It is perhaps the major challenge in Luton Town’s fight for Championship survival – where are the goals coming from?
With just eight games left, the Hatters are the lowest scorers in the division (34 in 38 games) and sit five points adrift of safety.
Strikers Carlton Morris (seven goals) and Elijah Adebayo (five goals) both bagged double figures in the Premier League last term but are yet to net in 2025, which is a combined 31 appearances since their last strikes on December 29 and December 10, respectively. It’s also been well-documented since Town’s 0-0 stalemate with Middlesbrough, to head into the international break, that Adebayo has missed 27 big chances this season – the most in the division.
And this week, Jacob Brown has been ruled out for the season following ankle surgery, having been the only forward to score this calendar year, though his last came more than a month ago.
Despite this, Hatters boss Matt Bloomfield remains confident that goals will come – but not just from his front men, though Tahith Chong has returned to fitness. The manager insists it’s a team task to find the back of the net, starting with a crucial clash at Hull City this weekend.
“We do [need goals], but it’s a responsibility for everyone on the pitch,” he said, adding: “It’s a responsibility to defend, it’s a responsibility for everyone. And to score goals is a responsibility for everyone.
“We’re creating chances. Well, we have been, and we have to make sure we continue that and have the belief to go and take them, because that’s what the game’s about. But it’s a group thing and it’ll always be about the group.”
This month, Luton’s midfielders have been pitching in. Jordan Clark has scored in their two victories so far this month, while Thelo Aasgaard scored the winner in Cardiff, though arguably should have scored twice as the Hatters blitzed Middlesbrough, but couldn’t hit the net.
But the international break has given Town a potentially timely boost with Aasgaard and hat-trick scoring Isaiah Jones both finding the net on for Norway and Guyana, respectively, so there are goals in his Hatters players.
Bloomfield said: “I understand where the microscope goes to with scoring goals. I understand that, but I feel like the forwards are really giving us a platform to play and we have to praise their workload and what they’re giving us as a group to get us up the pitch.
“I’m convinced they’ll [Adebayo and Morris] get the rewards. I’m absolutely convinced about that because of the amount of work they’re putting in and football has to pay you back. You work hard enough, it pays you back. Our efforts are going to that area and they have my full backing, those boys. I know that they’ll get the rewards that their work deserves.”
But as well as solving the goalscoring issues, Bloomfield has pointed to other improvements that he believes points towards a survival challenge.
“I think if you look at the last block of four games, it certainly looks more like the team that we want it to look like. Absolutely,” said the manager.
“The boys have trained incredibly hard, incredibly well. I’m all about repetition. I’m all about structure and discipline and understanding within the team shape, whether that’s in or out of possession.
“We know that if we keep being relentless, the results have started to come and we believe there’ll be more with eight left.”
Luton’s last outing against Middlesbrough had all the right blueprints, except for in front of goal and Bloomfield said: “The evidence suggests that we’ve created enough chances to score more than what we have, but I’m a manager who wants the supporters to turn up and enjoy themselves. That’s what I want to do.
“I want to be an attacking team. I want us to entertain and score goals and people to enjoy their afternoon. And we haven’t scored as many goals as what I want. So, it’s about getting that balance right between needing to score goals to win games. We understand that. But you also have to keep them out.
“First and foremost, we had to tidy up at the back and change formation slightly. I tweaked a couple of things and then just worked extremely hard off the back of that to real nail down some disciplines, some structural things and some understandings, because we’ve all got the rules to live by.
“Then everyone knows what each other is doing that it’s got help with the understanding of the group.”
And Bloomfield believes that has reflected in the confidence and mentality of his squad.
“If the feeling in the building and the noise in the building is anything to go by, then they’re feeling good about themselves,” he said.
“The standard of training has been very good. We were disappointed with a draw against a team that’s trying to get promoted, so I think that shows you where we’re at right now.
“We have to keep that belief and keep the relentless energy that we’ve got at the moment. We have to play with that, and we have to carry that into every game, because they’re all so crucial right now.”
Bloomfield added: “Continuity between the two boxes is what we want to we want to continue. I think, defensively, we’ve looked fairly solid recently, so [we’ll] try and improve on the bits that we feel that we still need to improve on and crossing and finishing in that final third of the pitch.
“I was so proud of the way we played against Middlesbrough, so, so proud of the effort and the intensity that boys played with and we did everything but win everything but score. And this last little bit for us is to make sure we get the results because we’re judged on results. We’re here for results. And we understand that.
“So, it’s about continuing the good bits and working on the bits that we need to improve on. But, the way the boys have trained has been fantastic. And I hope we take that intensity into Saturday. I’m sure we will.”
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