Edwards hopes Hatters can use Eagles point as a 'springboard' in battle for Premier League survival

Luton boss Rob Edwards wants the Hatters to use the manner of this afternoon’s late 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace as a ‘springboard’ for their battle to stay up this season.

Town gained another massive point in their bid to remain a Premier League outfit this term courtesy of Cauley Woodrow’s equaliser in the sixth and final minute of stoppage time at Selhurst Park, denying the hosts, who had looked odds-on to secure victory having dominated large parts of the contest, missing a host of chances.

The visitors also saw Gabe Osho and Teden Mengi forced off with injury in the second period, but still managed to claim a share of the spoils, as speaking afterwards, Edwards said: "We've been performing well, results have been against us, but that can happen against Manchester United, Liverpool, (Aston) ViIla.

"We played well in those games in big, big spells, but hopefully this is a springboard. Hopefully it garners a lot of belief, we’re up against it at the moment. I know there are a lot of clubs suffering with injuries, but it’s hard for us with so many players missing, and then to lose two centre backs during the game as well.

"We’ve got a lot of square pegs in round holes out there towards the end and to find a way when we're not at our best, away from home in the Premier League, with so many injuries, to find a way to get something, drag something out, drag a result out is huge.”

Discussing the disappointing nature of the opening 45 minutes in which Jean-Philippe Mateta’s audacious backheel gave Palace the lead after Alfie Doughty’s poor backpass was seized upon by Daniel Munoz, Edwards continued: “I think we’ve got nine senior players missing and I don’t think we're going to be at our best at the moment.

"I don’t think that’s any disrespect to the players out there playing, I love them, they’re giving us everything, but I think it’s a mixture of players missing, we're away from home in the Premier League, Crystal Palace are good, the shapes are similar so it was hard to find rhythm, hard to find spaces to play and we gifted them a goal early on. That rocked us a little, the manner of conceding the goal was disappointing, human error, it can happen, so I think there were a number of factors.

"We took the handbrake off in the second half, we had a lot of momentum, huffed and puffed but couldn’t create big chances. Carlton (Morris) had one decent touch and volley, Chieo’s (Ogbene) header, a lot of threat with crosses into the box, the keeper catching it and some if only moments. Then we’re pushing, changing things around, players are coming off injured, (Eberechi) Eze had a couple of moments of genius and we could have been 2-0 down, but I thought intensity improved in the second half and that was probably the key to it.”

When asked what it felt like to gain a point at such a late period of the game having been hit by a late defeat at Aston Villa the previous weekend, Edwards added: “It feels good, we came here to try and win the game, I don’t think we deserved to, but I also don’t think we deserved to lose with everything that’s going against us at the moment. I think we can take a lot of confidence from that, they had a bit more threat I would say, but Thomas (Kaminski) made a big, big save.

“The threat from their set-pieces as well, but in terms of control and possession in the game, thought it was very even, just disappointed we didn’t create more. We were a little bit blunt, but found a way to score and get something from the game, so I feel really good now. If you’d offered me a point at the beginning of the game I’d have probably said no, as we want to win every game and that’s our aim, but with how it went it’s a good feeling right now.”