Luton Town returned to winning ways in the Championship when they came out on top in a third meeting against Wigan Athletic in quick succession on Saturday afternoon. Here are our takeaways from the 2-0 win.
Cool Cornick enjoys facing Wigan again!
After a calf injury kept Carlton Morris out of the Town XI for the second trip to the DW Stadium in four days, and Cauley Woodrow was missing for the same reason, Hatters boss Rob Edwards reunited last season’s leading strike partnership together as Harry Cornick partnered Elijah Adebayo.
These two had already combined to good effect in Lancashire in midweek when Cornick crossed for Adebayo to fire Luton into the fourth round of the FA Cup, and the former Bournemouth player continued his liking for the Latics when he was involved in both goals in the latest win.
He scored the opening goal – his first in the league this term – when he caught new signing Steven Caulker dreaming with the ball at his feet on the edge of his box, rode the poor attempt to bring him down and then fired home via a deflection.
The forward wasn’t done there either as he was heavily involved in the second goal when Adebayo fed him down the right channel. Cornick returned the ball to his strike partner on the edge of the box and he fired into that particular goal for the second match in succession to ensure the three points were coming back to Kenilworth Road.
Pelly provides a reminder ahead of 350th appearance
There haven’t been many footballers who have put a Luton shirt on over the last 10 years who have strangely polarised opinion as much as Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu, but at the DW Stadium, the midfielder reminded lovers and haters alike just why Rob Edwards is the fifth Luton manager to continually pick the DR Congo international in his starting XI.
Playing more advanced in the centre of the park with Louie Watson the deepest man of the midfield three, Pelly-Ruddock got about breaking up play and winning the ball further up the pitch while contributing to the attacking play whenever he got the ball.
There were a couple of brilliant first touches, killing second balls in an instant allowing him to release team-mates to start attacks and as ever with Pelly he never shirked his defensive responsibility either.
The highlight of which included a committed chase of a midfielder in the first half before winning the ball just as a shooting opportunity was about to develop. Pelly might also have been involved in a third Luton goal when his dummy fell to Alfie Doughty on the edge of the box but the substitute fired wide.
If he is selected against Grimsby on Saturday, Pelly-Ruddock will be making appearance 350 for the club. On Saturday we saw why so many who see him on a daily basis continue to want him.
Electric Elijah impresses again
Remember this time last month when nothing could seemingly go right for Elijah Adebayo? Move on to the present day and we have a striker resembling the one who was so good last season and when he first arrived at the club.
Only this version might be getting even better because there is an upper body strength and a physical threat which allows him to hold defenders off as well as all the naturally powerful athletic attributes he has displayed since he arrived at LU4.
Fresh from scoring the winner at the DW Stadium on Tuesday evening, we didn’t have to wait long for a third goal in as many games from the back to form forward, although he could have got his name on the scoresheet before he did when he just failed to convert a wonderful team move down the left channel shortly after the opening goal.
Elijah had his goal soon into the second half though when he rounded off another brilliant move which he was involved in during the build-up stage before confidently firing home. A fit, firing, confident Adebayo is a sight to behold and we love to see it.
Osho adds his name to the defensive selection headaches
Given that he played the entire game in the FA Cup replay on Tuesday evening, most Luton fans would have expected to see Reece Burke’s name on the team sheet from the off for the league encounter but instead it was Gabe Osho who was given the role on the right side of the back three.
I think it is fair to say that Osho didn’t have a huge amount to do defensively because of how poor the home side are as an attacking force when they are not scoring random worldies from nowhere. But what might have impressed Edwards more than anything was the use of the ball from the defender, regularly looking calm in possession and using possession well.
This was illustrated perfectly as his drilled pass into Adebayo in the lead up to the second took half of the Wigan team out of the game and provided the striker with the space to receive the ball from Cornick and score.
Classy Clark continues to shine
After being named as the captain in the FA Cup replay between these two sides in midweek, it was back to a role within the ranks for midfield workhorse Jordan Clark – but that didn’t mean that he was unable to shine once again.
Such is the quality of the midfielder that these takeaways articles are becoming something of a eulogy of him but it is impossible not to recognise just how good a player Luton have at their disposal, something that probably isn’t universally recognised because at no point does Clark seek the limelight or the attention that many footballers do.
Instead he goes about his work, hassling opposing players, getting the ball, being industrious with it and getting about the pitch in a relentless, energetic way which is very much the hallmark and pre-requisite of any midfielder who dons the Luton shirt these days.
Clark is so good and while he doesn’t get huge amounts of recognition because he doesn’t rank high up on the numbers footballers are judged on these days, due to his usually deeper role, make no mistake of his importance to Luton. Were he not to be available at any time it would be a blow.
Squad depth showing its hand for the Town
If we think back to the end of last season, a lack of squad depth arguably cost the Hatters promotion to the Premier League when injuries meant there was just no way of fielding a 100 per cent fully fit XI for the play-off semi-final with Huddersfield. Then, if key players were missing Luton would have to battle for anything they got.
Shift that forward a few months and while Wigan were not the stiffest test the Town will face this term, Luton were able to win a match in which the starting XI didn’t feature any of Reece Burke, Henri Lansbury, Allan Campbell, Alfie Doughty or Carlton Morris. Add in the injured Sonny Bradley, Luke Freeman, James Shea and Cauley Woodrow.
But with Fred Onyedinma in the 18 for the first time under Rob Edwards the squad at the disposal of the Luton boss looks very strong.
Being able to take crucial players out of the firing line now and again in a bid to have them fresh at the business end of the season could be the difference between a top six finish and a tilt at promotion or not.
