Hatters boss backs under-fire skipper to bounce back from Royals errors

Hatters boss Jack Wilshere has backed skipper Kal Naismith to bounce back from his costly mistakes during Luton’s maddening 3-2 defeat against Reading on Saturday.

The 34-year-old, who has had an uneasy relationship with Town supporters for large parts of the campaign, including a time when he was booed during the 1-1 draw against Leyton Orient before Christmas, and had to be restrained from going over to one fan after the 1-1 draw with Burton Albion, made a poor star to the game at the weekend.

With just five minutes gone, Izzy Jones’ misdirected header went across the area rather to keeper Josh Keeley, with Naismith, who was in the middle of the back three due to Mads Andersen’s absence, seemed to lose the flight of the ball, unable to repel it, which allowed the alert Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan to fire home the first of what turned out to be a match-winning hat-trick.

Naismith and his team-mates did then deserve credit for the nature of their response, with a fine first half display which culminated in Nigel Longwijk sliding home the equaliser on the stroke of half time, converting Manchester City loanee Emilio Lawrence’s pinpoint cross. Town then began the second period excellently as well, George Saville rising highest to produce a downward header from Jordan Clark’s corner that flew into the net and with 20 minutes starting, everything looked rosy.

Unfortunately, and for reasons that left Wilshere baffled and only the players know, Luton started to rest on their advantage, as rather than go for a clinching third goal, began to drop deep and pass the ball around in their own half, which has often been a recipe for disaster, Naismith and Keeley in particular spending an age over goal kicks which wound up the home supporters even more than the away ones, before a final 10 minutes that were quite simply a disaster class in how to see a game out.

Firstly, with 81 on the clock, Joe Johnson’s pass was cut out for Matt Ritchie to find Ehibhatiomhan who got above Jones all too easily to head home at the back post and make it 2-2. If that wasn’t bad enough, three minutes later, Town won a free kick for a foul on Keeley which saw the stopper opt to play short to Johnson, who under pressure, went back to Naismith inside his own box.

He took a heavy touch to lose the ball to Ritchie, as it dropped for Ehibhatiomhan to slam home the winner, leaving a stunned Kenilworth Road voicing their displeasure with what they had witnessed unfold in front of their own eyes, Naismith and Keeley exchanging words as to just how the ball had ended up their own net.

With the final whistle blown and Luton’s 11-game unbeaten run at home ended, the Scot also came under fire from those supporters in the ground as, looking a broken man, he trudged down the tunnel, clearly trying to compute just what had gone on. It capped a tough week for the captain, who had been at fault for Northampton’s goal in the Hatters’ 2-1 Vertu Trophy success on Wednesday night, giving away a cheap free kick when caught in possession once more and then gifting his man a free header from the resulting set-piece.

Speaking afterwards, Wilshere, who has been an ardent supporter of Naismith, bringing him back into the starting XI for the last six league and cup games following a spell on the bench which, coincidentally, came after another 3-2 to Reading, although this time at the Madejski Stadium in December, said: “Kal will be all right. Kal’s a warrior, that’s why I love him so much.

"I understand frustrations as well, but that’s what I love about him. He’s the first one to hold his hands up and be accountable, be accountable for the whole group as well. He puts himself out, he talks in front of the press, he talks in front of the fans the other day. He takes some stuff as well, he’s a very resilient, I don’t want to say young man, but he is, he’s my age. He’s been through a lot in his career and he’ll be feeling down now, but he’ll be back.”