Blackpool vs Luton Town FC (4th Dec 2021)

Blackpool 0-3 Luton Town

Sonny Bradley, Elijah Adebayo and Jordan Clark netted the goals that saw the Hatters win for the first time in five matches at Blackpool this afternoon.

In atrocious conditions at Bloomfield Road, with a swirling wind and driving rain, the Town scored once in the first half and twice after the break to bring the recent run of indifferent form to an end and move back up to 12th in the Championship table.

Manager Jones had shuffled the pack and made five changes from the side that lost 2-1 at home to Cardiff in the previous outing.

One change was enforced, with James Shea coming back in for Simon Sluga, who did not travel north with the squad due to illness. Elsewhere Carlos Mendes Gomes made only his second league start supporting Adebayo in an attacking role.

Allan Campbell and Henri Lansbury were brought back into midfield and Reece Burke came in for Tom Lockyer on the right side of the back three.

Shea was called into action in the sixth minute, saving low at his near post from Owen Dale, before the whole stadium joined in with the rest of English football in a minute's applause for tragic Birmingham City supporter Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, the six-year-old whose murder has shocked the nation this week.

The Hatters soon went on the offensive, Lansbury firing a shot over, Clark seeing one deflected wide and Adebayo heading straight at keeper Chris Maxwell from a whipped in James Bree cross, all by the 11th minute.

Mendes Gomes was getting himself involved, and in the 16th minute he created a chance for Adebayo, who sprang the Blackpool offside trap to latch on to the former Morecambe man's through pass, but sent his low shot into the side-netting from 15 yards.

The post came to Town's rescue after Shea had saved Reece James' left-footed drive in the 22nd minute, Demetri Mitchell's follow-up deflecting off Bradley's heel and off the base of the upright to safety.

Shea was at his best again just before the half-hour, flying across his line to tip a 25-yarder from Ryan Wintle over the bar, with Adebayo producing three big headers clear from the resulting corner to avert the danger.

The former Arsenal and AFC Wimbledon keeper showed his agility again in the 31st minute, leaping to his left to push a header from Dale around his left post, after being impeded on his goal-line by a Blackpool attacker as he looked to come for the initial ball into the box.

The Town had weathered a storm, both literally and in a footballing sense, and then took the lead with half-time approaching.

Clark was fouled 35 yards from goal and Bree arced a free-kick towards the Blackpool goal that kicked up off the greasy surface, forcing Maxwell to push it behind for a corner.

Naismith delivered and captain Bradley rose highest at the far post to head downwards, with the ball bouncing up and going in off the underside of the cross bar.

Jones made a change at the break, bringing Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu on for Lansbury in midfield, but it was the hosts who had the first attempt of the second half, Jerry Yates finding space on the edge of the box but seeing his shot deflected over the bar.

By the 53rd minute the lead was doubled. Clark, who had impressed as the Hatters' stand-out player to that point, twice tried to shoot, only to see them blocked almost before they left his boot.

He retrieved the ball wide on the left, then floated a lovely cross to the far post where Adebayo was loitering to nod home a simple ninth goal of the season.

Blackpool tried to mount a response, but Shea comfortably gathered a Kenny Dougall shot that looped up from a deflection off Burke, then Wintle's attempted curler went well wide.

The superb Shea had to tip another over the bar on 71 minutes, James' shot from the edge of the box deflected off Bree and looking to be heading for the top corner, then Naismith threw himself in front of a fierce half-volley from sub Shayne Lavery as the Town backline stood strong, with the Scot, skipper Bradley, Burke, Bree and Bell all making vital interceptions.

The icing on the cake came a minute into time added on, when sub Admiral Muskwe cut the ball back from the byline for Clark to steer home a deserved second goal in as many games, and send the 1,391 travelling Hatters off home - or into Blackpool - in celebratory mood.

Goals: Bradley 42, Adebayo 53, Clark 90+1

Att: 11,366 (1,391 Hatters)

Nathan Jones delighted with Blackpool win!

Manager Nathan Jones was delighted his side were able to get back to winning ways and in some style too, defeating Blackpool three-nil to end a run of four matches without a victory.

It was an impressive performance in difficult conditions that took the Hatters back into the top half of the Sky Bet Championship and the gaffer admitted, “We were outstanding today.”

"In response to getting back to winning ways, Jones said: “You have to look at the performances because we should have won at Forest. They have ten men, and we have a penalty and it should have been different, then there has been margins in every other game.

“QPR I thought we were outstanding and got nothing from the game and then Stoke and Cardiff were just about margins. We knew we had to be better and today I thought we defended the box superbly well apart from a few shots and scrambles in the first half. I thought we were really comfortable, we defended well and everything we worked on ironically, we had to do today.”

Further on the game, he said: “It is a tough place to come the way they play but I thought we were excellent. We were spot on in terms of our pressing and we limited them to very little. To be fair we also could have scored more. Jordan Clark is clean through and he squared it, he could have had a hat-trick today.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucdeDIUGl-A – Nathan Jones interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3g2_FuIVnBU – match highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl3ejiB-t-A – reverse angle highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDQqpHceRKs – Elijah Adebayo interview

Luton end their winless run in style by putting Blackpool to the sword

Championship: Blackpool 0 Luton Town 3

Luton ended their four game winless run with a real flourish as they eventually swept aside hosts Blackpool this afternoon.

In absolutely dreadful weather conditions, a gale-force wind and driving rain buffeting Bloomfield Road throughout the 90 minutes, the visitors stood firm, their back-line in particular outstanding, to pick up what was a hugely welcome three points thanks to goals from Sonny Bradley, Elijah Adebayo and Jordan Clark.

Ahead of kick-off, Hatters boss Nathan Jones made five changes for the second game running, with Carlos Mendes Gomes in for his first start since September 11.

He was joined by James Shea, Reece Burke, Henri Lansbury and Allan Campbell, with keeper Simon Sluga absent through illness, Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu dropping to the bench, Harry Cornick, Glen Rea and Tom Lockyer missing out completely.

With both sides enduring a tough time on the pitch recently, Luton without a victory since November 3 and the Seasiders on a similar run, October 30 the date of their last triumph, it magnified the need for a result, especially as Town welcome promotion favourites Fulham next week.

A bright opening by the visitors saw Mendes Gomes have an early attempt charged down following good work by Adebayo, Town's top scorer through the middle as expected, with Jordan Clark to his right and Mendes Gomes left.

With the rain lashing down, a mistake at the back by Luton saw Owen Dale unleash a snapshot that was saved by Shea at his near post.

Clark had penalty appeals turned down, as Town produced a decent spell of pressure, Burke getting away on the right, his cross going through to Lansbury to curl a presentable opportunity over.

James Bree's hanging cross was palmed away by Chris Maxwell, the ball finding Clark whose shot was deflected, while a wonderfully disguised pass from Lansbury saw Clark tee up Bree whose whipped cross was met by Adebayo, directing a header straight at the Tangerines keeper.

Adebayo had another effort on 16 minutes, released by Mendes Gomes' weighted through ball, timing his run to beat the offside trap, but then firing into the side-netting.

Blackpool began to dominate possession, getting a grip on proceedings, as they were a whisker away from moving ahead on 22 minutes, Reece James' low shot not dealt with convincingly by Shea, and Demetri Mitchell's follow-up trickling against the outside of the post, Bradley clearing.

The Tangerines went close again as Dale's cross met by Dujon Sterling at the far post, the visitors defence able to crowd Mitchell out, with Shea making a fantastic save to fly to his left and tip over Ryan Wintle's 25-yard drive that appeared destined for the top corner.

The Luton keeper clawed out Dale's close range header as Blackpool used the wind to their advantage when attacking, particularly on the right, Adebayo making three excellent headers to prevent crosses finding their target.

After soaking up the pressure, Town made use of their own set-pieces, with Bree's deep free kick shovelled behind by Maxwell.

From the resulting corner taken by Naismith this time, his ball to the far post was met by centre half partner Bradley, whose downward header went in via the underside of the bar for his second goal of the season and first without the Sky cameras present, three minutes before the break.

Town made a change at the interval, replacing Lansbury with Mpanzu, as despite the wind now being in Town's favour, Blackpool threatened first, Jerry Yates' snapshot over.

However, Luton soon got hold of the ball and kept their hosts penned back, Clark seeing plenty of the ball as he had two efforts blocked as Town started to really assert their authority.

They got their crucial second on 54 minutes as well, Clark the architect, dinking a cross to the far post for Adebayo to send his stooping header into the net for a ninth of the season.

Blackpool replied by bringing on the tricky Josh Bowler and top scorer Shayne Lavery, as they began to look capable of halving the deficit, Wintle curling a decent opening well wide.

Shea continued his fine performance by diverting James' deflected attempt behind, as the visitors had to weather not just the storm that was swirling around the stadium, but a real head of steam from the hosts as well, Naismith throwing his body in the way of Lavery's blast.

Having seen off the challenge from the hosts, Luton then added further gloss to the scoreline in stoppage time, sub Admiral Muskwe going on a superb run on the left to pick out Clark whose clever volley made it 3-0 for second goal in successive games.

With Coventry losing to West Bromwich Albion ahead of kick-off, it saw Town close the gap to the Sky Blues in sixth to five points, ahead of their home clash with the table-topping Cottagers next weekend.

Tangerines: Chris Maxwell, Dujon Sterling, Marvin Ekpiteta, James Husband, Reece James, Ryan Wintle, Kenny Dougall (Sonny Carey 78) Demetri Mitchell (Josh Bowler 60), Keshi Anderson, Owen Dale (Shayne Lavery 64), Jerry Yates.

Subs not used: Dan Grimshaw, Jordan Gabriel, Callum Connolly, Richard Keogh.

Hatters: James Shea, James Bree, Reece Burke, Sonny Bradley, Kal Naismith, Amari'i Bell, Henri Lansbury (Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu 46), Allan Campbell, Jordan Clark, Carlos Mendes Gomes (Admiral Muskwe 77), Elijah Adebayo (Danny Hylton 81).

Subs not used: Harry Isted, Dion Pereira, Fred Onyedinma, Gabe Osho.

Referee: Peter Bankes.

Attendance: 11,366 (Luton 1,391).

Jones hails Town's victory at Bloomfield Road as a 'great day'

Hatters** chief reacts to 3-0 success**

Luton boss Nathan Jones labelled it a ‘great day’ as the Hatters ended their four match winless run with a 3-0 triumph at Blackpool this afternoon.

Goals from Sonny Bradley, Elijah Adebayo and Jordan Clark were enough for Town to claim their first victory in a month, as they climbed to 12th in the table.

In horrendous weather conditions, the visitors also kept an impressive ninth clean sheet of the campaign, as Jones said: “We were outstanding today, but in terms of a blip, you’ve got to look deeper, you’ve got to look at performances.

“Because at Forest, they’re down to 10 men, we should have won, so it could have been different and then there’s margins in every other game.

“QPR I thought we were outstanding and got nothing from the game, and then Stoke and Cardiff, it’s just margins.

“So we knew we had to better with those margins and I thought today we defended the box superbly well, apart from a few shots and a few scrambles first half, I thought we were really comfortable, defended well.

“Everything we’ve worked on ironically, we have to do today in terms of defending from mid-block and being compact, nothing through us, blocking shots, defending your box and we did that.

“It’s been apocalyptic since we’ve been up here.

“Last night the wind, the rain, so we knew it was going to be a tough place to come.

“They’ve beaten Blackburn here, should have beaten QPR here, so it's a tough place to come, the way they play and I thought were excellent.

“Tactically we were spot on in terms of our press, in terms of what we did, we limited them to very, very little, and to be fair we could have scored more.

“Jordan Clark’s clean through, I don’t know why he squares it, and I felt if we had a little bit more composure, we put balls in and they were almost on the money first half, so we could have had more.

“But to come away here and win 3-0, with the conditions, the form that these have been in and the way they are and the euphoria they have and the momentum from coming up, it’s a great day.”

Jones had made five changes to his side from last weekend’s 2-1 defeat to Cardiff, with James Shea, Carlos Mendes Gomes, Reece Burke, Allan Campbell and Henri Lansbury all recalled.

The boss added: “That’s why we have the squad.

“We lost a couple this week in terms of injury, that's why we've talked about Carlos, talked about Admiral Muskwe being big players for us once they get to grips with everything we do.

“I thought they showed that today, Carlos, considering he's had to play in a few positions was excellent, Ade’s come on and really impacted, so brilliant.

“Pelly (Mpanzu) was excellent, even though he’s had a bit of stick, Bree defended superbly well and was a threat, and it's a real good day.

"We know at times we're going to get little punches on the chin, it’s how we deal with them.”