AFC Wimbledon vs Luton Town FC (13th Feb 2016)

PUBLISHED 17:29 13th February 2016 H****atters on the wrong end of a 4-1 defeat at Wimbledon

The Town lost for the first time away from home under Nathan Jones as they were soundly beaten by AFC Wimbledon at Kingsmeadow.

The hosts scored four goals in two two-goal bursts in each half to put the game beyond the Hatters as early as the 49th minute.

Ryan Sweeney’s header following a right-wing corner on 23 minutes was followed by a deflected header from Lyle Taylor three minutes later.

Barely two minutes into the second half it was 3-0 when substitute Sean Rigg arrowed a low shot from outside the penalty area beyond Elliot Justham.

And two minutes later, on 49 minutes, it was four when Taylor swept home his second goal following another right-wing corner.

The Town, who had looked good in possession before the Wombles’ opener, had chances in the first half with Cameron McGeehan’s left-foot strike and Paul Benson’s shot saved by home goalkeeper Kelle Roos.

Jack Marriott reduced arrears with his ninth goal of the season on the hour, thumping a well-struck effort on the turn beyond Roos.

McGeehan saw an effort ruled out for offside – which would have made it 4-2 with 14 minutes to go – but after that the hosts were able to hold on to their three-goal lead and consign the Hatters to defeat.

Town: Justham; O'Donnell, Howells, Cuthbert, Sheehan; Lee (sub Pigott 72), McGeehan, McCourt (sub Smith 56); Mackail-Smith (sub Okuonghae 46), Marriott, Benson.

Town subs not used: Tyler, Potts, Green, Ruddock.

Attendance: 4,439, including 833 shouting for the Town.

http://www.lutontown.co.uk/news/article/gallery-wimbledon-4-1-town-2953464.aspx

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLgk0pPR1J4

League Two: AFC Wimbledon 4 Luton Town 1

Luton Town boss Nathan Jones suffered his heaviest defeat since taking over as Hatters were embarrassingly hammered 4-1 at AFC Wimbledon this afternoon.

There was nothing to suggest in the build-up that such a result was on the cards with Town having kept three clean sheets in five matches, while AFC had only won five games in front of their own fans this season, but the visitors were torn apart at times by a rampant home side.

Hatters dominated possession for large chunks of the fixture, but the main stat is goals, and they were miles behind the Dons in that respect, as the hosts hardly had to break sweat, such was the ease at which Town’s defence parted for them, twice conceding goals in the space of a minute.

The visitors had made two changes for the clash as Paul Benson and Paddy McCourt came in for the injured Alex Lawless and Joe Pigott, who dropped to the bench, where he was joined by the fit-again Danny Green.

Dons made a bright start, with Tom Elliott’s hesitation seeing his shot blocked, while Elliot Justham then had to turn Barry Fuller’s low deflected effort around the post.

Jack Marriott’s volley flew over, but still Dons looked the most likely, Ryan Sweeney failing to connect with Elliott’s header across goal.

Hatters were content to take the sting out of the game, putting together some lengthy passing moves in their quest to find an opening, one Stephen O’Donnell cross just over the head of Paul Benson.

However, Dons then took the lead in calamitous fashion on 23 minutes as a corner was swung over and Ryan Sweeney diverted it goalwards, with Town keeper Justham seemingly unable to get off the ground as it somehow went over the line.

One became two three minutes later though as Andy Barcham’s superb acrobatic almost kung fu style cross was met by the unmarked Lyle Taylor, whose header hit Alan Sheehan to wrongfoot Justham.

McGeehan’s half-hearted attempt was easy for Kelle Roos, with the on-loan keeper also parrying the Luton midfielder’s effort from range on 40 minutes and then racing off his line to deny Jack Marriott too.

Hatters missed a glorious chance on the stroke of half time as McCourt threaded a terrific through ball for Benson but Roos was on his toes instantly as he couldn’t lift the ball over the Dons keeper.

Boss Nathan Jones replaced Mackail-Smith with Magnus Okuonghae during the interval as Luton moved Sheehan to left back, but the visitors didn’t appear to have much of a clue who was doing what in the early stages and paid a hefty price.

First, Sean Rigg drilled a 20-yarder low into the net and 60 seconds later, it was 4-0 when Taylor had his second, clinically converting a corner, as some visiting fans, having seen enough, made for the exits.

The Dons looked like they were going to run riot, but Hatters at least tested Roos, McCourt’s daisy cutter saved at the second attempt.

Luton then tried to make a game of it on the hour mark as Marriott received a pass to feet, spun, held off his man and thumped past Roos into the top corner.

However, the Dons always maintained a threat themselves, despite dropping down the gears, with Paul Robinson’s inventive flick saved low down by Justham.

Hatters tried to up the tempo on 69 minutes as O’Donnell charged down the right flank and went for glory, shooting into the stands, with the defender’s high cross then clipping the top of the bar on its way over.

With 14 minutes to go, Luton thought they had given themselves a further lifeline as Marriott’s fierce cross was bundled over the line by McGeehan, but the midfielder was adjudged to have handled, as the goal was disallowed, with the Luton man also booked for his indiscretion.

Dons then brought on Adebayo Akinfenwa and Adebayo Azeez with the former testing Justham from range.

Late on, Jonathan Smith volleyed wastefully wide from 30 yards and Marriott’s close range header was easy for Roos, but there was never any realistic hope of Town turning it around, as Luton left with their tails well and truly between their legs.

Dons: Kelle Roos, Barry Fuller (C), Paul Robinson, Ryan Sweeney, Jon Meads, Jake Reeves (Sean Rigg 19), Dannie Bulman, Andy Barcham, Tom Elliott (Adebayo Azeez 75), Lyle Taylor (Adebayo Akinfenwa 75), George Francomb.

Subs not used: James Shea, Callum Kennedy, David Fitzpatrick, Dan Gallagher.

Hatters: Elliot Justham, Stephen O’Donnell, Jake Howells, Scott Cuthbert (C), Alan Sheehan, Olly Lee (Joe Pigott 71), Cameron McGeehan, Paddy McCourt (Jonathan Smith 55), Jack Marriott, Craig Mackail-Smith (Magnus Okuonghae 46), Paul Benson.

Subs not used: Mark Tyler, Dan Potts, Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu, Danny Green.

Booked: Benson 36, McGeehan 75.

Attendance: 4,439 (833 Hatters).

Referee: Christopher Sarginson.

Hatters MOM: Stephen O’Donnell. Kept going manfully in what was a losing cause.

Hatters boss Nathan Jones admitted he hadn’t seen Luton’s defensive shambles coming ahead of their 4-1 hammering at the hands of AFC Wimbledon yesterday.

The visitors, who had kept three clean sheets in five games going into the match, including a fine 1-0 win at Wycombe last time out, produced an inept display as they fell 4-0 down before the hour mark.

Although Jack Marriott pulled one back, it was damage limitation by then as Jones was left baffled at how bad his side’s defending had been.

He said: “To concede any goal you’re disappointed, to concede two you’re very disappointed, to concede four, it’s devastating really and I didn’t see it coming.

“Because we have been defensively sound, we’ve worked hard, we’ve had a game-plan, we’ve had a shape and we’ve played well.

“But today was one of the games and I didn’t see it coming because we’ve had a good positive week, it’s just defensively we were nowhere near.

“We stopped doing the good things that we’ve been doing. I thought for the first half we really did control the game, but then when they had any kind of opportunity, they looked like they were going to score.

“I’m not sure if it was from really good play, I just think it was from really, really bad defending.

“All credit to them, they had a game-plan, they stuck it and they’ve come out comfortable winners, but for me that wasn’t good enough.

“I’m just very, very disappointed in crucial moments and we just showed that we weren’t really good enough and that’s why probably we’re in the position we are.

“We’ve got some wonderful players at the club, but you can’t defend like that and expect to get anything out of the game and that’s why we never. That’s something we have to put right.”

AFC’s goals came in two quickfire bursts, with the first appearing to loop in off defender Alan Sheehan, while the recent signing then deflecting the completely unmarked Lyle Taylor’s past his own keeper too.

Jones continued: “The first one was bit of bad luck, it hit someone and looped in, but the next goal is what we’re more disappointed with as it’s stuff we work on.

“We always get covered, we didn’t and they scored from it, and it’s bitterly, bitterly disappointing.

“Some of our attacking play, not a problem with but when you concede four, I had said I didn’t want to win 5-4, I would rather win 2-0.

“But today we’d have had to win 5-4 if we wanted to win the game and we were never going to do that as defensively we were poor, very, very poor.

“I can pick holes in probably a hundred occasions where we could have defended better and that’s what’s given us what we deserve.”

Trailing 2-0, Hatters’ boss then made a change at half time, taking off Craig Mackail-Smith for defender Magnus Okuonghae, moving Alan Sheehan to left back and pushing Jake Howells further forward, but Hatters let in a further two goals before they had even got to grips with the alteration.

The boss added: “We changed because we felt we needed to get back in the game.

“Magnus brought on meant we could have natural midfield width with Howellsy in there, it didn’t work, wasn’t a good tactical change in the end because we lost the game, we didn’t come back and win it.

“To come out in the second half and to concede two quick goals kills the game.

“We wanted to get the next goal to make it more of a game, but it just wasn’t to be.

“It wasn’t a problem creating chances, he (Jack Marriott) put in a great shift for us, scored a good goal, we got into the final third, we had chances first half, even right at the end, Benno (Paul Benson) had a chance.

“We got into their half at will at times, even second half we had opportunities, it’s just you can’t concede four.

“If you concede four what are you going to do? How many games are you going to win if you concede four? And that’s the the thing.

“I’m bitterly disappointed, although I’m not going to get too carried away because that been out of character for them since I came in, but it can’t continue, that can’t continue.”

AFC Wimbledon 4 Luton Town 1

Demoralising. Not the final score, though it was one of their worst defeats of the season. More that Luton's afternoon at AFC Wimbledon was effectively over by the 25th minute.

By then it was already clear that the hosts' two goals in as many minutes would be painfully decisive. It marked the 663rd day since the last time Town overturned a losing position – where they've conceded first – into a winning one. That, for the record, was against Forest Green Rovers in the Conference.

Since their return to the Football League this has become a major monkey on their back. By now that ape is gorilla-sized, though only one of many reasons why they sit in 14th place and ten points off the play-offs.

At Kingsmeadow – where Luton played their first non-league game in 2009 – the all too familiar feeling was that, in an underwhelming first half, they never looked putting the skids on that record.

And under new boss Nathan Jones this was the first time they have looked suspect at the back. They'd kept three clean sheets in his first five games and two on the last two triumphant away days, but he admitted afterwards that his team's rearguard was "poor", adding: "I'm just very, very disappointed. In crucial moments we just showed that we weren't really good enough and that's why, probably, we're in the position we are.

"We've got some wonderful players at the club, but you can't defend like that and expect to get anything out of the game and that's why we never.

"I didn't see it coming because we have been defensively sound. We've worked hard, we've had a game plan, we've had a shape and we've played well. Today was one of those games that I didn't see coming. We've had a good, positive week, it's just that we were nowhere near, defensively we were nowhere near."

His team passed, passed and passed again, dominating possession, but rarely in dangerous Dons' territory and with three strikers on the pitch – Paul Benson, Jack Marriott and Craig Mackail-Smith – those frustrations were never more apparent.

By the closing stages of the first half when Derby County loan man Kelle Roos – Wimbledon's debutant second choice keeper – had beaten away a long range Cameron McGeehan stinger and denied Paul Benson at close quarters it was already a desperate situation.

That's because Ryan Sweeney had headed AFC in front via deflection off a Luton player, with goalie Elliot Justham in no man's land and then, two minutes later, Lyle Taylor headed in courtesy of a generous deflection by Alan Sheehan.

Really, what happened after that was little more than a footnote because of that inauspicious Football League record of Town's.

It was even more elementary once the Dons had ruthlessly bagged another two-minute double straight after half time. Sean Rigg rattled in an arrow before Taylor claimed a brace with a thumping effort from a corner.

"To come out in the second half and concede two quick goals obviously kills the game," said Jones, adding: "Defensively, we were poor, very, very poor."

For their part, Luton improved marginally from there, but even with a rather large cigar on the Wombles went relatively untroubled at the back.

It took a scorcher from Jack Marriott, on the hour, to deny the Londoners a clean sheet and at least afford the Hatters a consolation, while a Stephen O'Donnell cross-cum-shot hit the top of the bar.

McGeehan would have to resort to underhand tactics – well, handball tactics in fact – to make the Dons' net bulge for a second time when he turned Marriott's cross in with his arm and got a caution for his troubles.

Collectively though, and encouraging as his first month has been, there's still plenty of those for Jones to correct.

AFC Wimbledon: Roos, Fuller, Robinson, Sweeney, Meades, Reeves (Rigg, 21), Bulman, Barcham, Elliott (Azeez, 74), Taylor (Akinfenwa, 74), Francomb

Unused subs: Shea, Kennedy, Fitzpatrick, Gallagher

Luton Town: Justham, O'Donnell, Cuthbert, McGeehan, Benson, Marriott, McCourt (Smith, 56), Lee (Pigott, 73), Mackail-Smith (Okuonghae, 45), Howells, Sheehan

Unused subs: Tyler, Potts, Green, Ruddock Mpanzu,

Referee: Carl Sarginson

Attendance: 4,439 (833)

Nathan Jones stopped short of apologising to Luton fans after Saturday's 4-1 shambles at Wimbledon, but has promised to put right the defensive blunders that led to his heaviest defeat as boss.

The Dons twice scored two goals in as many minutes either side of half time to put the game well beyond the Hatters, though Jones confessed he could have picked holes "in probably 100 occasions where we could have defended better."

While Jack Marriott scored a stunning consolation for his ninth of the campaign, for the 883 travelling Town fans in attendance at Kingsmeadow it was a return to the defensive displays that had blighted their side's season – the kind which eventually cost former boss John Still his job just before Christmas.

His successor, Jones, had seemed to stop the rot, guiding Luton to three clean sheets in his first five League Two games before the weekend and he said: "I don't want to apologise to the fans because I think we've given them a positive start, but those fans will be as disappointed as we are.

"All I can do is assure them is that we're as disappointed as they are, if not more so, and we'll be working hard to put that right, I promise you that."

Wimbledon's first double both deflected in off unlucky loan defender Alan Sheehan and came after a 25 minute period where Luton had the lion's share of the ball but had not troubled debutant keeper Kelle Roos, on loan with the south Londoners from Derby County.

Jones said: "I can't really hammer people for how we were in possession, but out of possession I really have to stress, we were just nowhere near good enough.

"We'll have to put that right because we can't defend like that. We haven't defended like that since I've been here, to be fair.

"The clean sheets we've had – three in five games – have been excellent. You don't just become a bad defensive side overnight.

"Things have happened that can't happen again and we'll look to put that right as soon as we can."

The quick-fire nature of their collapse in both halves – the second Dons double was netted in the 47th and 49th minutes – also proved a concern for Jones, who said: "To concede any goal, you're disappointed. To concede two, you're very [disappointed]. To concede four is devastating really.

"I didn't see it coming because we have been defensively sound. We've worked hard, we've had a game plan, we've had a shape and we've played well. [Saturday] was one of those games and I didn't see it coming because we had a good positive week, but we were nowhere near. Defensively, we were nowhere near.

"If you concede four, what are you going to do? How many games are you going to win if you concede four? That's the thing.

"I'm bitterly disappointed. I'm not going to get carried away because that's been out of character for them since I've been in, but that can't continue."