Gideon Kodua completed a late fightback from the penalty spot to snatch a 2-2 draw at Blackpool after Luton trailed by two goals, with boss Matt Bloomfield hailing the spirit of his side while conceding their flaws remain clear.
The Hatters fell behind to a ninth minute CJ Hamilton shot, that Town keeper Josh Keeley could not keep out at his near post as the men in front of him were decidedly second best against the third-from-bottom Tangerines.
While Luton improved towards the end of the half, they found themselves further behind eight minutes into the second period when a route-one counter again saw Hamilton convert.
But Bloomfield rang the changes and his five substitutes turned the tide. There was a huge slice of fortune when Jordan Clark’s shot deflected in off Olly Casey with the Seasiders’ defender then chopping down Kodua in the penalty area.
The West Ham loan ace confidently stepped up to take the spot-kick and send Bailey Peacock-Farrell the wrong way to rescue a point on the road and continue Town’s 23-year unbeaten run at Bloomfield Road.
The stadium’s namesake, Luton’s manager, admitted the draw felt like more than just a single point given the circumstances.
“I thought the difference between our performance was either very, very good at times and very, very poor at times,” said Bloomfield.
“We’ve got to be more consistent in our performance. We’ve got to respect the basics of the game more, do the ugly side or the basics, however you want to describe it, better, because we’re playing some really good football.
“We created numerous opportunities, and to keep fighting, you know, a couple of weeks ago, we went to Lincoln and we went under, and tonight we kept fighting. So I’m really proud of the group.”
But the manager was frustrated by how cheaply his side conceded against a Blackpool side that had the lowest expected goals, while their goalscorer Hamilton hadn’t found the net all season.
Bloomfield told the BBC: “The goal is so disappointing. A long ball up to the big man who flicks it on. It’s really disappointing to give the goal away. We prepared. We knew what was coming. We understood the physical aspect of what we needed to stand up to. I think it was really disappointing from our behalf. And we have to do better in those moments.”
Blackpool’s second came down Luton’s right, where makeshift full-back Christ Makosso playing out of position was exposed.
Bloomfield backed the youngster while pointing to the wider tactical picture, saying: “We’ve just transitioned to a back four. We’ve got a young guy who’s a centre back playing at right full back because we don’t have any other fullbacks fit right now.
“And, occasionally, positioning is not going to be perfect. But that’s where we’re at. We believe in Christ a lot. We think a lot of him. And I think we just got too high [up the pitch] in that moment. We obviously wanted to get the goal back, and we dominated that part of the game. We just weren’t balanced enough.”
The turning point came with Bloomfield’s substitutes, who shifted momentum and delivered both goals, with scorers Clark and Kodua coming on in the first wave, a triple change.
“Anyone who knows me knows how important I value the whole squad. I thought Gideon was absolutely fantastic. Has an edge about him and resilience. You know, we think a lot of him, as you know, we’ve seen him three times,” Bloomfield said.
“Clicks [Clark] is just class at any level he plays at. Lasse [Nordås], Joe [Gbodé] and Jake Richards, I thought all five of them really contributed when we needed. So, yeah, a few of them have put their hand up to start on Saturday, that’s for sure.”
The draw builds on Saturday’s crucial win against Doncaster and though it was their first draw of the season, could adds some belief to his side.
“This group is evolving. It’s growing. We’re not the finished article yet, but we are showing some good shoots. But there’s also some elements that we need to be better at. So we just got to keep working and getting better. But for team spirit and camaraderie, results like that can only do us good.”
Asked whether the comeback simply papered over the cracks on an indifferent start to the season, Bloomfield said: “The problems are that we’re not defending direct footballs, so we have to be better at that. But on a balance of play on all the data and all the shots, we’ve come away from home and created better opportunities. We started slowly. People’s opinions I can’t affect. I just have to concentrate on the job.”
He added: “The first 15 minutes was all Blackpool. We didn’t come out quick enough and sharp enough and second balls, duels, headers, we didn’t do that well enough. But apart from that, I felt the game was ours.
“A lot of territory, a lot of dominance in our opposition’s half. So I always felt like we had an opportunity to be back in the game. The second goal was disappointing. We gave ourselves a mountain to climb. But I always felt it was there for us, and I’m glad that that came through.”
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