Luton boss Jack Wilshere admitted it was a “tough” afternoon as his side stretched their unbeaten run to five games in all competitions, but barely troubled in-form Rotherham in a bore draw.
If possession – and particularly passing it around at the back – were king then Town sat on that throne all afternoon, but they could not break down a Millers side that had gone nine games with defeat.
At times, it looked reluctant to, such was the snail’s pace of their play, which was chalk and cheese to the highs of Stockport last week.
As yet, Luton’s home form is still to catch light under boss Jack Wilshere, as it has away. This was certainly no match for the purist.
The manager said: “[It was] tough for the players because I played against teams that come and just sit in and defend and you have to be brave. You have to have courage, you have to take risks at times, because the distances are so close. You have to pass it into areas where the player receiving has to be really good, really clean to try and just create something, create a little opening or someone to jump out of defence.
“But I was proud of the players for continuing to do it the same way. I know we spoke a lot about connecting with the fans and we want the fans to be with us and we really felt they were today.
“It’s not always been the case when we’ve tried to, or the team has tried to before I was here, tried to have that type of game where they’re a little bit slower, a little bit more calculated.
“And I was proud of the players, but also the fans clapped us off, which we’re happy about.”
At Kenilworth Road they had to wait until the 71st minute for substitute Gideon Kodua to register Luton’s first of three shots on target, and even that was more of a cross which was comfortably saved by Cameron Dawson.
United’s one solitary check mark in that column, a first half header from Jordan Hugill, was equally bread and butter for Town stopper Josh Keeley, as he notched a third league clean sheet in row.
Really, the only controversial moment came in the first half when last man Mads Andersen bundled over Millers target man Martin Sherif on the centre spot and faced a nervous wait to see the colour of the card referee Josh Hicks would brandish. The yellow wasn’t the only piece of good fortune, because had the man in black allowed play to continue Rotherham were through on goal.
From there, they were rarely got in Town’s half after the break, but at the other end Jerry Yates and Kodua both had shots while Jacob Brown, on for his first minutes since March, tried to flick in fellow substitute Milli Alli’s cross, but was as rusty as you’d expect.
And though the Hatters’ changes from the bench generated more urgency, they couldn’t fashion more quality against United’s contented park-the-bus low block. They came for a draw and got it.
While there have been plaudits aplenty for the unbeaten run that that Hatters are on under Wilshere, that is one significant conundrum that the manager will still have to solve.
And it provided a reminder that, for all the progress Town have made in the last five weeks, project Wilshere is still a work in progress.
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