Rob Edwards has admitted that Luton are in a relegation fight, but believes he has seen how his team’s fortunes can change and says there is “complete togetherness” among his squad.
Monday night’s 2-1 defeat at Queens Park Rangers was Town’s tenth straight away defeat in the Championship this season and leaves the club just two points above the drop zone.
Home form had been keeping the Hatters afloat but a six-game unbeaten streak came to an end on New Year’s Day with a defeat to Norwich and they’ve now lost four on the bounce.
Only bottom of the league Plymouth have conceded more than Luton’s 44 goals in 26 games, and no team in the division has lost more than the 15 times Edwards’ men have.
Asked if that means Town are now embroiled in their second straight relegation battle, having slipped out of the Premier League last term, the manager said: “Where we are right now, it is. I don’t think I can not answer the question or hide away from that. We believe in the group and we think we’re better than where we are. But we got to show it with results.
“It’s all well and good to be coming out to you (media) and saying, ‘played pretty well again, they didn’t deserve to lose’, but we are where we are.”
Though Rangers had numerous chances to score, Town were ultimately undone by a fluke Morgan Fox goal at Loftus Road, just when they had started to take control after Mark McGuinness had levelled on the stroke of half time to cancel out Michael Frey’s opener that Edwards insists included a handball.
“On another night, that goal doesn’t go in. And another night the header does for us. Football is just like that,” the manager said of QPR’s winner, which only remained so as McGuinness missed a late chance to rescue a point.
“It seems like every game at the moment is going the other way for us, but if we continue to do what we’re doing, keep working really hard on the basics, but then trying to be brave with the ball like that and trying to continue to take it, create chances, then things will turn, I’m convinced of it. That’s what we have to believe at the moment.”
Edwards deployed a rare back four in west London, which, though it served up chances to the Rs, enabled Luton to have more in attacking areas that in their last three games. They managed a joint highest number of shots on their travels this term, having only scored once in their previous three games away from home, thanks to a gifted goal against Swansea, and not looking like scoring either.
Edwards said: “I’d like to think I’m pretty honest with you guys (media) and say if we didn’t play well. But I think you could see in the main, it certainly wasn’t a perfect performance, but there were chances created, really good control at times, good young players on the pitch, a complete togetherness and a desire to work from the players.
“No one’s not there with us. We’ve got to take those things.”
And the manager also hailed the performances of a his younger players, after handing a debut to Lamine Fanne and seeing Zack Nelson in particular have one of his best games for the Hatters.
“We’ve got Reu (Reuell Walters) there, Zack, Lamine, some good young ones. Obviously JJ (Joe Johnson) has been involved a lot. Some really good young players that maybe when we’re in this difficult moment don’t feel as much (pressure). Maybe. But maybe they do and they’re just dealing with it very well.”
While Luton can somewhat rue their bad luck at the manner of QPR’s goals, it’s the sort of fortune that hasn’t often favoured the Hatters.
“You do think, how is that going to come?” said Edwards, adding: “Continue to get the ball in the right areas and keep asking questions, that’s what we’ll try and do.”
Be the first to comment