Rock bottom, in every sense of the word. Just when you think it can’t get any worse for Luton, it does.
Town gifted Sunderland two goals in a city where they’ve not won for 52 years, but the Black Cats barely broke a sweat and still looked several levels superior.
It wasn’t that the result was a surprise against the Wearsiders, who haven’t lost on home turf all season, but the meek manner of it was as dispiriting as any this term – and there have been many.
Boss Matt Bloomfield told the BBC: “There’s still a third of the season left, so there’s no panic from us. We have to be realistic in where we are, of course, and we’ve spoken about that. But I have to be consistent. We have to be consistent in our behaviour for the lads to be consistent in their performance, out on the pitch.
“There’s no point getting irrational or erratic at this moment in time. It’s about us being consistent and sticking to what we believe in and what we know will work.
“Of course we understand the situation. There was no underestimating that when we came through the door, and there’s no underestimating it right now. We know where we are, but we believe in what we’re doing and we’ll make sure we improve and get success.”
But any hope of a positive outcome here was effectively over in the 13th minute when Town backed off and gave £20million man Enzo Le Fée the freedom of the Stadium of Light to curl in.
In response, the Hatters fashioned one chance from a set-piece. But even though the offside flag was raised, new signing Millenic Alli swung and missed with the goal at his mercy from point blank range after Carlton Morris’ header had been pushed onto the post and trickled across the line invitingly. As metaphors go for a woefully misfiring season, even that was a bit on the nose.
Perhaps the most worrying aspect, was that this was a Hatters side that had 11 days without a game to come up with a formula on how to rescue themselves from relegation. Instead, missing Alfie Doughty again through injury (tight hamstring and back), they rubber-stamped their credentials against the only other side that have slipped out of the Premier League and plunged straight through the Championship trap door too.
If it wasn’t for the fact that Lamine Fanne provided the assist for Wilson Isidor to make it 2-0 on 58 minutes, Luton wouldn’t have created a chance at all. The Sunderland striker should even have scored early on after Town’s first big mistake, while Patrick Roberts hit the post in the second half after turning Town inside out.
In comparison, the visitors looked toothless in attack and uncomfortably drew a blank as they have in three of boss Bloomfield’s winless five games in charge. His honeymoon period never even began. It’s hardly his fault. He inherited a team used to losing.
The hope was that the eight players in the January transfer window might inspire a belated new manager bounce, but on this evidence nothing has changed.
Almost every other team at the bottom of the Championship has changed their manager or bought players and picked up results. Not Luton. Here they struggled to pass to each other for large, frustrating parts.
Elsewhere, Plymouth Argyle began the evening as the basement boys, but in a week were they dumped the Premier League champions elect Liverpool out of the FA Cup, they went a smashed Millwall 5-1 to leapfrog Luton.
Derby are the last safe team, remarkably still only three points and goal difference above. They are the side that Town currently have to catch, but it looks like the Everest of climbs – and they too will soon have a new manager.
Every conceivable flame of hope has either already been extinguished or is dancing a last flicker because the games are simply running out.
And with second-in-the-league Sheffield United coming to Kenilworth Road on Saturday, the outlook appears incredibly bleak.
So, it’s rock bottom for now, but there’s an impending sense that, somehow, it will still get worse.
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