Luton Town moved back into third place in the Championship table with a comfortable 2-0 win at Rotherham on Saturday afternoon. Here are our takeaways from the match.
Drameh delights down the right
In a week where rumours were starting to appear surrounding the long-term future of Cody Drameh, the Leeds loanee certainly put himself in the shop window with a sparkling display at the New York Stadium, one which was worthy of the bright lights of Hollywood rather than the Big Apple.
Drameh has been a very reliable hand at right wing-back since he arrived at Kenilworth Road but he saved his best for this effort in Yorkshire. Assigned the task of keeping Brentford loanee Tariqe Fosu quiet, the 21-year-old didn’t just contain him but ensured he was replaced with a fair chunk of the second half to go. That took away one of the attacking options Rotherham were hoping to utilise and, in truth, they quickly ran out of ideas when they worked out he wasn’t a part of the game.
When you play wing-back at Luton Town you have to attack as well as you defend and Drameh showed all of his ability going forward in this match. Having turned fellow Leeds loanee Leo Hjelde inside out in the lead up to the opening goal, once the home left-back had half-time to untangle his legs, Drameh ruined him again for the second goal.
He provided a piece of skill which was so filthy it came with all sorts of NSFW warnings to leave Hjelde trailing in his wake and then sent in a sumptuous cross which the home right-back decided to handle inside the box when all he had to do was let it hit his body and it go behind. Luton didn’t care and neither would Drameh.
The message from Luton fans after this performance is simple. Someone. Please. Sign. Him. Up.
Solid skipper slots in like he hadn’t been away
When Alfie Doughty trudged off looking the worse for wear late on in the 3-1 win over Blackpool on Easter Monday, it looked like changes would have to be made in defence and that was the case. Amari’i Bell moved to wing-back with Sonny Bradley coming into the heart of the back three with Tom Lockyer and Reece Burke flanking him.
If there were concerns that Bradley would be off the pace, having not started a match under Rob Edwards there was no need to worry as the skipper didn’t put a foot wrong and made Jordan Hugill a mere spectator in the contest.
There has been a real emphasis on those not in the starting XI making sure they are ready for when the time comes that they are needed. Bradley clearly got that memo because after 90 minutes for the Development XI in midweek he was in perfect shape to play his part in yet another Luton clean sheet.
Cool Cauley takes his chance
With Elijah Adebayo hurting his ankle, there was a rare chance for Cauley Woodrow to shine from the start and the academy product didn’t disappoint with a solid showing which saw him get better the longer the match went on, as you would expect for a player who has been reduced to bits and pieces in terms of game time given how well the established front two have been.
Woodrow provided the killer moment in the game when he scored the second goal shortly after half-time when despite seeing his penalty saved, albeit by a keeper who was a country mile off his line, the rebound fell to his feet for him to put the game out of the Rotherham reach.
This was a good reminder of the options that Luton have at their disposal this term, which could yet come in handy if injuries hit to the extent they did last term. Woodrow was withdrawn in the second period but thankfully boss Rob Edwards played down any injury concerns and it will be interesting to see how Woodrow backs up this showing at Reading on Wednesday, should he be selected again.
Fired up Morris scores again!
If you are playing against this Luton team the one thing you shouldn’t do is fire Carlton Morris up because when you do that you generally pay the price. The Rotherham fans behind the goal Luton attacked in the first half clearly didn’t heed that warning and the inevitable happened shortly before half-time.
Whether it was an early clash with a home defender or the fact he played for rivals Barnsley, it was hard to tell, but Morris was getting plenty of grief from the home support. He who laughs last laughs loudest though and it was Morris making all the noise when he cut inside Hjelde as the opening period went into injury time before curling a delightful effort into the top corner for his 18th goal of the season.
Not since the days of Steve Howard have Luton had a striker score that many in a second tier season. Morris drew level with the League One title-winning team member with his strike at the New York Stadium and still has four games of the regular season to better it as he closes in on what would be a remarkable 20-goal haul.
Edwards turns to Taylor as injuries mount up
It looked like the injury problems of last season were going to rear their ugly head again when both Morris and Woodrow had to be substituted in the second half of the game. Thankfully, the boss has moved quickly to ease concerns after the game.
One positive to that situation though was that January signing Joe Taylor was given 25 minutes to show what he could do. While Luton were very much in ‘what we have we keep’ mode by that time, the young striker showed that he fits in well when Luton do press and it would be a surprise if he doesn’t get coached into a very useful acquisition.
It’s a small world!
You know that saying, that it is a small world? And the one that football is a old funny game? Well, combine the two here!
Nine years ago to the day of the Rotherham game Luton were crowned champions of the Conference when Kidderminster beat Cambridge to guarantee John Still’s men the title.
In the Kidderminster side that evening was Amari’i Bell, who actually opened the scoring in the game. Fast forward nine years and Bell was once again involved on this day but this time in a Luton shirt!
That is mad enough but when you consider that on this occasion Luton were playing to keep up their chances of promotion to the Premier League, but it really does highlight how wild and wacky the last nine years have been.
Bell almost crowned the anniversary with a goal of his own but saw his shot cleared off the line. It was the highlight of another solid display from the number 29.
Post-season repeat almost secured
Considering Luton were tipped to ‘do a Barnsley’ and get relegated by a number of folk leading into the season, what has transpired has already been remarkable, and who knows where it will end.
What we do know is that unlike last season, where it took until the final day for a play-off spot to be confirmed, Luton could actually be secured of a top six spot as early as Wednesday evening. If they avoid defeat away to Reading they will guarantee a top six finish with three matches to go, and actually match the 75 points they accrued last season.
The win at Rotherham, a tenth successive game without defeat, which is one of many remarkable achievements already this term, means that the Town need just four points from their last four matches to guarantee a top four finish. That would mean if, as is beginning to look increasingly unlikely, they are unable to reel in second-placed Sheffield United, the second leg of a play-off semi-final would be at home.
A semi-final second leg under the Kenilworth Road floodlights. What an occasion that would be!
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