Graeme Jones saw his side pay for a crucial Harry Cornick miss with a late sickener at Preston North End, which the manager conceded was typical of Luton’s luck at the moment.
Jayden Stockley struck with just six minutes of normal time left, to make it 2-1 and ensure Town went down to their 14th defeat of the Championship season.
The game swung in the final ten minutes when, with the score at 1-1, Cornick raced clear, one-on-one with goalkeeper Declan Rudd, but failed to beat him.
Six minutes later, Stockley, who had a loan spell at Luton in 2015, converted a goalmouth scramble to claim the points and cut in half the Hatters’ relegation zone buffer to two points, with Stoke and Wigan both drawing.
“I think, where we are at the minute, that’s probably how it goes,” said Jones, adding: “I’ve just spoken to Al (Neil, Preston boss) and Al was fourth bottom this time last year and he said, ‘that’s exactly what used to happen to us.’”
Talking about the chance Town had to take the lead, Jones said: “On 80 minutes, Harry Cornick runs through to make to 2-1. Pelly (Ruddock Mpanzu) had a good chance as it comes back to him and it’s a very different game,” Jones said.
“He should’ve lifted it, really. Everybody’s great in hindsight. I’ve spoken to Harry before about a little feint and a check. Maybe he was just a bit predictable, but there’s only Harry who can get in that position with his big long legs and his pace.
“That was the game plan today, to be competitive, be in the game and get Harry on the pitch, maybe George (Moncur) on the pitch in the right circumstances. The save from Rudd is the difference in the game.”
But there was another decisive moment in the match and Jones was was also left to lament not being awarded a second first half penalty, when Sonny Bradley was hauled down in a similar incident that led to Preston’s early spot-kick.
Jones told the BBC: “Did you see Sonny Bradley’s wide free-kick late on in the first half? For me, they’re identical situations and I think everybody can pass their own opinion on how similar they are, let’s put it like that.
“If we go to every Football League ground in this country, you’ll have seen that contact in the box today. I’ve said it before, little Luton Town, at Deepdale, they gave a penalty against us. We have to stand up for ourselves. That’s not acceptable, just like Sonny’s is not acceptable.
“It’s the same incident, so now I’m talking about a 2-1 defeat and I think we’ve been harshly treated. It’s another variable against us, that’s why we all have to stick together.”
What’s with this ‘little’ Luton notion, Graeme? Are you saying we don’t get a fair crack of the whip from refs because in some way we’re regarded as inferior – and perhaps not up to life in the Championship?
We may not have the budget of many (probably most) other clubs in the Championship, and there’s clearly been an expectation amongst many followers of the game – including perhaps yourself – that staying up might prove difficult.
But that doesn’t make us a ‘little’ club.
Despite the problems in more recent years, we are a club with a proud history of achievement at this level and above, once finishing 7th in the old Division One, winning the League Cup in ’88 and reaching the FA Cup Final in ’59. And the way we’ve come back – thanks to 2020 – is a further measure of the club’s ‘greatness’.
No way are we ‘little’ Luton Town.