Hatters boss understands 'angry' reaction from Luton fans following QPR loss

Luton boss Rob Edwards completely understands the fans’ mixture of frustration and anger after watching their side fall to a thoroughly dispiriting 2-1 defeat against QPR on Friday evening.

The Hatters went into the game looking for a first victory since way back in April when they defeated AFC Bournemouth at Kenilworth Road on April 6, as they went on to lose five of their last six matches in the Premier League, taking a mere point from the 1-1 draw with Everton. With 14 losses from 17 overall, Town haven’t started the Championship any better, as they slipped a third defeat from four fixtures, also having been knocked out of the Carabao Cup by the same opponents in midweek as well, meaning they are now 10 matches without a victory in all competitions.

Boos greeted the final whistle on Friday, as although there was still a smattering of sympathetic applause when Edwards fronted up afterwards, going round all sides of the ground, as he always does whatever the result, the boss was quick to offer a hand of apology when doing so. Asked about the reaction from supporters, he said: “I get it, some fans, they’re mixed, I can feel it.

"On one hand they’re thinking, you know, we were in the Premier League, we got promoted, we did all that sort of stuff and they’re on our side, and some are angry, I get it. It’s one point from four games, it’s on me, I understand. I’m going round and saying thank you for your support, and apologising to the ones that are showing their frustration, I understand it, I’ve got to own that, I took the applause when we were winning.”

Although the visitors started the stronger on the night, once Jimmy Dunny put through his own goal with 18 minutes gone, Town were the better side for the rest of the first half, Elijah Adebayo unable to reach Alfie Doughty’s cross, while Jordan Clark curled too close to keeper Paul Nardi. After the break, Luton remained on the front foot, Adebayo missing a wonderful chance to double his side’s lead, hitting the legs of Nardi when slid clean through on goal by Shandon Baptiste.

Having scored just once in the league themselves this season now, and only twice in five matches, Zack Nelson with a stunner in the cup on Tuesday night, Edwards knows it must improve. He continued: “I thought the first seven and eight minutes were even and then I thought we had a lot of control. We started slower, one or two people just not engaging enough in the pressing, out of possession. We just allowed them one or two bits of play, but then I thought we adjusted it well, got more aggressive and then I thought we had a really dominant period in that first half.

"I was pleased with us. We finished it a little bit sloppy having to defend some corners and set-pieces which are always dangerous, and then I thought we started the second half well. I feel we should have taken the game away with a big, big opportunity, but we allowed them back into it with a couple of really poor goals. It’s not quite falling for us, but we’ve got to find that ruthless winning edge. We’ve got to find that from somewhere. I’m not going to come out and say the same stuff, performance, this, that and the other, I’ve got to own it. It’s not good enough, we can’t lose that game from the position we were in.”

With Luton leading, Town somehow managed to concede twice in the space of three minutes around the hour mark, the first an awful goal that saw Mark McGuinness fail to deal with a simple long ball by Steve Cook, shrugged off by Michael Frey who then picked out Nicolas Madsen to beat an exposed Thomas Kaminski. A second swiftly followed as Frey himself was left completely unmarked to thrash a volley beyond Kaminski.

Edwards said: “We pressed really well, the reaction was good. We forced them to go long, there’s no real danger in that moment, but how they’ve scored is a bit beyond me. Again we lost possession from the throw-in, went on the charge a little bit to press the ball, the ball gets switched and we’ve got to make sure we’re filtering back in and covering the areas. We didn’t do that, so incredibly disappointed with those two goals”

Town could and should have grabbed a point in stoppage time, Carlton Morris forcing a brilliant save from Nardi and Joe Taylor nodding over the bar with the final attack, as Edwards added: “A couple of big moments and we’ve got to find the ruthless edge. We’ve got to put the ball in the back of the net when we get those chances and at the moment we’re getting punished at both ends.”