Luton boss puzzled by 'bizarre' Premier League ruling over Doughty's yellow card at AFC Bournemouth

Hatters boss Rob Edwards has described the Premier League ruling that sees Alfie Doughty’s yellow card remain from last weekend’s abandoned Premier League match against AFC Bournemouth as ‘bizarre’.

After Elijah Adebayo had put Luton in front early on when heading Doughty’s corner into the net from close range, the wingback was then booked by referee Simon Hooper later in the first half for delaying the restart as the Cherries looked to take a quick free kick.

Domini Solanke drew the hosts level after an hour, before the game was quite rightly abandoned when Luton defender Tom Lockyer suffered a cardiac arrest and was taken to hospital after receiving life-saving treatment on the pitch. With Adebayo’s and Solanke’s goals expunged from the record books, along with Doughty’s assist, while midfielder Marvelous Nakamba’s suspension for five cautions carries over to this afternoon’s home clash with Newcastle United, the yellow card somehow remains, taking the former Charlton and Stoke player up to three for the season.

It means the 24-year-old is walking something of a disciplinary tightrope with another three games left until the cut-off point for five cautions passes, as Edwards said: “For some reasons Alfie Doughty’s booking still counts. It's almost like the game didn't happen, but a booking counts, which I find bizarre, a strange one. If it can get changed, it would be good.”

Looking back at the game, Luton produced one of their best opening 45 minutes of the season on the south coast, leading through what would have been a fourth goal of the season and third in three games for Adebayo when he beat keeper Neto to Doughty’s inch-perfect delivery. Town then paid the price for a slow start to the second period, pegged back by a scruffy equaliser, but despite matters after that making what had gone on before quickly pale into insignificance, Edwards had been enthused by what he had witnessed in the first half.

He added: “I enjoyed it. We knew Bournemouth were going to come out and start quickly, we made a few individual errors at the start of that second half and it built up to a little bit of pressure on their part, then it’s hard to talk about the rest then, but I was pleased with a lot of what I saw.

“I hope they continue to play the way we’ve been playing as the first half against Bournemouth was as good a performance as we’ve had for a long time. The Arsenal, (Manchester) City games were different, away from home we were brave, got that opening goal, we were beginning to take the ball more and actually have more spells of controlling the game.

"So I was really liking what I was seeing. It wasn’t perfect, still bits to improve on, but that first 45 was good, so I hope I see us really building and growing on that. I hope we can continue working the right way and the way we’re working again at the moment.”