Town chief wants to sort out defensive issues even though he is glad Luton aren't 'dull' to watch

Although happy that it certainly hasn’t been dull supporting the Hatters this year, Luton chief Rob Edwards is doing all he can to sort out his side’s poor defensive record which is threatening their efforts to stay in the Premier League this term

Since beating Brighton & Hove Albion 4-0 in January, to earn what was only a second clean sheet of the campaign, Luton have found it harder and harder to keep the ball out of their net, shipping 21 goals in seven fixtures, 27 in eight if you count the 6-2 FA Cup exit to Manchester City as well. Thankfully Town’s efforts in the final third, even with top scorer Elijah Adebayo out, potentially for the season, haven’t been the issue as they have managed 15 of their own in that time, but it has only led to a return of two draws and six defeats.

A tally of 41 goals means Luton are the joint 12th highest scorers in the league, higher than Manchester United, but having shipped 59, a total better than only Burnley and Sheffield United, it’s clear where the problem lies. Edwards knows that too, saying: “We’ve scored 41 league goals this year, which I think there were six or seven teams last year that stayed up that didn’t score that many, in 38 games. So we’ve scored enough goals already potentially to keep us in the league, it’s clear where we need to try and improve, so it’s foolish of me to sweep that under the carpet and not try and focus on it and learn from it.

"We need to and we have done that, but also, we’ve got to focus on the fact that we are doing a lot of things right to score that number of goals, be that much of a threat. We’re getting some things right, but we’ve got to keep improving and learning and getting better. We’ve got to find the right balance of having enough threat, being able to score and attack as I want us to be exciting, I want us to attack, we’re getting that, but I also want us to try and keep the ball out at the other end as well.

“We know we concede too many goals and if that continues we’re going to be in a difficult position, that’s pretty obvious and clear for everyone to see. So it’s an area we’re trying to focus on. It’s difficult to get clean sheets for most teams in the Premier League, it’s a high scoring year and clean sheets are pretty rare, but probably even harder for us to do it.

“Zeros and ones are what we talk about. Palace last week, all right we get a last minute one, but if you only concede the one then you’re in with a chance of getting something. We’re trying to work out how we can be better in those moments, so that’s our focus. We’ve got to defend as a team and value defending as a team, not just defenders and goalkeepers, it’s everybody.”

If it comes to staying up by outscoring the opposition in games though, Edwards will take it, as he continued: “We have always said that, score more than the opposition, that’s what we’re going to have to do, as it is hard for us to keep clean sheets. The quality that we’re coming up against is ridiculous, it doesn’t matter who we’re at.

"Bournemouth have got brilliant players, Forest the same. It might mean that we’ve got to score more than one goal to win in this league, but we’re prepared for that. We want to attack, we want to be good to watch, it’s not dull being a Luton Town fan these days, so that’s one good thing.”

With Town fans gearing up to go through yet another rollercoaster of emotions at Kenilworth Road this afternoon when Nottingham Forest come to town, a victory taking their side out of the bottom three, Edwards knows the heat will be on both sides, saying: “If we do win and we’re above that dotted line going into the break it doesn’t mean we’ve cracked it does it, as there’s still a long way to go, and if we don’t, it still doesn’t mean that we’re done and we’re down.

"So there’s pressure on, we know it’s a big game, but it’s not do or die. It’s not the end of the world if it doesn't go right and on the flip side if it does go well and it is our day, it doesn't mean, right that's it, we’re staying up, it’s done and dusted. So let’s do our job and do it well, do some of the things we got wrong the other day better and if it’s our day then great but recognise that it’s not last throw of the dice stuff.”

With Forest having scored 34 goals this term, but none in their last three matches, Edwards knows they still have plenty of firepower to call on, adding: “It’s a huge game for both clubs, but I assume they’ll still be favourites, so they’ll be pressure on them as well. I think they’re pretty clear in what they do, Nuno's (Espirito Santos) a very good, very experienced coach and tactically very aware, so they'll have a good plan.

"They’ll have had a week to prepare for the game, we’ve had a day and a bit, so it favours them a little bit in that respect, but I think it’ll be a really difficult game where they've got a good mixture of pace, power, athleticism and skill for the counter attack. They can really attack quickly and very effectively, (Callum) Hudson-Odoi, Morgan Gibbs-White, whoever they pick, (Anthony) Elanga could be down the middle, (Taiwo) Awoniyi, (Chris) Wood, (Divock) Origi, they’ve got top players at the top end of the pitch and then a good balance behind, someone like (Ryan) Yates.

"They’ve got some good control, running power, discipline and quality as well, so they’ve got a lot of good players. But it’s got to be about us and what we do, our plan. If we can get it right then we know how difficult it is for any team when they come to Kenilworth Road.”