Bloomfield starts his Luton reign with drab goalless draw against Preston

New Luton manager Matt Bloomfield kicked off his reign in charge of the Hatters with a solid but hugely unspectacular goalless draw against Preston North End this afternoon.

With plenty made of the manager's former club Wycombe Wanderers being the top-scorers in League One in the pre-match build-up, there was hope that his appointment would lead to some excitement and enjoyment returning to Kenilworth Road to light up what has been a rather grim season for any seasoned Town followers.

That might well happen in time too, Bloomfield having had just a few days to work with his new charges and implement the kind of style that saw the Chairboys already net 50 goals, but it will clearly take some time to transfer to Bedfordshire, Lilywhites keeper Freddie Woodman barely extended all game, as the result saw Luton drop into the relegation zone after wins for both Cardiff and Hull prior to kick-off.

He did ensure Town tightened up defensively though, with the visitors not having a single shot on target as Luton picked up a first clean sheet since November 23, a sequence of 11 matches, ending a run of five straight defeats in all competitions. The new boss made four changes from the FA Cup exit to Nottingham Forest when naming his first XI, Daiki Hashioka, Tom Krauss, Jacob Brown and Jordan Clark coming in, Lamine Fanne missing out through injury, while Elijah Adebayo, Reuell Walters and Liam Walsh dropped to the bench.

A first look at the Hatters under Bloomfield saw them line up with four at the back, Nakamba the deep-lying midfielder, Clark and Krauß operating in front of him, while Carlton Morris was the lone striker, Brown to his left and new signing Isaiah Jones over on the right. The Hatters did look to attack early on, but it was from a set-piece that they had their first opportunity, Clark's delivery seeing Tom Holmes unable to bulldoze his way through, Mark McGuinness dragging wide of the target.

Town continued to have the better of proceedings, showing some good intent, Clark breaking forward and sizing up a shot on his left foot that was comfortable for Woodman. It was clear the Hatters had worked on their in possession play, with some sharp and snappy passing, particularly in the centre of the pitch, as looking to build from the back when possible, they had a number of one touch interchanges in the centre, one move seeing Krauß’s whipped cross a whisker away from Morris.

After the break, the Hatters made a promising start, Clark dinking over an inviting cross that both Morris and Jones couldn't get a touch on as the opportunity frustratingly went begging. Luton and Bell in particular had to stay switched on the back though, a well-worked free kick routine from deep seeing Preston have men unmarked, the full back covering well to nod away from inside his own six yard box.

Centre half Tom Holmes then saw yellow for what referee Tim Robinson felt was a high challenge on Milutin Osmajic, as from the set-piece, Morris cleared, with Kaine Kesler Hayden putting an ambitious volley well wide. Luton were struggling to create any meaningful chances of their own, although they did finally have an attempt on 66 minutes, Morris taking Clark's chipped pass in his stride only to put his snapshot straight at Woodman.

With 15 to go, Bloomfield altered his front three completely, Nelson, Adebayo and Victor Moses coming on for Jones, Brown and Morris, but it didn’t really pep up the hosts in terms of an attacking sense. Luton did have another crack on target with 84 minutes on the clock when awarded a free kick 25 yards out, Clark trying to beat Woodman at the post he was stationed by, the keeper equal to it. In stoppage time, Adebayo's shot from distance was also easy for Woodman as the game finished, as it looked like doing so for the entire second half, and even before that, goalless.

Hatters: Thomas Kaminski, Daiki Hashioka, Tom Holmes, Mark McGuinness, Amari’i Bell, Marvelous Nakamba, Tom Krauß (Cauley Woodrow 89), Jordan Clark, Isaiah Jones (Victor Moses 74), Jacob Brown (Zack Nelson 74), Carlton Morris (C, Elijah Adebayo 74). Subs not used: Tim Krul, Mads Andersen, Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu, Reuell Walters, Liam Walsh.

Lilywhites: Freddie Woodman, Liam Lindsay, Will Keane (Mads Frokjaer-Jensen 62), Ali McCann ©, Jordan Storey, Andrew Hughes, Ryan Ledson, Lewis Gibson, Sam Greenwood, Milutin Osmajic (Emil Riis Jakobsen 74), Kaine Kesler Hayden. Subs not used: David Cornell, Jayden Meghoma, Jack Whatmough, Robbie Brady, Ched Evans, Stefan Thordarson, Duane Holmes. Referee: Tim Robinson. Booked: Storey 17, Brown 42, Holmes 55, Morris 62, Hughes 68. Attendance: 11,540 (1,214 Preston).