Luton Match Report
A very slick, professional performance. It wouldn’t have been nearly as easy if Howard hadn’t got himself sent off, but that’s not our problem, and we went out our task with real vigour.
The opening exchanges had been fairly even, if Nelson did seem a bit unsure with some of his calls, but we were playing some nice stuff, with something like the Jay Tabb of old giving us movement and creativity in midfield. Howard had already been penalised fro going in with his elbow a few minutes earlier, when on 18 minutes he committed a similar offence on Turner on the half-way line and, after consulting the linesman, Andy D’Urso produced a red card. With the man advantage we forced a string of corners, but didn’t find a breakthrough until the 41st minute when a long free-kick from Nelson was brilliantly controlled by Burton who twisted between two defenders to fire low past Beresford.
We really turned on the style in the second half, with Tabb and Burton producing all sorts of flicks and dummies to outwit the Luton defence. O’Connor and Frampton were storming forward, and even Talbot got in on the act, almost breaking the post with a shot from just inside the box after a give-and-go with Tabb. Burton had a goal rightly disallowed for handball in the build-up; O’Connor flashed a fierce free-kick just wide after Luton’s entire team had mobbed the referee for penalising what looked like an obvious trip on Hargreaves.
When the second did come it was the result of a lovely sweeping move, with O’Connor playing it up to Tabb, who released him out wide, where he turned in a low cross which May swept in at the far post under pressure from a defender. The chances came thick and fast after that – May took one slightly heavy touch when played through, forcing him wide and giving Beresford more chance with the resulting shot. O’Connor, making another storming run from the back, played another quick one-two and curled a left-footed shot which Beresford did brilliantly to tip round the post. Salako was also denied by a brilliant point-blank save from a header, and Beresford was comfortably man of the match.
Luton did threaten occasionally, and Sodje was a bit lucky when the ref decided that there was sufficient cover available that his clumsy last-ditch challenge was only worth a yellow. In a bad-tempered Luton side Nicholls also risked adding to the card total when he seemed to leave his foot in on Nelson.
It’s dangerous to read too much from 70 minutes against 10 men, but this was a good Luton side, and we made them look ordinary at times, with passing that was as good as anything we’ve produced in a long time. Apart from Beresford the main factors that kept the score down were the inability of our elder statesmen in midfield to match the speed of our passing with the legs to get forward and support the strikers, and Ben May’s inconsistent first-touch. There’s still things we can improve on, but we look like we’ve got Jay Tabb back, and that’s a big start. We’re also realising just how much we missed Burton when he was suspended.
Nelson 7 – not his busiest game
O’Connor 8 – full of running, deserved a goal
Frampton 8 – superb in attack and defence
Sodje 7 – won everything in the air, but a few rushes of blood
Turner 8 – brought the ball out well
Talbot 7 – good game, nearly scored
Hargreaves 7 – couldn’t quite keep up with the pace of the game
Tabb 9 – pulled all the strings in midfield
Salako 7 – fairly quiet
Burton 9 – adds so much to the team
May 8 – good goal, but first touch let him down too often
Rankin 8 – provided pace down the right wing
Harrold and Rhodes – only on for a few minutes
The opening exchanges had been fairly even, if Nelson did seem a bit unsure with some of his calls, but we were playing some nice stuff, with something like the Jay Tabb of old giving us movement and creativity in midfield. Howard had already been penalised fro going in with his elbow a few minutes earlier, when on 18 minutes he committed a similar offence on Turner on the half-way line and, after consulting the linesman, Andy D’Urso produced a red card. With the man advantage we forced a string of corners, but didn’t find a breakthrough until the 41st minute when a long free-kick from Nelson was brilliantly controlled by Burton who twisted between two defenders to fire low past Beresford.
We really turned on the style in the second half, with Tabb and Burton producing all sorts of flicks and dummies to outwit the Luton defence. O’Connor and Frampton were storming forward, and even Talbot got in on the act, almost breaking the post with a shot from just inside the box after a give-and-go with Tabb. Burton had a goal rightly disallowed for handball in the build-up; O’Connor flashed a fierce free-kick just wide after Luton’s entire team had mobbed the referee for penalising what looked like an obvious trip on Hargreaves.
When the second did come it was the result of a lovely sweeping move, with O’Connor playing it up to Tabb, who released him out wide, where he turned in a low cross which May swept in at the far post under pressure from a defender. The chances came thick and fast after that – May took one slightly heavy touch when played through, forcing him wide and giving Beresford more chance with the resulting shot. O’Connor, making another storming run from the back, played another quick one-two and curled a left-footed shot which Beresford did brilliantly to tip round the post. Salako was also denied by a brilliant point-blank save from a header, and Beresford was comfortably man of the match.
Luton did threaten occasionally, and Sodje was a bit lucky when the ref decided that there was sufficient cover available that his clumsy last-ditch challenge was only worth a yellow. In a bad-tempered Luton side Nicholls also risked adding to the card total when he seemed to leave his foot in on Nelson.
It’s dangerous to read too much from 70 minutes against 10 men, but this was a good Luton side, and we made them look ordinary at times, with passing that was as good as anything we’ve produced in a long time. Apart from Beresford the main factors that kept the score down were the inability of our elder statesmen in midfield to match the speed of our passing with the legs to get forward and support the strikers, and Ben May’s inconsistent first-touch. There’s still things we can improve on, but we look like we’ve got Jay Tabb back, and that’s a big start. We’re also realising just how much we missed Burton when he was suspended.
Nelson 7 – not his busiest game
O’Connor 8 – full of running, deserved a goal
Frampton 8 – superb in attack and defence
Sodje 7 – won everything in the air, but a few rushes of blood
Turner 8 – brought the ball out well
Talbot 7 – good game, nearly scored
Hargreaves 7 – couldn’t quite keep up with the pace of the game
Tabb 9 – pulled all the strings in midfield
Salako 7 – fairly quiet
Burton 9 – adds so much to the team
May 8 – good goal, but first touch let him down too often
Rankin 8 – provided pace down the right wing
Harrold and Rhodes – only on for a few minutes
