Graeme Jones was not in the mood to give credit to a good strike and a deflection for West Bromwich Albion’s two goals on Saturday – instead insisting his Luton side should have done better to stop both shots.
Town were on top in the first half, both in the run of play and on the scoreboard after Harry Cornick thumped a header home, but that all changed soon after the break.
Former West Ham striker Grady Diangana was introduced off the bench and he scored two goals in the three minutes to, ultimately put the Championship clash beyond the Hatters.
The first was an inch-perfect hit into the bottom corner from 25-yards and, asked if, sometimes, such strike has to be accepted as excellent, Jones said: “No, not at all. I think the back four needs to be higher, I think we need to stop the shot, we need to get out and go to work.
“I look at that area before a deflection, before a goalkeeper. The goalkeeper is that last ditch, so that’s a disappointment from my point of view.”
And the winning goal had an element of fortune in it to as Filip Krovinovic’s shot deflected off Sonny Bradley’s heel and into the path of Diangana, who headed in.
“You bring them fine margins on yourself,” Jones said, adding: “We have to be front foot. We have to be consistent. We have to have consistent football behaviour, as a team, with what we’re trying to do. It worked for 45 minutes, it didn’t work for 90 and that’s where the work is.”
Jones tried to wrestle the contest back Town’s way after Diangana’s double with the introduction of Kazenga LuaLua and Izzy Brown off the bench, but chances were few and far between as Luton laboured in creating openings.
“When you put two new players on with the quality if Izzy and Kaz, I expected a little bit more of a threat,” said the manager.
“I thought West Brom managed the game well, if you want to call it that. It think that’s the respectful way of putting it.”
