Dan Potts’ winner provided the scoreline that is becoming synonymous with Luton’s best away days, as the last nine in the Championship have all come by a satisfying solitary goal.
The left back won’t have scored an easier one either, as he headed into an empty net from point blank range after the superb James Collins’ shot was saved from Harry Cornick’s long throw.
From that 31st minute breakthrough Town never looked like losing, as they were the better side and kept basement boys Birmingham to just one shot on target, with commanding performances all across the backline. That ensured a ninth clean sheet of the campaign in all competitions, to move them nine points clear of beleaguered Birmingham.
“We’re delighted. Clean sheet, 1-0 away from home are the best results, they really are,” said manager Nathan Jones.
“We did all the basics right and whatever Birmingham threw at us we dealt with. I don’t think they’ve had a shot on target, nothing meaningful, and that’s not being disrespectful.
“I thought we defended superbly well when they went long with two of the biggest strikers in the Championship. We dealt with that and did all the basics really well and that’s pleasing.
“You have to do that sometimes because it wasn’t fluent. It wasn’t a game filled with quality, but the pitches at this time, with frost and everything, so it was really important we did the basics right.
“I thought we were excellent and that’s something that pleases me.”
The manager is right, it wasn’t pretty. Even with referee Gavin Ward’s most frustrating of efforts, that was perhaps to be expected of a contest between the team with the worst home record in the Championship – this was their ninth defeat – and the lowest away-day scorers. Potts’ 11th for the club was only their seventh on their travels this term.
But Luton won’t care, as it marked their first win at St Andrew’s since 1986, when a winning double was scored by assistant boss Mick Harford. The former England striker celebrated his 62nd birthday yesterday and there could be fewer more enjoyable ways to celebrate than with this victory that put some comfortable daylight between one of his old sides.
Jones told the BBC: “This was important because, yeah, it does give you a little bit of distance (from Birmingham), but it’s not that, it’s about just backing up performances with points. That’s what we’ve done today.”
PLAYER RATINGS:
SIMON SLUGA – 7
Bar one comfortable save from Gary Gardner – Birmingham’s only shot on target – the Croatian barely had to lift a finger.
DAN POTTS – 7.5
His 11th goal for Town and arguably his easiest from one yard out. He’s back in the goals again after his last one at Fulham in October 2019. He was bizarrely booked for a good challenge after the Blues had been kicking lumps out of Luton and getting away with it.
SONNY BRADLEY – 7
A strong showing with a few timely clearances, even managed an overhead kick in the Blues’ box, but the ball flashed across the goal where no-one was there to poke in.
TOM LOCKYER – 7
A commanding performance from the Wales ace. Superb in the air and gave nothing away.
MATTY PEARSON – 7
A solid, no-no performance, that is the defender at his best. Had one effort on target, but it was right at keeper Neil Etheridge, and another blocked by Gary Gardner
GLEN REA – 7
This was the perfect sort of game for the midfielder. He got stuck in, broke up play and was on the end of numerous clumsy Blues challenges.
KIERNAN DEWSBURY-HALL – 7
An unusually modest performance from the Leicester loan ace. There were a few promising runs early in the second half but it was more a day for digging in, and he did.
JORDAN CLARK – 6.5
Saw a strong volley beaten away by Neil Etheridge in the second half, but didn’t see enough of the ball to line up crosses. Replaced by Kal Naismith on 70 minutes.
PELLY-RUDDOCK MPANZU – 6.5
Played further forward and pressed City manfully, though it was not a vintage marauding performance.
HARRY CORNICK – 6.5
Finally, for the first time, one of his ‘long’ throws worked and it set up Town’s winner, but often his final ball was lacking.
JAMES COLLINS – 8
An all-action outing from the frontman and he was involved in most of Town’s attacking highlights. He might be able to claim an assist for the winner. He controlled Harry Cornick’s throw-in before shooting on the turn, and though Neil Etheridge blocked his effort, Dan Potts gobbled up the rebound. He had another good chance after a good, old-fashioned shoulder barge saw off George Friend (one of the few things frustrating referee Gavin Ward didn’t blow for) and he dinked over Neil Etheridge but into the side-netting.
SUBSTITUTES:
KAL NAISMITH – 6.5
Solid performance and used his experience to help shutout Birmingham and stop crosses coming in for their big men.
UNUSED SUBS: James Shea, Danny Hylton, Luke Berry, Tom Ince, Elijah Adebayo, Martin Cranie, Kazenga LuaLua, Ryan Tunnicliffe
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Survive,Gain experience and slowly improve.The quicker you grow the quicker you fall.Far from exciting but better than fighting the relaxation battle.We are very Lucky to have Nathan,he will be the Wales manager soon.
Maybe – but you felt better for it!
NJ seems to need to surround himself with older, ‘reliable’ players – hence some of the recent additions – instead of taking the occasional chance on relatively untried youth. So, Peter Kioso goes to Bolton, then Northampton, and Elijah Adebayo stays on the bench when the situation again suggested it would be the ideal time to give him the final 20-25 minutes. Good experience for him, and a break for Collins before a big game on Tuesday. But it didn’t happen.
I don’t agree with NJ’s dictum that 1-0 away is the best result. 1-0 anywhere is nerve-jangling and, after what happened v Huddersfield, it seemed only too likely that we would be pulled back again. Fortunately for us Birmingham were pretty dire and it didn’t happen.
As for the BBC’s talking about a possible push for the play-offs, that sounds a bit like cloud-cuckoo-land. I’m just glad that we’re holding our own – and, whatever you think of his choice of personnel and his tactics, it’s NJ we have to thank for that. A bit more adventure wouldn’t go amiss though!
I’m sure Nathan doesn’t care. But I do. I’m so bored of our awful matches. That was an anti football match. Dull hoof ball from minute one. Birmingham are the 4 worst teams we’ve played against in this division since being back in it. And it took us till the 4th time to beat them. Fine, 3 points is 3 points and yes we’re now 9 points clear. But can’t we have some fun while doing it?
Sure this season has to be an evolution, and we are better defensively. But how many fun games have we had (I think 4 – brentford and Wednesday away, Norwich and Preston home). Hull, Sunderland, Charlton, Stoke, Forest, Sheffield Wednesday, Birmingham, Derby, Portsmouth, Coventry, Watford and others. All clubs whose sole ambition was to stay in divisions. They didn’t try to play any football and eventually got found out and couldn’t arrest the slide.
The last time we consistently played such boring football was the 90s. That decade didn’t go so well. Please give us some fun Nathan. The world is crap enough without paying hundreds to watch rubbish non football on a screen without mates around us.
And what is with Naismith? Had he ever played football before joining us? He won one header and was no help when coming on.
Sorry I should have just stayed silent.