Bloomfield pleased that Hatters showed the 'attacking intent' he asked for against Latics
Town bounce back to winning ways at Kenilworth Road
Luton boss Matt Bloomfield was happy that his players were able to show more of the ‘attacking intent’ he is trying to drill into them during last night’s 1-0 victory over Wigan Athletic at Kenilworth Road.
Following an opening three league games of the campaign in which Town had managed just five shots on target, and a 2-1 defeat at Bradford City on Saturday where they didn’t seriously threaten until the final 15 minutes, this time they opened the scoring with just nine minutes on the clock, George Saville volleying home Liam Walsh[s left wing cross to score his first goal for the club.
Town also had Jordan Clark’s close range effort saved by home stopper Sam Tickle in the first period, as after the break, the Wigan keeper repelled two fierce Milli Alli drives from range, while substitute Lasse Nordas also hit the base of the post, Will Aimson making a vital goal-line clearance as well to deny the Norwegian his maiden goal in a Luton shirt.
It meant the Hatters, who were able to play Cohen Bramall and Gideon Kodua as genuine wingbacks, and go with two upfront, Alli alongside Jerry Yates in the first half, Nordas then taking over in the second, as Alli dropped into the left wingback role, had just under 65 percent possession, ending up with 13 shots, four of them on target this time. Speaking afterwards, Bloomfield said: “It’s really crucial that as much as the win, it was really crucial that we showed more attacking intent.
"We went through it at great length yesterday with the boys, they’re a great group, they’re genuinely a really honest bunch, they’re honest with themselves, they are a genuine pleasure to work with. We were all very disappointed after the game on Saturday and rightly so, so I felt it was really important that we showed in front of the lights at home, a lot more attacking intent. Obviously pushing Milli slightly higher, it felt like we were able to do that. George has got some attacking instincts, he’s done it over the years, now he plays slightly deeper so he doesn’t get those opportunities as much.”
Despite Luton’s improved efforts in the final third, victory was by no means all their own way, Wigan having three decent attempts of their own in the first half, Town’s summer signing Josh Keeley required to make smart saves from Paul Mullin and Callum Wright, his best when palming away Jason Kerr’s attempt, while Aimson was denied by the woodwork twice himself.
They all came in a first half that was far more open than the Hatters would have wanted, although they were then able to snuff out the visitors’ threats after the interval until the final minute of stoppage time, when Tickle went forward for a corner, putting his effort wide of the target with what proved to be the final kick of the contest.
It led to Bloomfield adding: “I just felt, first half the biggest threat against us was giveaways and transitional moments which nearly cost us a couple of times. Second half we were more secure in possession, but didn’t get the second or third. We hit the post, had one cleared off the line, Milli had a couple of long range shots, we got into the box a couple of times but didn’t quite find that final moment. I think we needed to kill the game off at two and three just to stop the possibility of what nearly happened at the end, so still plenty for us to work on.
“It’s tough isn’t it right as at 1-0 up you don’t want to sit back and see the game out, you want to get the second and third. We’ve spoken a lot in the last 24, 48 hours with the boys about looking to try and get goals at home. We want to be that team. I didn't feel like it was the shape, it was more the giveaways that then we were quite open to the transitional moments and they did it quite well at times.
"We wanted to commit and have some bodies forward, which we did, but then you run the risk of being slightly open defensively, so we’ve got to make sure we strike that balance. It’s just a shame we didn’t quite get that second to kill the game off and settle everyone down. At 1-0 you’re only one moment away from the possibility of conceding and I’m glad it didn’t happen as I think it would have been unjust. We felt really secure in our shape, really solid with our performance second half, but it would have been just nice to get the second.”