Town boss insists 'outstanding' wingback Bramall is 'stepping up' for Luton

Luton boss Jack Wilshere has declared wingback Cohen Bramall is ‘stepping up’ for the Hatters after being left hugely impressed by the way that the defender took responsibility on his shoulders when trying to earn Town a point against Bolton Wanderers on Saturday.

The 29-year-old was making his eighth start in succession at the weekend, as after being on the bench for the new manager’s first game in charge against Mansfield, has gone on to begin every single match, whatever the competition, following that. He has got steadily better in that time too, scoring a wonderful free kick in the 3-0 win at Stockport County, a game he also picked up an assist in too, and is fast becoming one of the first names on the teamsheet these days.

Bramall, who was a former team-mate of Wilshere during his brief time at Arsenal, was Luton’s most likely creator of a goal in the first half against the Trotters, who led through Aaron Morley’s early strike, getting past his man and sending over a number of crosses that his team-mates just couldn’t quite make the most of once more.

It was after the break that he really came to the fore though, constantly demanding the ball from his team-mates and trying to get the Hatters back on level terms, whether it was by speeding to the byline and sending over another impressive, or having a crack himself, with three fierce shots that appeared to have a chance until they were all deflected away by visitors’ defence.

In the end, it was from the other side that the equaliser finally came, substitute Shayden Morris’s ball in eventually crashed home by fellow replacement Gideon Kodua, but on Bramall’s starring role, Wilshere said: “I thought Cohen was outstanding in almost saying, ‘no, give me the ball, I’m going to be the guy to try and make it happen.’ Cohen is becoming really important, he’s really stepping up.

"We obviously play him a little bit higher than he’s probably played in his career, but we’ve seen some things in him that can help us create opportunities from crossing moments. His speed is really hard for defenders to deal with, but I also think he’s getting better with his decision making and his technical ability. Today I felt like he was the guy who was saying, ‘give me the ball and I’m going to drive the team forward,’ so I’m really happy with him.”

With Bramall, who has also played for Portsmouth and Rotherham in his career, excelling in a more advanced position on the left hand for the Hatters, then Wilshere believes both he and the rest of the Town squad are starting to fully take on board just what is required of them in open play too. He does think they can get better when countering on their opposition though, especially against a side like Bolton who actually wanted to come and play, unlike the last visitors to Kenilworth Road in a defensive-minded Rotherham United.

He added: “I think we actually need to get better in transition as we’ve got some really exciting players, especially when you play against a team that’s going to try and dominate the ball. Not every team in this league will try and dominate the ball, but when you play against Bolton and Cardiff, teams like that, there’s going to be stages in the game when you’re not going to have the ball and you’re going to have to accept that and be good at defending together.

"But also we’ve got some exciting profiles I feel, especially in the wide areas. We’ve got Lamine (Fanne) in the middle who can ball carry, we’ve got (Liam) Walsh and Sav (George Saville) who can make good passes. I think we need to get better at that, but it’s probably something that we haven’t had to do until today. It was maybe one of the first times, so we have to work on that.”