Wednesday, 27 April before he could travel out.

They seized his iPhone and two laptops from his home; these featured pro-Daesh documents including “How to survive in the West - A mujahid guide” and “The Islamic State 2015”, as well as a copy of his flight tickets.

They also seized approximately £1,000 cash - found in his bedroom - under the Police And Criminal Evidence Act.

Commander Dean Haydon, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “Mubashir Jamil, seemingly inspired by the terrorist atrocities in Belgium and France, was determined to support Daesh by fighting for them in Syria or taking lives here in the UK. Ultimately, he decided to go to Syria and the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command gathered solid evidence of Jamil’s plans before arresting him ahead of his flight date.

“Counter terrorism teams across the UK are carrying out hundreds of investigations but we need communities to work with us to fight terrorism. I urge them to do this by being vigilant and reporting anything suspicious, including if they think someone they know is being radicalised.”

Detective Superintendent Glen Channer, from the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit Counter Terrorism Policing said: “Luton is a fantastic town with great diversity and strong communities; however this case shows how vigilant we must be to identify and weed out those individuals with extreme views of any kind.

“We simply will not tolerate those who spread fear and hate in our communities and will continue to target, arrest and disrupt anyone involved in such criminality. Communities play a crucially important role in defeating terrorism and I would urge people to report any suspicious behaviour via the anti-terrorist hotline.”

Anyone who notices suspicious behaviour or is concerned that someone they know is being radicalised is urged to call the confidential Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321 or seek help and advice from a wide range of agencies at http://www.preventtragedies.co.uk

Defender James Justin has been prepared to bide his time in his bid to win a place back in the Luton side once more.

The teenager was a regular in the starting line-up last season, making 39 appearances after breaking through from the U18s and taking his chance.

However, a hamstring injury while on England U19 duty saw him miss pre-season, with the form of summer signing Jack Stacey then keeping him on the bench.

But a suspension to Dan Potts saw Justin in as left back against Stevenage on Saturday, as Luton romped to a 7-1 victory, and when discussing his time out, the youngster said: “It’s been frustrating, but I’m not someone to get overly agitated or angry, I’ll just bide my time and when it comes, just try my best and take it.

“As a personal thing for me, I want to get back in the team, but the team’s winning and you’ve got to be happy the team’s winning and getting up that table.”

On his change of role, heading over to the opposite flank for a position he took on his full debut against Aston Villa last season, Justin continued: “I’d say I’m not as comfortable on my left as my right, but if needed I can do a job there.

“Once Pottsy comes back we’ll see what happens, because he’s been excellent as well.

“We’ve got three or four who can slot in there and play just as well as Pottsy has been for the whole of the season.

“It’s been hard to get in the team with the full backs playing so well, but I’m glad I took my chance when I got it.

“The first half I was a bit lacklustre on the ball, but I felt I defended well throughout the game and popped up with a goal courtesy of Elliot Lee.

“I knew he was going to find me, but finished it well, and I’m happy we won.”

Justin, who made way for Potts as Town won 4-1 at Exeter on Tuesday night, knows that dislodging Stacey is going to be a desperately hard task, but accepted that he will face these challenges throughout his career.

He said: “He’s been fantastic, you couldn’t want more from a right back to be honest.

“I think probably he’s added three or four assists so far this season, a goal, what more could you want from a right back? He’s been excellent.

“Any club you go to is going to be a battle for spots and you’ve just got to try and do your best in that battle and take that spot.”

Justin’s lack of action had led to a few chats with boss Nathan Jones, who turned down a number of bids for his defender in the summer, as the teenager explained: “I love Luton and this is where I wanted to play my football this season so I stayed obviously.

“He (Jones) reiterated to me that I’m a key player of me and he’ll do what he can to get me on the pitch when he can.”

Thankfully, Justin has showed no signs of a recurrence of the injury which curtailed his start to the season, as he added: “It’s just one of those hamstring ones where you think it’s gone and it comes up again, one of those ones recurring and just frustrating really.

“The injury was frustrating and everyone was playing so well that I couldn’t get back in the team, but I knew as soon as I got my chance that I’d put the best case for myself to stick in the team.”

On beating a side containing four ex-Luton players in Ronnie Henry, Luke Wilkinson, Fraser Franks and Jonathan Smith, Justin added: “It’s unbelievable to win against them.

“Obviously we didn’t do so well last season, they sucker punched us at theirs and at ours, we weren’t at it.

“It’s good to get one over on them and keep climbing up the table.

“A few years ago I was doing Fraser Franks’s boots, now I’m beating them 7-1, but to be fair they’re all great lads and happy to see them again.”

Writing in his online column for DevonLive, Grecians defender Moxey, who has also played for Derby, Crystal Palace and Bolton, wasn't happy with the manner that Hatters went about their victory at St James Park and even admitted he hopes the club's promotion bid is unsuccessful this term.

He said: "While we ended up well beaten by Luton, we had been much the better team in the first half and, with just a little bit more good fortune, might have been out of sight by half-time rather than level at 1-1.

"Of course, it was disappointing that after what was probably our best 45 minutes of the season we weren’t ahead, but we came out for the second half confident that if we performed anywhere near as well as we had done in the opening period we would get the result we wanted.

"Unfortunately, the visitors nicked a second goal within a minute or two of the restart and, rather than regrouping as we should have done, things went from bad to worse as we allowed them to add a third and fourth very soon afterwards.

"To add insult to injury, I didn’t much care for the way Luton went about things. Take it from me, they’re a cocky bunch who, rather than let their football do the talking, did everything they could to wind us up.

"I guess they might argue the end justified the means, but it’s not the way we like to play the game and, truth be told, I’d love to see them come unstuck!"

Hatters striker James Collins will keep it purely professional when he heads back to former club Crawley Town for the first time tomorrow.

The 26-year-old scored 22 goals in 51 games during a stellar campaign for the Red Devils last year, before Luton came calling for his services during the summer and he made the switch to Kenilworth Road.

With Luton now on top of the League Two table, Collins knows he made the right move in leaving for pastures new, and will be doing all he can to get on the scoresheet once more as he said: “I’m looking forward to going back there, I had some good memories there last year, so it will be a tough game.

“Of course I do (want to score), I want to score goals every game, no matter who it’s against.

“Crawley were good for me last year, I like to think I was good for Crawley last year, so no grudges, but I want to go there Saturday and win the game.

“I feel I made a big step up, to a massive club and that’s no disrespect to Crawley, it’s just the size this club is, it’s definitely a step up.

If he does add a ninth goal to his personal tally this season, then Collins didn’t anticipate not celebrating, as some players do against their former sides.

He continued: “I think football’s football and you’ve got to celebrate when you score a goal.

“It wouldn’t be anything personal if I did celebrate against Crawley, it’s just one of those things.

“I’m a striker, I want to score goals, so hopefully it happens, but we’ll wait and see.”

The Red Devils have had a change in manager since Collins left, with Dermot Drummy departing in the summer and former Leeds, Liverpool and Australia winger Harry Kewell taking charge.

Town’s striker still knows plenty of the squad at the Checkatrade Stadium though, although doubts he’ll be offering any insight to the Luton boss on tactics ahead of the clash, saying: “There’s a few there, he’s made a lot of changes, but there’s still a good number there that I worked with last year, and I made some good friends there.

“I don’t know who’s going to play as they got beat Tuesday, so the gaffer could make a lot of changes.

“I don’t think it really matters who they play, we know what we need to do when we go there and whoever they put out, it’s going to be a tough game.”

Hatters go into the game on the back of two thumping victories, battering Stevenage 7-1 last Saturday and then hammering Exeter City 4-1 on their own turf during midweek.

For Collins, it’s showing that the discussions he had with Jones prior to signing are coming true now, as he said: “When I met the gaffer in the summer, he said, we will create lots and lots of chances and we want you to be the ones to put it away, on the evidence of the last two games that’s the case.

“At the minute, it’s a great team to play in and hopefully that can continue.

“It’s not very often you win seven and then go away on the Tuesday and score four goals, so I’m delighted to be a part of two games and if we win 1-0, or 7-1, three points is three points and that’s what we’re looking to achieve.”

Importantly, the goals are being shared round too, as although Collins and Danny Hylton have 16 between them, the rest of the squad have added 18 between then too.

With the likes of Elliot Lee also waiting patiently for his chance too, Collins knows the players in possession of the shirts can’t let things slip, as he added: “That’s part and parcel of being as such a club. You’re going to have a good squad and we’ve got some good players that are not playing at the minute.

“Me, Danny and Harry (Cornick) have got the shirts of the front three at the minute and it’s going to be tough to keep that going, but luckily enough at the minute, we’re doing okay and hopefully that will continue.

“We’ve got some big characters in the dressing room and no-one wants to be the main one, everyone wants to work hard for each other and I think you’ve got to have that to have a success at the end of the season.”

Peter Ormerod investigates the bizarre, troubling and extremely funny world of Found Footage

Goujon John stands in his Goujultation Zone. Like many characters who appear on Mr Biffo's Found Footage, he's a slick, troubling and troubled American salesman. He's all about the goujons, of course; we know not quite of what they are made, other than that they come from the "silvery bird". He stands in his 16-bit computer graphic domain in flickering and distorted form, dispensing goujon-related advice to assorted lost souls, who often turn out to be fairly successful comedians or musicians (most recently, it was him out of indie favourites Public Service Broadcasting). And that's probably the most conventional bit of Mr Biffo's Found Footage, which distressingly comes to its conclusion this weekend.

Found Footage is a series on YouTube which is notable for countless reasons. First, there's the ingenious conceit: it purportedly represents the contents of VHS tapes discovered at a car boot sale. It thus takes the form of a melange of apparently random snippets, all rendered in that fuggy style of old videos, with static and subliminal images often intruding. There are bits of TV programmes: Do You Remember When?, for example, prods at the lazy nostalgia of our times, while the guests on BurdTalk disagree furiously about whether the programme exists to praise or chastise our avian brethren. There are sort-of public information films: Simon Bates, a raucous American, explains the film certification system ("PG stands for Private Garden"; "18 is short for 1898") in abrasive tones. Then there are the adverts for such delights as Wasp Bells, an adult chat line called Mime Talk and a "sturdy boy" called Wet Pepe who makes everything soggy. There are songs: one is about Sir Clive Sinclair, another about Elon Musk. There are appearances from the disturbing duo of Kenny and Yuri Masters (starring Iain Lee, formerly of Channel 4's The 11 O'Clock Show, now one of Britain's most engaging and original broadcasters). There are recordings of a Geordie man mumbling while playing old-school video games, which tend to degenerate into worrying adventures in scatology. And there is a curious air of threat throughout, more of which in a bit.

None of this will surprise anyone familiar with the work of its creator. Found Footage has come from the mind - and possibly other organs - of Paul Rose, who, in the guise of Mr Biffo, was responsible for Teletext's long-lamented video games section, Digitiser. Seemingly inhabiting an entirely different dimension from anything else served up on teletext, Digitiser revelled in subversive surrealism and barely disguised profanity, its own array of characters including The Rapping Shoe, Mr T (don't mess with his bins) and The Man With A Long Chin. Rose's career since teletext died at the hands of digital TV has been similarly replete with baffling non sequiturs, covering everything from possibly the oddest TV pilot ever made (Biffovision, set in the world of 1980s Saturday morning children's television) to possibly the worst film ever made (Pudsey the Dog: The Movie, for which he wrote at least some of the script), via Bafta nominations as the co-creator of CBBC shows 4 O'Clock Club and Dani's House. Throughout all this, he's gained the support of Charlie Brooker, who donated towards the making of Found Footage and is credited as executive producer. Alex Garland, writer of The Beach and Ex Machina, is another admirer.

But maybe it all makes more sense than first appears. It's become clear over the past few weeks that the 20-odd-minute episodes of Found Footage have actually been building to a conclusion; these seemingly disparate parts actually have some meaning. The final episode, which goes online at 9pm on Sunday, is described as "tense, atmospheric, sci-action movie". It's as if John Carpenter at his most ambitious has been directing Reeves & Mortimer at their darkest.

“I got sick of the development process in film and TV," says Rose. "I’ve worked on so many projects – including a BBC One sitcom pilot with Dylan Moran and Maxine Peake – which nearly got made, that my heart just wasn’t in it anymore.

“I was worn down from making compromises to create stuff that was more palatable and commercial, and it wasn’t having an impact on its chance of success, so I decided to do something for me.”

Handily for the rest of us, Rose was able to find enough backers who wanted to see what he could come up with to raise funds for a nine-part comedy series.

“Even then, my ambitions went through the roof," he says. "It was my first time directing, and I really wanted to reward the backers and prove what I was capable of, so I kept thinking bigger and bigger.”

For one thing, Found Footage proves that all the money in the world is no substitute for an imagination like Rose's. And with sequences including a fast-paced speedboat chase, and two days filming in an abandoned nuclear bunker, complete with action sequences, special effects and prosthetics, it demonstrates what can be achieved with good will, hard work and an undiluted conviction.

“It isn’t for everyone ," says Rose, who really needs to put those words in vast bold type. "It’s weird in a late night, Adult Swim, kind of way. But nobody in the UK is brave enough to make shows like this anymore. Found Footage has shown that there is an audience hungry enough for this kind of absurdist humour that you can make it happen without having to worry too much about ratings.

“I think I’ve created something that is completely original, extremely high quality, and – most importantly – done it without the backing of a TV channel or movie studio. Those who love it really seem to love it.”

* Mr Biffo's Found Footage - which we repeat is certainly not for everyone and contains strong language and scenes some viewers may find disturbing, as well as extremely funny - can be watched here.

The frustration was finally over for Hatters defender Johnny Mullins as he made his first league start of the season against Stevenage on Saturday.

The 31-year-old had endured a tough start to the campaign on a personal note, restricted to just 15 minutes of action in the league on the opening day, plus three cup appearances.

However, with Alan Sheehan missing out to be at the birth of his first child, Mullins was drafted in alongside Scott Cuthbert in the centre of defence.

The call came at short notice too, as speaking before Tuesday night’s 4-1 win at Exeter, where the former Oxford player was amost the substitutes once more, he said: “I knew just before I got to the ground, so it wasn’t that long and probably best that way.

“I was driving along thinking I’m sitting on the bench and that’s the way it goes, but congratulations to Sheez and his missus.

“It’s been a long time, a really frustrating period, so it was good to be back out there.

“I came back in pre-season and was fit, although probably wasn’t exactly where I needed to be, being out injured before.

“Then the team has started well, so I was always a little behind, but football’s a funny game. You get injured and you have to bide your time, but I’m back getting fully fit.

“I’m pleased and I just want to continue and keep playing as many games as I can.

“I really enjoyed it and the game being Stevenage, the way it finished made it all the more special really.”

Although disappointed on a personal level, Mullins appreciated there was little he could do to push his case to boss Nathan Jones with Town keeping six clean sheets already this season.

He continued: “At certain times you speak to him, but when the team’s winning and keeping clean sheets, it’s just no point in banging his door down as you know the answer.

“You want to be playing football. I’ve been in the game long enough, I’ve played enough games that I want to be playing football.

But I equally understand when you’re not in the team and the team’s winning, there’s not much you can do.

“That’s part and parcel of it too. We all want to be successful together and the ultimate goal is that we get promoted, so that is what it’s all about.

“When you come in you have to try and play well and when you’re out of the team you have to train well and push yourself forward as much as possible.”

On how he felt his own performance went, Mullins said: “I enjoyed the game, it was nice to get back in there.

“I felt the longer it went on the better I was getting and feel the more I play the better I’ll get.

“It was enjoyable, the team that we’re playing in is an excellent side.

“They were a decent side too, top seven themselves and they’re local-ish, so to beat them like that was a great day.

“I enjoyed it and I want more of that.”

Meanwhile, boss Jones added: “With the squad we have, it means we can bring someone like Johnny Mullins in who has been chomping at the bit.

“He’s been unlucky to be left out, he’s experienced, been at this level, been promoted from this level a number of times, so it shows the strength of the squad.”

Luton boxer Michael Devine returned to the ring with a comprehensive 40-36 points win on Saturday night.

It was yet another televised appearance for Devine, this time on ITV Box Office on the George Groves versus Jamie Cox undercard at the SSE Arena in Wembley.

Devine, who hadn’t boxed since securing his second Southern Area title in December last year, was in the best shape of his career as he took on Worcester’s Michael Mooney (8-38-1).

As the first round began, Devine was up on his toes and began to walk down 
Mooney and find his range.

Mooney took some heavy body shots and winced as Devine piled on the pressure and cut off the ring.

In the second, Devine began to move up through the gears and an array of uppercuts and body shots forced Mooney to bite down on his gumshield.

The third saw the Worcester man attempt to take the fight to Devine, but the Luton fighter’s patience and maturity saw him avoid being drawn into the all-out war Mooney wanted.

Instead Devine used his ring craft to frustrate his opponent, at one point making him miss with some excellent head movement which almost sent the lunging Mooney over the ropes to loud cheers from over 200 travelling Devine fans.

In the final round, Mooney sensed the fight slipping away and chose to goad Devine.

But the two time Southern Area champion chose to pick off Mooney with another flurry of body shots and a crunching headshot that sent him across the ring.

To Mooney’s credit, he held on to the final bell, but the referee scored every round to Devine who has now chalked up his 16th professional win (16-5-1).

Speaking afterwards, Devine, nursing a visibly swollen hand, said: “He was a tough kid and I hurt my hand in the second with a headshot, and he made it very awkward for me.

“I didn’t feel like I performed the best, but my coach and corner were very impressed with the win.

“I’m really glad to get the rounds in against a durable opponent, and shake off the ring rust.”

Devine hopes to be back out in the coming months and wants to continue his journey towards his lifelong aim, winning the British title.

Defender Dan Potts was delighted to exorcise the memory of his recent miss against Morecambe in the Hatters’ 4-1 win at Exeter City on Tuesday night.

During Town’s stalemate at the Globe Arena recently, Potts had a wonderful chance in the first period, when his close range shot drew a fine save from Shrimps keeper Barry Roche.

It had clearly been playing on his mind and when presented with an almost identical chance at St James Park in midweek, he made no mistake this time, burying his shot into the corner for a second goal of the campaign.

There had been appeals for a penalty against Danny Hylton in the build-up, but Potts ensured there were few complaints in the aftermath, as he said: “It did cross my mind, I thought the ref was going to give a foul and everything just seemed to stop.

“It fell nicely for me, like the one at Morecambe that I should have scored, but luckily this one just flew home.

“We managed to back it up with two quickfire goals and before you know it we’re 4-1 up.”

It wasn’t just on the floor that Potts was having chances either, as he got on the end of a number of corners from Alan Sheehan, seeing one effort cleared off the line.

The defender, who now has his best tally in a season so far, said: “I had a few in the first half from a little bit further out.

“It they went in I would have been well pleased, but I know I’m decent in the air.

“If the lads put the ball in like Sheez did, it won’t be long before they go in the back of the net.”

Town’s opening blitz to the second half saw Exeter simply blown away and Potts felt the swiftness of the goals stopped any remote hopes of a fight back from the hosts, who had enjoyed the better of the opening 45 minutes.

He continued: “That was key, as after the way they played first half, we didn’t really give them a chance second half to build any momentum.

“Anything they did try and build from, we dealt with better in the second half and we stopped them in their motion and I thought it was a good professional performance.

“We give them credit for their first half display, but think they’ll give us credit for our second half display.

“I don’t think it was matter of them coming out sloppy, I think we came out, had the bit between our teeth and think we really showed why we should be top of the league.

“It’s a massive win for us, it ended up a massive result and a good evening all round.

“This is a tough place to come, you just have to look at the first half, we got off to a good start but we were under the cosh.

“I thought second half we were different class though.

With Exeter in the ascendancy during the first period and clearly on top, it took a switch in formation from the Hatters, reverting to a 3-5-2, to allow them to gain a foothold in the game and Potts felt trialling different formations in the past ensured it was a seamless transition.

He added: “They hit the bar within 20 seconds, we got the early goal and I thought that might have settled us, but credit to them they came out and definitely put their game against us.

“I wouldn’t say we struggled to deal with it, but we were under pressure, and I thought we showed a good resilience to go in at 1-1.

“We had a chat in there at half time, tweaked it a little bit and it definitely seemed to work.

“Last year, we tinkered with a few different formations. This year, especially recently, we’ve gone with a different formation and that sort of flexibility and that experience within the formations has helped us.

“Going back to the three at the back, I thought second half they couldn’t handle us.”

The new Visitor Centre at Houghton Hall Park in Houghton Regis has opened its doors.

The centre was made possible by a £2.1m National Lottery grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and the Big Lottery Fund, together with funding from Central Bedfordshire Council and Houghton Regis Town Council.

Sited in the historic 18th century parkland of Houghton Hall, the fully accessible centre is home to two meeting rooms, a discovery and learning corner, as well as a fully equipped café offering a wide range of drinks, light bites and meals.

The centre is free, has free parking (for three hours) and is open all year. It is also fully accessible, including an accessible toilet.

The centre forms part of the wider Houghton Hall Park Renaissance and Renewal Project. The project has also restored the formal garden adjacent to Houghton Hall, reinstated the kitchen garden, provided easy-access paths and installed innovative natural play equipment around the park.

Councillor Ian Dalgarno, Executive Member for Community Services, said: “It has been a real team effort with lots of challenges. It’s down to the hard work, creativity, and the help of some fantastic people that we have this beautiful visitor centre. We are looking forward to holding a large family event in May as a celebration for the full project when the planting is starting to bloom, but we didn’t want to delay the opportunity for the local community to enjoy the visitor facilities as soon as they were ready.”

Robyn Llewellyn, Head of HLF East of England, said: “We’ve been delighted to support the regeneration of Houghton Hall Park. Parks often play a vital role in the life of a community and act as a connection to heritage. We look forward to seeing the benefits of the fantastic new visitor centre.”

The Visitor Centre will be open to the pubic between 10am – 5.30pm Monday to Friday and 9am – 5:30pm on Saturday and Sunday until the end of October. Winter opening hours are 10am – 3pm on weekdays, and 9am – 3pm on weekends.

An activity programme of events will be delivered throughout the year. For more information please visit www.facebook.com/houghtonhallpark or visit the Houghton Hall Park website www.houghtonhallpark.org/home.

Crawley Town boss Harry Kewell is finding his first venture into management far tougher than he would have wanted.

The former Liverpool, Leeds United and Australia winger was appointed when the Red Devils opted to relieve Dermot Drummy of his duties at the end of last season.

Kewell then had the worst possible beginning, with four defeats from his first four matches, until that run was ended quite spectacularly, with a 3-0 triumph at Swindon Town.

It wasn’t the start of something special for Crawley though as they have managed just four wins in the league so far, leaving them at the wrong end of the table, a mere five points above the drop zone in 19th place.

Any kind of progress has been stunted by some quite horrific home form, as Crawley have managed just one win in front of their own fans this term, that coming on September 2 with a 2-0 success over Yeovil.

The other six matches have all ended in defeat, as Crawley have lost to Port Vale, Cambridge, Notts County, Newport, Carlisle and then bottom side Chesterfield on Tuesday night, with the Spireites’ 2-0 success ending their own terrible sequence of six straight losses.

Bar the Yeovil victory, Crawley have managed just two goals in that time, drawing four blanks as well.

On their travels, Kewell’s side have been better, with victories at Swindon, Barnet and Morecambe, but midfielder Josh Payne knows the home form must improve, as speaking to the club’s official website, he said: “It’s not easy at times like this but we’re in it together.

“We all want to go in the same direction but it is a tough time for us at home at the moment.

“The fans are coming here and wanting us to get results but it just isn’t happening so we have to stick with one another to try and turn it around.”

Meanwhile, boss Kewell has hinted changes may be made when the table-topping Hatters are in town, as after Tuesday’s lost, he said: “It is the first time this season I felt our players didn’t deserve to take anything away from the game.

“If they think they are going to get away with playing football only now and then and not being professional it won’t stand.

“The players that don’t want to work hard will get found out.

“If a player doesn’t make the most of their opportunity then their are others waiting to come in and take it.

“I need to have a very hard think about how we play Luton because it will be a very tough game.”

Team news: Luton are virtually at full strength with the exception of midfielder Alan McCormack who is seeing a specialist about his groin injury.

Top scorers: Hatters - Danny Hylton, James Collins (8). Red Devils – Jimmy Smith (4).

Milestones: Scott Cuthbert is in line for his 100th Luton appearance during Saturday’s match.

The 30-year-old joined in the summer of 2015 from Leyton Orient and has scored three goals in that time.

Man in the middle: Trevor Kettle - Vastly experienced official has taken 12 games this season in League One and League Two, showing 48 yellow cards and two reds.

Refereed Town three times last term, the 1-1 home draw against Exeter, plus 2-1 win at Leyton Orient and 1-1 draw at Cheltenham.

Had the whistle for two Hatters matches in the 2015-16 campaign, with Town winning 3-2 at Oxford United and losing 1-0 at home against Bristol Rovers.

Also had Luton’s 3-3 draw with Bradford in League Two during January 2009, sending off Chris Martin in the 90th minute, while took Luton’s 3-0 victory over Sunderland in the Carling Cup in August 2007, dismissing the visitors’ Greg Halford, plus a 1-0 League One win over Tranmere in December.

Infamously sent off Sol Davis in Town’s Championship 0-0 draw at Stoke City in February 2007, and has had four more Luton matches in his career, with wins over Leyton Orient and Wrexham, plus defeats to Plymouth and Stoke City.

Assistant referees are Paul Kelly and Rob Smith with the fourth official Samuel Ogles.

In charge: Harry Kewell – 39-year-old who enjoyed a high profile playing career both for club and country.

Started life in his native Australia, before he was signed by Leeds United after a trial in 1995.

Spent a successful eight years at Elland Road, then heading to Liverpool in 2003, winning the Champions League with the Reds in 2005, while also appearing in their final defeat to AC Milan in Athens two years later.

Left Anfield for Galatasaray in 2008, enjoying three years in Turkey and he returned home to sign for Melbourne Victory in 2011.

Signed for to Al-Gharafa in the Qatar Stars League for the remainder of the 2012–13 season, but moved to Melbourne Heart in June 2013, where he hung up his boots in March 2014.

During that time, he played 58 times for his country too, including in the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, scoring 17 goals.

Appointed head coach of Watford U21s in July 2015, but was sacked in April 2017 and was then appointed head coach of Crawley in May this year.

View from the opposition: Harry Kewell talking to the club’s official website: “Sometimes in football all you’ve got to do is run, tackle, do the nasty things.

“Maybe we have too many ball players, not wanting to play, maybe I need more nasty people.

“There’s moments in football when you’ve got to think, readjust, change things around. There’s a big thing I believe in which they know and maybe they’ll take it onboard.

“If they don’t take it onboard then we’ll find ourselves in these situations again, again and again.

“No-one likes to be in a relegation battle but I think it’s clear to see that we are in a position where we are going to be fighting.”

Friendly faces: Striker James Collins left Crawley in the summer for Kenilworth Road after a fine season with the Red Devils, scoring 22 goals in 51 games.

Meanwhile, former Hatter Warren Feeney is assistant boss under Harry Kewell.

The forward joined Luton from Stockport County for £150,000 during March 2005, having a tough time with the Hatters, scoring just 11 goals in 83 games.

Left for Cardiff City on loan, and then turned the move into a permanent one in June 2007, before spells at Swansea City, Dundee United, Sheffield Wednesday, Oldham, Plymouth and then Salisbury.

Has managed Linfield and Newport County, sacked by the Exiles in September 2016, before joining Crawley in the summer.

Played for both: Craig McAllister – 37-year-old striker joined Crawley on a free transfer from Exeter back in June 2010, spending a year with the Red Devils, scoring 13 goals in 47 matches, including a last minute winner in a 2-1 victory at Kenilworth Road.

Went to Newport and then Luton snapped him up on loan in January 2012, although he managed just one goal in his 17 appearances for the Hatters.

Headed to Eastleigh in July 2012 and is now back at the club once more after spells at Sutton and Eastbourne, playing 13 times this season in the National League, scoring twice.

One to watch: Jimmy Smith - combative midfielder started life at Chelsea, making one sub appearance for the Blues in the Premier League, before heading to QPR, Norwich, Sheffield Wednesday, Leyton Orient and Stevenage, joining Crawley in the summer of 2014.

Has played over 100 times now and is the club’s leading scorer so far this season, with four goals from 12 games, including both in a 2-1 win at Barnet back in September.

We’ve got form: Hatters are still yet to taste that winning feeling in a league clash at Crawley, having been beaten three times, with one draw to their credit from four trips.

They have won in the FA Cup back in November 2015, thanks to a Josh McQuoid double, but it’s been a different story with points up for grabs.

They began with a 2-1 defeat in the Conference in 2010, with Matthew Barnes-Homer scoring, while their only point was a 1-1 draw the season after thanks to Alex Lawless’s goal.

Since returning to the Football League, Luton have lost 2-1, Cameron McGeehan on target and then 2-0 last term.

Last time out: Luton were beaten 2-0 by Crawley during their trip to the Checkatrade Stadium last season.

Manager Nathan Jones’s selection backfired, as he started with Josh McQuoid and Isaac Vassell upfront, when James Collins, now with Luton, put the hosts ahead two minutes before half time.

Although Danny Hylton and Jack Marriott were introduced after the hour, the Red Devils sealed victory through Enzio Boldewijn’s 90th minute strike.

Hatters: Christian Walton, Stephen O’Donnell, Dan Potts, Johnny Mullins, Alan Sheehan, Jonathan Smith (Alex Gilliead 71), Cameron McGeehan, Jordan Cook, Olly Lee, Isaac Vassell (Jack Marriott 61), Josh McQuoid (Danny Hylton 61).

Subs not used: Craig King, Scott Cuthbert, Jake Gray, Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu.

Referee: Gavin Ward.

Attendance: 2,904.

Luton Town have won the League Managers Association’s LG Performances of the Week for their 7-1 win over Stevenage and 4-1 victory at Exeter City as well.

The League Managers Association’s five-man panel, comprising LMA Chairman Howard Wilkinson, Sir Alex Ferguson, Joe Royle, Dave Bassett and Barry Fry couldn’t decide between either win against Boro or the Grecians, so the award was given for both.

Hatters boss Nathan Jones received a celebratory bottle of champagne, courtesy of Tanners Wines, and an LG Performance of the Week trophy in a presentation to commemorate the result.

Speaking about the award, the Luton chief said: “It’s always nice.

“It’s more important that we play well, but then to be recognised as the outstanding performances of the footballing week is wonderful as there were some real good performance from certain teams.

“But for us to do it in such a game at home and then the magnitude of the game away from home, against real promotion rivals, was a real good accolade.

“We’re very proud of that and we thank LG for that.”

It’s the second time Town have won the award this season, after they put eight past Yeovil Town on the opening day of the campaign.

A Luton man has been charged in connection with two rapes which took place in 2007.

Shipu Ahmed, 35, of Avondale Road, Luton, was arrested yesterday (Thursday, October 19) and later charged with two counts of rape.

The charges are in relation to assaults against a 15-year-old girl and a 22-year-old woman on November 30 and December 15 2007, which occurred in Dunstable and Luton.

Ahmed appeared at Luton Magistrates’ Court this morning (Friday, October 20) and has been remanded into custody pending a further hearing on November 20.

Anyone with any information about the investigation is asked to call the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit on 101, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.

There is no absolutely chance of complacency creeping into the Luton Town squad for the trip to struggling Crawley Town this weekend, according to boss Nathan Jones.

The Luton chief saw his side reach the top of the table after Tuesday night’s superb 4-1 win at promotion rivals Exeter, and now head to a Red Devils side who have lost six out of their seven home matches this season.

Although Luton are strong favourites to chalk up another triumph, Jones said: “I’m not naive enough to think that because you always get shot in the foot when you’re at your most complacent, we won’t be complacent, this group’s different.

“If we lose the game Saturday, it won’t be through complacency and won’t be because we’ve taken the game lightly, it will be because Crawley on the day are better than us.

“Now if that happens, then fine, but, this group will not be complacent.

”They’re a different group, I said that before the Stevenage game, it’s a different team now, a different squad.

“This is one we’ve assembled for all games, not just for the big games, or the glamour games.

“This is a squad that’s hungry, that wants to do well and we will not be complacent on Saturday against Crawley.

“I can’t guarantee any result, can’t guarantee that we’re going to win the game, can’t guarantee that we’re going to score, but I can guarantee you we will not be complacent.

“The manager won’t, I know the assistant won’t or any of the coaching staff, and I’m sure the players won’t be.”

Former Crawley striker James Collins didn’t anticipate there being any loss of focus either with Jones in charge, as he said: “The gaffer makes sure, he won’t allow us to get complacent.

“He knows every game is a big game and when we play Exeter, or Crawley for instance, it’s always going to be a tough game.

“Every game in this league is, so the dressing room will not let the lads get complacent, as we know Saturday will be a tough game.”

The last time Luton won four games in a row under Jones was back in the 2015-16 campaign, where they came unstuck again Crawley at Kenilworth ROad, the visitors running out 1-0 victors.

On putting that right this time, Jones said: “It doesn’t matter who we play, we’re going out to get the win.

“History has no effect on us, we’re a different focus about us and we’re looking forward to the game.

“Crawley will be a difficult test, a real difficult test. They’ve had a mixed start, but they’re a dangerous team, so we have to be wary of that, but we’re a dangerous team, so I’m sure they’re going to have to be wary of us too.”

The Red Devils are managed by former Liverpool and Leeds United winger Harry Kewell, someone who Jones freely admits he hasn’t come up against during his career.

He added: “No, not at all, he obviously played at a far higher level than I did, he’s a better player than me.

“He then decided to go into management, coaching. I think he’s been away back in his native land then came over with Watford and this is his first managerial role.

“It takes time to settle, I’m sure he’s enjoying it somewhere along the line, it’s mental at times and crazy.

“I’ve come up against his assistant Warren Feeney and know him very well, I like Warren, so I know it will be a difficult game, but I’m quite sure they know that as well.”