Luton Town: Terry Harris eases fears over Craig Mackail-Smith injury

Luton Town are not fearing the worst for striker Craig Mackail-Smith after he departed the 4-1 win at Hartlepool with a hamstring injury, according to assistant manager Terry Harris.

The frontman, who suffered a serious Achilles injury that sidelined him for 13 months at previous club Brighton, looked dejected as he left the Victoria Park pitch on 28 minutes with the Hatters 1-0 up thanks to Jonathan Smith’s second goal in a week.

Mackail-Smith was replaced by Jack Marriott, who bagged a four-minute second-half double to send Town on the way to a fourth consecutive League Two win, but the early prognosis was positive.

“I think he’s OK, we’ll get the physio to have a look at him, but hopefully it’s just tight more than anything else, nothing too major,” said Harris, adding: “Jack came on and did exactly what Craig is there to do, stretch them, get behind them, and I thought he did it ever so well.”

Harris also revealed that precaution was taken with Paddy McCourt who was rested for the trip to the north-east.

“Paddy worked his socks off on Tuesday. He wasn’t really fit, fit when he first came and I know he’s in the Northern Ireland squad, but he was just a bit tight and it wasn’t worth taking that chance.

“I thought Luke Guttridge came in and did ever so well though. Paddy was magnificent on Tuesday night [at Morecambe], the same as everyone else, but we know what a good player Luke is and he came in and just took on his mantle.”

It was the returning playmaker that claimed the assist for Smith’s opener who, like the Luton squad, is stepping up to the challenge of adding more goals. That’s four already this term for the central midfielder who had only netted five times before in three years with the Hatters.

The team has now also fired 15 away goals in six matches and are already just two goals off their total tally for last season’s travels.

Harris said: “I’m delighted with the result. It’s well documented we’ve travelled a few miles this week, going to Morecambe on Tuesday then going back home and coming up [on Friday], so to score seven goals away from home in two games and pick up six points is fantastic.”

Yet the scoreline didn’t tell the whole story as Hartlepool fashioned a plethora of chances, with goalkeeper Mark Tyler spectacularly denying striker Rakish Bingham on four occasions.

“The game, at times, was a little bit too open for me,” said Harris, adding: “The ball retention in our attacking final third wasn’t the best, we kept giving the ball away and Hartlepool kept attacking us on the back of it and, to be totally honest, Mark Tyler’s pulled off some good saves.

“He stood up quite a few times and didn’t go down too early so didn’t make the forward’s mind up. I thought he was excellent and has been excellent for a period of time now, so we’re fortunate to have two top-class goalkeepers at the moment.”

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