Luton boss Matt Bloomfield apologised to fans, saying the Hatters’ 3-1 defeat to Lincoln was “unacceptable”.
Two City goals in the last five minutes saw off a brief eight-minute Hatters resurgence, where despite an abject first half, they had an unlikely point in the bag after Jordan Clark’s 77th leveller, only for yet another defensive blunder to be punished as they slumped to a second straight defeat.
Justin Obikwu turned that screw five minutes from time but then Ben House’s second of the afternoon in the 90th minute bookended a fourth league defeat of the season, ensuring that Town shipped three for the second game in a row. Gone is the pre-international break sense of defensive solidity.
In fact, the die seems cast now for Town. At present, every time a rival League One clubs has scored against them, they’ve lost. Their victories have all come with clean sheets, so the writing was on the wall as early as the 12th minute when House broke the deadlock.
Despite Clark’s brief respite, Luton deserved to lose in the league to the Imps for the first time in 59 years. It sent the hosts top of the division for a few hours at least, adding to the pressure on Hatters boss Bloomfield, because his side just do not look currently capable of reaching the same heights.
“It’s unacceptable from us, me included,” the boss said afterwards, adding: “I take full responsibility for that and I have to take responsibility for that and I do.”
Speaking to the BBC, Bloomfield added: “It wasn’t anywhere near good enough from us today, so apologies to our supporters who followed us in their numbers.
“We were second best on duels, we were second best on first contacts, we were second best on all the important parts of the game and, as a result of that, we end up losing momentum.
“We managed to get ourselves back in the game and then there’s more mistakes to fall behind. We were second best all afternoon and that’s absolutely not good enough.
“It looks like we weren’t full of confidence today. It’s hard, right? At the moment when the perception of things [isn’t good] and the boys are trying hard, but one mistake leads to two and confidence is not in a good spot at that point.
“When we’re passing it, too many turnovers. When we’re competing, we weren’t coming out with enough duels and, ultimately, if you don’t do all those things correctly you lose the game.”
Indeed, a promotion ready team should not be in a position that saw House waltz into acres of space to open the scoring on 12 minutes. Once again the three at the back system came in question, with Teden Mengi given his first taste of action after Christ Makosso was benched because he was late to a team meeting yesterday.
Before the opener, Adam Reach hit the bar, and then after it Josh Kelly pulled off a flying save to deny Freddie Draper – the first of two stops to keep that Imp at bay.
Though few could argue that Lincoln didn’t deserve their flowers, Luton should’ve had an unlikely point in the bag when Clark finished off a free-kick routine on 77 minutes. It was only Town’s second shot on target and they wouldn’t ’t manage any more, which meant that, yet again, for the second league game in a row, the Hatters have not scored from open play. That’s just one of the problems at present.
Nevertheless, the equaliser should have been enough to avoid a second straight defeat, not least because moments earlier former Luton captain Sonny Bradley should have put Lincoln 2-0 ahead but squandered a guilt-edged chance to pass up a chance of his fourth goal in as many matches. Those are the sorts of moments where games can turn. But not for Luton. Not at the moment.
They’d even found a thin sliver of ascendancy after Shayden Morris was introduced on the hour mark, though, arguably, that was only because the opening period had set the bar decidedly low. But then came the kicker out of nothing.
It was a route one goal kick that though it found an Imps head, substitute Makosso should have mopped up the loose ball. Instead, he headed it straight at Obikwu, the ricochet fell kindly and for the forward and he stroked home.
House’s second, where he ran from the halfway line to bury from 20 yards was just another twist of the knife and Bloomfield said: “It’s unacceptable. I’m not going to defend it from us today.”
At the final whistle, boos predictably rang out from the travelling Town contingent. Well, from those that had not streamed out of Sincil Bank when City’s third bulged the net.
“You’re not fit to wear the shirt” rang out from some, which had been the reaction when Town imploded 5-3 at West Brom on the final day of the Championship season, dumping them in this division.
On this evidence Luton won’t be returning any time soon.
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