Mark McGuinness sees this header glance wide against Middlesbrough - pic: David Horn / PRiME Media ImagesMark McGuinness sees this header glance wide against Middlesbrough - pic: David Horn / PRiME Media Images
Mark McGuinness sees this header glance wide against Middlesbrough - pic: David Horn / PRiME Media Images
Town somehow fail to hit the net in Kenilworth Road stalemate
Luton boss Matt Bloomfield couldn’t quite believe he had to face the press and discuss a goalless draw against Middlesbrough this afternoon, knowing full well his side simply had to have left the field with three points.
Looking to build on the 2-1 win at Cardiff in midweek and a 1-0 success over Portsmouth in their last home game, the Hatters came roaring out of the traps, Liam Walsh denied by Boro keeper Mark Travers and dragging another volley wide. Tuesday night match-winner Thelo Aasgaard then somehow fluffed his lines from a few yards out when Elijah Adebayo’s cross deflected invitingly into his path, shooting over the bar in what was a truly glaring miss.
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The January transfer window signing had another gilt-edged opportunity inside the opening 20 minutes, picked out by Alfie Doughty’s inch-perfect delivery only to volley straight at Travers from close range. Adebayo was next to showcase the Hatters’ inability to score, collecting Aidan Morris’s woeful backpass to go one-on-one with Travers, only to once more, put his shot too close to the keeper, meaning his lengthy barren run was extended by another game.
Doughty himself miskicked, with Walsh wide, as Luton were unable to make their superiority count, Morris’s shot pushed away by Travers, the rebound cleared away before Adebayo could pounce, with Morris then seeing his snapshot smartly tipped over by the keeper. After the break, the chances weren’t as often, Luton relying on set-pieces, Mark McGuinness directing his towering header wide and then sub Lasse Nordas unable to win it late on as they had to make do with a single point.
With Oxford, Derby and Cardiff all winning, the failure to score means Town are now four points from safety with eight games to go, as they appear destined to drop into League One this term, having drawn a fourth blank from the six home games that Bloomfield has been in charge for, netting just twice. Asked if he felt the outcome was something of a travesty, Luton having 19 shots, but only five on target, with Boro failing to test Thomas Kaminski from any of their seven attempts, also having 37 touches in their opposition’s penalty area, as opposed to just 12 from the visitors, Bloomfield said: “Yes, I think the fact you’re even asking me that tells you.
"I was really proud of the performance, I thought some of the football we played, the chance creation, the way we put pressure on our opposition, top opposition as well by the way for the league, I thought the boys were excellent, especially first half. It was never going to be easy to replicate that second half because of how dominant we were, but I feel incredibly disappointed that I’m not sat here with three points now.
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"We created numerous opportunities to win the game, on another day we probably take two, three or four of them, they were that good the opportunities. Some of the football we played, tactically we spoke a lot about how to break our opposition down and the boys implemented it and I'm so proud of the way they are going about their work at the moment.
"We’re playing against some real top teams here and we’re having a right go, so to not take one of them is obviously incredibly disappointing and frustrating, but I have to go back to the positives of the performance. Defensively another clean sheet which is fantastic. When we came in there was a lot of talk about the goals conceded, another clean sheet.
"Tactically again I thought the boys were excellent, the chance creation, it’s just we should be sat here talking about a win and we’re not. I understand the situation, I’m a realist, I understand, but I'm also incredibly proud of the performance the players put in. There were lots of different chances that fell to different players and I really hoped that one of them would go in. On another day, there’s loads of chances and a few of them do go in, but it’s disappointing for us today that none did.”
Related topics:LutonElijah Adebayo
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