Luton backed up the thrilling 3-2 win over Championship leaders Bournemouth on Saturday with a very comfortable win at Reading on Wednesday evening. An own goal got the Hatters off the mark before Allan Campbell fired his second in as many matches.
It was Town’s first league win away to the Royals since 1999 and extended their unbeaten run to five games. Here are our takeaways from an easy 2-0 win in Berkshire.
- Reece Burke is a Rolls Royce
What a super signing Reece Burke is turning into. Despite fears a knee injury picked up on Saturday would keep him our if the Madejski affair, the former Hull City defender was named in the starting XI and oozed class once again.
His reading of the game is terrific and he is proving to be extremely comfortable with the ball, to the extent that he is beginning to mirror Kal Naismith on the other side of Sonny Bradley in the three-man back line.
What is becoming more impressive with the defender is the impact he is beginning to have in the attacking play. He regularly got forward to add a body to the attack and, as his confidence with that responsibility increases, and the end product improves, this part of his game will provide a huge benefit to the Town.
2. Peter Kioso still sits behind James Bree in the pecking order
There was a surprise name on the team sheet when Peter Kioso replaced James Bree from the off. Bree has been the subject of some stick this season, despite statistics showing him to be one of the best right-backs in the Championship.
There have been regular cries for Kioso to come in for him but on the evidence of this game Bree looks a level above. Kioso was tidy in his defensive work but seemed to lack the confidence to do the attacking side of the role, with Reece Burke regularly being the player furthest forward down that side.
You sense Kioso still has to win the trust of Nathan Jones before he is a regular member of the squad and there was evidence why in this game.
3. Allan Campbell, the complete midfielder
If you have followed the Town throughout the season you could not have failed to notice the game on game improvement of Allan Campbell. Nicknamed the Lanarkshire Kante, his relentless energy, his ability to press the play and close the opposition down and get his foot in and win the ball have been traits that have become second nature to us watching on.
He is now adding goals to his game and that makes him a potentially different level prospect. The title of the Town’s best summer signing is a competitive affair. Campbell might well be leading the way though.
4. Manufactured atmosphere is not football
After the incredible atmosphere created in a true bastion of football stadia on Saturday, this match was played in a funereal climate.
The home fans turned up in blue seat fancy dress and only the assistance of two drums enabled them to create any noise.
Admittedly, the Madejski (or the Select Car Leasing Stadium as it’s now called) is a soulless bowl and they were watching their team get comfortably swept aside by the Town but fake props creating atmosphere is a huge no no.
What it did do was serve as a reminder that the incredible detail, which is going into the creation of Power Court, to attempt to maintain the atmosphere we all enjoy and are able to generate at Kenilworth Road, is something we should all be patient with and excited at the prospect.
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I thought the way Kioso was shipped out within hours of the Birmingham debacle was awful. In my mind he was blamed for the defeat, even though he missed the last hour and others made bigger errors. Please stand up Pelly.
Whether or not he is better than Bree, I think they are both loyal, hard working players. So is Pelly but he gets to prove his worth almost every week. Give me Kioso every time.
I disagree with you regarding Peter Kioso. After a couple of days training with the squad he had an excellent game. Just a thought, he probably had instructions of what was expected and I’m assuming that he more than achieved them. In my view he is a better defender than Bree and certainly quicker. Kioso has also scored goals and had assists on all his loans so his potential in the opponents half probably will be to our advantage.