Nahki Wells admitted a lack of “know-how” but not a “lack of will” was behind Luton Town’s continued struggles to score goals and keep clean sheets on the road as they could only draw at League One basement boys Port Vale on Saturday.
The striker opened the scoring in the fifth minute but the Hatters were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw in Staffordshire, having previously drawn 2-2 at home to the Valiants earlier in the season, when their opponents arrived in Bedfordshire on a new club record-setting run for not scoring in more than nine-and-a-half hours of league football.
But reflecting on the club’s ongoing struggles on the road, Wells admitted the squad are still looking for answers to a winless run of nine games stretching back to November 8, even though the draw did end a six-game losing streak.
“We’re constantly searching for reasons,” he told the BBC. “I think we can all look each other in the eyes, and know, it’s not through a lack of application, a lack of effort, a lack of will, the willingness to do it for each other.
“It’s a great group, a great team spirit. We’ve got some experienced players and some really young players, a really good dressing room, and a good bunch of lads that do care.
“But it’s the know-how. It’s the lack of experience in us, and that’s been been a big problem for us over the last ten or so weeks away from home.
“We have to find a way. And it’s not easy because no one else is going to do it for us. There’s only us that can do it. But I promise you, it’s not the will and it’s not our character. It’s just us as a group cutting out silly, sloppy errors, whether that’s defensively or attacking.
“And to get three points in this league, it’s hard. You almost have to do everything right. And at the minute, we’re kind of continuously shooting ourselves in the foot, in a sense. And that’s directed to us as a whole, not any individuals.”
Port Vale’s equaliser, through Ben Waine, cancelled out Wells’ sixth goal of the season, and the 35-year-old’s second in consecutive league games. It was Town’s first goal from open play on the road this calendar year, and only their second strike in total during those two months.
“It’s been a bit of a Achilles heel this season,” Wells said. “We’re not scoring enough goals. We’re not able to keep clean sheets at the minute. It’s not a finger pointing thing at the defence, it’s us as a whole, us as a collective.
“We kind of know what to expect from a side like this [Port Vale]. They’re going to be route one and just some basic elements and we consistently feel like we’re being punished in times that we don’t necessarily warrant it.
“But that’s football as well. Some teams make their luck and they get their goal and we just aren’t able to find find it in ourselves to go and carve out another really good opportunity, which is a very frustrating aspect of today.”
Luton boss Jack Wilshere has previously admitted that Luton’s stuttering attempt to break into the League One play-offs will not be be successful without away victories, and Wells acknowledged that Luton’s away form needs to improve, but insisted the Hatters must now focus on the next game rather than looking too far ahead in the season.
“It’s maths. We can’t continue to drop points, of course,” Wells said when asked whether Town will fail make the play-offs if their away form continues as it has been.
“Let’s not forget we got a point, so it’s still a point in the right direction. Where we are, against the bottom of the league, obviously put into context, you think that’s not enough, but it’s a point and we just have to move on.
“We’re picking up a lot of points at home, which is a positive. If we could turn the screw away from home then we have all the capabilities to try and get there [play-offs]. But I think, at this stage, us as a unit have to stop thinking about May and just focus on the next fixture.
“And that’s something that we’re emphasising because it’s been something that’s been spoken about far too much this season, we’ve not been present enough. And we just have to focus on the next game and deal with Northampton on Wednesday. It’s a big opportunity for us.”
That clash against the Cobblers is the semi-final of the Vertu Trophy at Kenilworth Road, with a place at Wembley on the line.
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