Football’s allowance of the horror keeper collision which saw Jordan Clark hospitalised is “a disgrace” as the challenge could’ve “killed” the midfielder – that’s the view of Luton boss Nathan Jones who revealed that the Hatter still won’t be ready to face Sheffield United on Saturday.
The 27-year-old was stretchered off in the 3-2 defeat to West Bromwich Albion after goalkeeper Sam Johnstone crashed into him with his knees, a collision that sent him to hospital and would have resulted in an outfield player being penalised, but not keepers.
Clark has since missed the victory at Barnsley and last weekend’s 5-0 humbling against Birmingham due to concussion protocols, but though they have now passed, he’s still unable to play.
“The concussion and the impact was such a violent one – and I mean that not from an intentional point of view, but it is the only way to describe it – that there was some trauma there in terms of pain from impact so that will take a little bit of time.
“The concussion is fine, it is in and around the shoulder area where he really took both knees. Sam Johnstone is a big guy, come out with real ferociousness really and it has caused him a problem. He won’t be ready for Saturday.
“The rule is a disgrace because you can come out with knees flying and really hurt someone, it is dangerous. It could have killed him, you come out with knees and he wasn’t suspecting it, you catch him in the wrong part of the head or the neck and you can kill him.
“It is a disgrace of a rule. We’re not pointing fingers at Sam Johnstone, but the rule is a disgrace because if a player does that, goes into the back of someone knee-high, half-attempting to head the ball, it is a red card and it is a three-game ban at least.
“Keepers can protect themselves with their hands, because the actual contact is very worrying, really, really worrying. Nothing said, nothing done and that is the real rule.
“We’re talking about concussion, talking about can’t head a football but that could end someone in one action and something needs to be done about it.“
Talking of Clark’s injury, Jones added: “He wont be ready for Saturday and then we have two weeks of international break where we really hope to see him back.”
Town are hopeful that the defensive crisis they begun the season with is now easing having started the campaign with three recognised centre halves all missing.
Welsh international Tom Lockyer has returned in the last two games, but captain Sonny Bradley had been hit with Covid-19, while injured Reece Burke hasn’t made his Hatters bow yet after signing in the summer.
Ahead of the visit of Sheffield United, Jones said of their progress that Luton are “a lot closer on all of them. They have all trained this week. Sonny is back, Reece Burke is back, Lockyer has had an extra week so we’re in a better place.”
With their makeshift defence they’ve suffered at set pieces so far, but Jones is confident that will get rectified as defenders return to action.
He said: “If you are looking at last season, we had James Collins, Dan Potts and Sonny Bradley so three big players (in the penalty box) and we are missing all three. James Collins has moved on so someone has to replace that but we’ve been severely hit in the wrong area in terms of defending long throws, set-plays and so fourth. That will iron itself out, the two biggest centre-halves that we have got have trained all week so they are available and we will be in a better position.”
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