Luton beat West Bromwich Albion for the first time since 1996 to leapfrog the Baggies in the Championship table and reignite hopes of reaching the play-offs. Here are our takeaways from the 2-0 victory.
- Campbell proving a transfer coup
It’s easy to let the Luton conveyor belt for developing talent pass by without too much thought, such is their success in that area. I don’t mean youth talent, though that’s at the forefront of the club’s long-term plans, but I mean the model for plucking first-team talent from under the noses of rivals.
Allan Campbell is the next shining example. Already impressive in his tenacious ability to hound opposition players and help get the Hatters on the front foot, but this match showed his talents in running with the ball, picking a killer pass – with only the post denying him an assist for Cameron Jerome – and, of course, the newly established Campbell cracker.
It should not be underestimated how much of a major string he’s now added to his bow. It’s not a fluke because he’s now netted four times and two of them have arrowed in with tremendous technique and accuracy, from distance. It now means that if rivals stand off Town, he has the tools to punish them. And, if opponents try to deal with that threat, then it could leave spaces behind for Town’s speed merchants to exploit – and Campbell can find them too.
“We encourage him to do certain things. At times he’s a bit too eager to get rid of the ball, but when he does carry it and scurry, he’s proving a potent weapon,” said boss Nathan Jones, adding: “We’re delighted for him because he’s a great lad. You can see the crowd getting behind him because I think they can see themselves in him.”
Campbell was the only bright spot of a pretty dire last 30 minutes of football in the first half and he continued to be the best player on the pitch after the break. But perhaps the biggest praise for Campbell came from West Brom’s media.
2. New goalie but a similar Steer on stubbornness
Jed Steer was handed his first Championship start for Luton with James Shea making way after the 3-0 defeat at Birmingham City last week.
On swapping his stoppers, Jones said: “Jed’s a Premier League keeper so we brought him into play. We felt the magnitude of the game, at home, it was the right time to integrate Jed. I thought he was excellent, really secure, a calmness about him which we like, a clean sheet, so a good decision.”
There was one wobble and hearts were in mouths when the Aston Villa loanee let slip a Karlan Grant shot which squirmed under his body as Town seemed determined to gift the Baggies a goal in the first half.
It could’ve been a Stuart Moore moment but, fortunately, the ball squirmed the right side of the post, as far as the Hatters were concerned.
From there Steer was commanding. He punched well when Albion fired in crosses, he was good with the ball at his feet, he saved well with his boot to deny Andy Carroll, and when Kal Naismith put it on a plate for Grant, the keeper did the only thing he could and made himself big. It worked because the Baggies striker, who looked odds on to score one-on-one, felt he had to lift it over Steer and he hit the bar. But the keeper was still alive to the second ball and he again denied Carroll.
In fact, the only time the former England striker beat Steer was with a later flying header, but the crossbar came to the rescue and the stopper claimed his second consecutive clean sheet – after his FA Cup debut – to send him straight into the Championship Team of the Week.
3. Thirteen – unlucky for some, but not Luton
The shutout on Saturday, was Luton’s 13th Championship clean sheet and 15th in total, this season.
If you’re looking for progress, this is a major marker. Remember, Town finished their first season in the Championship with a minus-28 goal difference, having shipped 82 goals. This season, so far they’ve only conceded 36 times (and eight of those were in two games against Birmingham!). They now have a goal difference of plus-7
Jones said: “We’re a good defensive unit, we know that. We slip up sometimes. When we play Birmingham, it’s suddenly like Kryptonite.
“Apart from that we’re an excellent side, an excellent defensive side. We work hard, we do our diligent work, they press and try to defend their box. You have to defend your box well because, if you don’t you get punished in the Championship. We’re in a good place.”
4. Yes he Cam!
The 35-year-old striker finally got his first league goal for Luton – but it had been coming.
Jerome had looked like a bit part player, earlier in the season, with much of his time spent on the bench and then looking understandably off the pace once introduced.
But in recent months he’s been rolling back the years. His commitment was always there, so too his pace, but after hitting the post against Blackburn and having a goal chalked off controversially against Bournemouth, his luck wasn’t in.
Against West Brom he was a natural choice to battle against the land of the giants that is the Baggies’ backline, led by the lanky Semi Ajayi. But he was a menace that gave as good as he got in the air, while also enjoyed success on the deck, with some early inroads down the right in the first half and one cross that Admiral Muskwe just couldn’t stretch far enough for.
But when Allan Campbell burst through the West Brom lines to slide Jerome in, it looked like his EFL duck was over, only for the post to deny him again.
But then Kal Naismith picked him out with a peach of a free-kick and the old muscle memory kicked in and Jerome rose to power a header past Sam Johnstone.
Still not done, he returned the favour for his first half chance and played in Campbell. Although it wasn’t the defence splitting ball that the midfielder provided, it was technically an assist even if the Scot had to fire in a screamer to make it so.
And were it not for the exemplary afternoon Campbell had, then he would’ve been my man-of-the-match
5. Fortress Kenilworth Road
It’s almost three months since Luton suffered defeat on home turf, when Cardiff won 2-1 on November.
Albeit there was a month of Covid call offs, but since then, Town have won five and drawn two in all competitions, scoring 14 times and conceding just five, with three clean sheets.
The latest of those, against West Brom on Saturday, was significant in beating a rival play-off contender and leapfrogging them in the table.
Jones said: “I think it’s a difficult place to play. Since I’ve been here and before. I remember coming here as a player and it was a difficult place. I can only speak as a manager and since I’ve been a manager there’s not many teams that come here and win. And there’s not many that come here and have an easy game…. apart from Birmingham.”
6. Boo Boo Baggies
It’s not terribly significant for Luton that Kyle Barley and Jayson Molumby were booked for squaring up to each other after Allan Campbell’s screamer, but it does highlight the health of the two teams.
West Brom haven’t scored for five games and are in free-fall from a position, earlier in the season, that looked nailed on for at least a top six finish.
Now, out of the two teams, it’s looking more likely that Luton will quality for the end of season shake-up.
And while the travelling Baggies were bellowing at their players, “you’re not fit to wear the shirt”, the home faithful were singing how Nathan Jones is going to lead them to the Premier League, which also tells you everything you need to know.
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