Luton boss Matt Bloomfield says he was not surprised to see Cohen Bramall score a stunning free-kick in the 4-1 Vertu Trophy win over Barnet after watching the left wing-back produce similar efforts in training.
Bramall’s strike, in off the crossbar from 30 yards and a wide angle, which made it 3-0 by half-time in a dominant display, drew widespread surprise, not least from midfielder Liam Walsh who stood over the dead ball with the defender.
But Bloomfield revealed the 29-year-old had already shown his set-piece prowess behind closed doors.
When asked if he knew Bramall had such a strike in him, Bloomfield said: “Actually, yes. One day in training last week, I can’t remember which day it was, Gideon [Kodua] was out there being his best cheerleader, cheering him on, and he stuck seven or eight right in. It was fantastic. So actually, when he put it down [against Barnet], he looked like he meant it.
“And it was some free-kick, not to be underplayed, but yeah, I’ve seen him do it on the training ground. It’s nice for it to come out tonight.”
Bloomfield said having another option from dead-ball situations would be a valuable addition to his side’s armoury.
“Of course, yeah,” he added. “Because in a perfect world, you score the perfect goal all the time and you win the games. But sometimes it takes a set piece, whether that be a corner and header or a direct free-kick. So it’s definitely something good to have in amongst the group as well.”
The strike was Bramall’s first in Luton colours and his first since netting for Rotherham United on Boxing Day 2023. While it took some in the stands by surprise, the summer signing insisted it was no fluke.
“I’ve been doing a few of them in training, usually with Walshy,” the defender said. “I just thought it was a nice angle, so I said, ‘yeah, I’ll have it,’ and I did.
“I think he wanted to cross it, but I just said, ‘let me have it.’ He said, ‘do you want me to just touch it,’ and I just said ‘no, let me have it.’ As soon as I hit it I knew it was going to be on target, so I was buzzing. A few times (it’s happened), the last time I scored a free-kick was a few years back for Lincoln. I do enjoy taking them and when it’s the right distance, I’ll be all over it.”
