Hatters boss searching for the 'right recipe' after a 'sloppy' display during Owls victory
Town chief wants Luton to be on it from the start
Hatters boss Rob Edwards is still searching for the right ‘recipe’ after what he labelled a ‘sloppy’ performance for large periods despite managing to beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 at Kenilworth Road on Saturday.
Having made one change from the 1-0 victory at Millwall previously, Reuell Walters in for an injured Amari’i Bell, the hosts had looked bereft of ideas in an opening half that saw lone striker Eljah Adebayo starved of any real service, Town never really looking like scoring at any point. Having lost to Burnley and QPR on home soil this term, there was a familiar sinking feeling for those supporters in attendance early in the second period when an unmarked Barry Bannan’s volley hit the back of the net to give the Owls the lead.
Edwards responded quickly to the blow, bringing on Tom Krauß, Carlton Morris and Zack Nelson with an hour gone, as the move worked wonders, Morris scoring from the penalty spot on 77 minutes, with Wednesday having defender Di’Shon Bernard sent off for what referee Gain Ward, who had an appalling game, deemed as handball, the ball striking his shoulder on the goal-line.
The Town chief then went for broke, bringing on Victor Moses and Joe Taylor in the closing stages, with the subs doing the trick, both players involved as Alfie Doughty’s cross was eventually bundled home by Morris to spark scenes of sheer relief and jubilation as the Hatters secured three points at home for the first time since April.
However, Edwards knew Luton had not been good enough in the early stages, as he is aware it isn’t a display they can replicate again, saying: “If we don’t play with the intensity that we finished with or that we had in the last part of the first half, that 15-20 minutes, then we’re going to make it difficult for ourselves.
"It's finding that from the start, but we're human beings and we can't be perfect all the time. We’ve just got to find that right recipe at the moment, especially for the start of the game. The opening 25 minutes or so, I need to watch the game back, I’ll be able to see where there was a little bit more change in momentum, but I think we finished the first half well, we got into some really good positions actually, but we were sloppy.
"We would have more people around Eli and more people in the right areas, more possession and more territory if we hadn't been sloppy. One or two just weren’t quite at it, as we want them. It’s difficult to have everyone seven or eight out 10 every week, but there were probably a number of players, especially at the beginning of the game, who didn't quite start the way we wanted them to and then when you have that it’s difficult to find that level again to step up.
"It was the same sort of dynamic on that top line as we had last week at Millwall, I felt it was the right thing to go with because of how Sheffield Wednesday are out of possession, not just because ‘oh we won there, we’re going to keep it the same.’ We felt it was still the right thing, the right people, and as I say, the impact was great then (after the substitutions) from the side.”
Having rolled the dice fairly early on, with his triple change leading to the withdrawals of Marvelous Nakamba, Liam Walsh and Walters, Tahith Chong and Adebayo then following them later, Edwards had felt the switches would engage the home crowd and give those in attendance a real boost, as he added: “I knew Tom Krauß was going to give everyone a lift today as the excitement around seeing him. The fact that we went to two strikers as well, we wanted it to be a positive change.
"We were losing the game at that moment, so we wanted that to be the case. It wasn’t going to be a like for like, Eli off and Carlton on, we tried to make positive change and Zack as well. So double width, both sides, hopefully a little bit more action down the sides, more crosses with two strikers on as well, so potentially, but that’s what you want as well. You certainly don’t want to be making changes and people going ‘flipping heck, what’s going on?’ And the stadium going that way (downwards). So it was good that they got behind us and the lads and we wrestled back that momentum.”