Luton Town FC vs Blackburn Rovers (29th Jan 2022)

Report | Luton Town 0-0 Blackburn Rovers

The Hatters picked up another valuable point against a promotion-chasing side at Kenilworth Road this afternoon with a goalless draw against second-placed Blackburn.

Goalkeeper James Shea had a relatively untroubled afternoon as veteran striker Cameron Jerome came closest to giving the Town all three points, his first-half effort coming back off a post as Town moved up to tenth in the table.

Manager Nathan Jones made four changes to the starting XI that beat Bristol City 2-1 on Tuesday night.

Kal Naismith was making his 50th appearance for the Hatters in defence, captaining the side at Kenilworth Road as the gaffer stuck with the same back-line he trusted in midweek.

Allan Campbell and Henri Lansbury both came into midfield, supporting Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu, while Fred Onyedinma made his first start since the 0-0 draw against Nottingham Forest in November, alongside Cameron Jerome up-front.

Elijah Adebayo was ruled out through injury, but there was a return to the matchday squad for Harry Cornick for the first time since the defeat against Cardiff City in November.

The Hatters started on the front foot, Allan Campbell as lively as he has been in recent weeks, driving into the box but seeing his shot blocked, before Jerome had a header cleared off the line from a Kal Naismith corner.

Blackburn's first effort came from an angled Sam Gallacher shot, but James Shea saved comfortably and the game entered a stop-start phase, with Lansbury piling into a thunderous, but perfectly fair challenge on Tayo Edun, with the Rovers left-back eventually having to be substituted.

Onyedinma was looking a real threat, and having drawn a free-kick and yellow card for Jan Paul van Hecke by running at the visitors' defence through the centre of the pitch, Bree, Lansbury and Jerome combined to create a wonderful opening for Naismith, but the captain's volley went just wide shortly before the half-hour mark.

Blackburn midfielder Bradley Johnson headed wide at the other end, but Jerome went closer than anyone to opening the scoring in the opening 45 when Onyedinma tricked his way into the right-side of the box and crossed low for his strike partner to sidefoot across Thomas Kaminski.

The ball seemed destined for the bottom corner of the Rovers net, but it bounced back off the foot of the post and into the Belgian goalkeeper's grateful arms.

Goalless at the break, Lockyer was next into referee James Linington's notepad for an off the ball block on Gallacher, who was taken off after receiving treatment.

Chances were few and far between in the opening stages of the second half, with Johnson threatening in the 66th minute from distance, Naismith throwing himself in front of the midfielder's 25-yard shot to deflect it narrowly wide of Shea's right post.

With 20 minutes to go, Jones changed his front two, bringing on Admiral Muskwe and Cornick for Onyedinma and Jerome, who had both run themselves into the ground.

Rovers boss Tony Mowbray threw Spanish centre-half Daniel Ayala on as a striker, signalling his intent to go long in the closing stages, while Jones replaced Campbell with Luke Berry, hoping the midfielder could repeat his two-goal game-changing cameo at Ewood Park in September.

There was no way through a well organised Blackburn backline, however, as both sides had to settle for a share of the spoils.

Att: 9,987 (1,032)

Nathan Jones on goalless draw with Blackburn

Manager Nathan Jones reflected on another positive point and a good month overall as the Hatters held high-flying Blackburn Rovers at home this afternoon.

It was a game in which few chances presented themselves to either side, but the gaffer felt his side were the better of the two teams and certainly had their chances in the first period.

“I thought we should have won the game because we had two glorious chances first half, nothing really in the game. Conditions really played a part with how windy it was.

"We tried to freshen things up so you are always going to miss that spark, but we had the two best chances of the game, possibly three because Gabe Osho would have had a point-blank header if Lockyer hadn’t taken it off his head.

“We tried to win it late on, but I’m really pleased with a ten-point month and the FA Cup win. I would have taken that all day long especially given the teams we played – Bournemouth, Blackburn, Sheffield United, Bristol City, it has been a tough month in terms of the games and coming off the back of a covid outbreak.

“We’ve had a great month and we’ve gone toe-to-toe with them today and I felt we were probably slightly better.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ilDRjXM-r8 – Nathan Jones interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQByt2Grf38 – match highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZlY_99UGFY – Amari’I Bell interview

Defences stand firm as Luton hold promotion-chasing Blackburn to a goalless draw

Championship: Luton Town 0 Blackburn Rovers 0

Luton showed once more they have absolutely no worries in going up against one of the automatic promotion chasers in the Championship with a goalless draw against Blackburn Rovers this afternoon.

Although the scoreline was on the cards from very early in the second half, it was still an absorbing contest, with plenty to be taken from the gusto in which both side's back-lines stuck to their task and were determined not to be breached.

Luton had the two best chances as well in the first period, and had either of them gone in, the game will have no doubt opened up, but as it was, a point was all either team garnered.

The Hatters made four changes from their 2-1 victory over Bristol City on Tuesday night, the main absentee top scorer Elijah Adebayo, who hadn't recovered from his sore hamstring.

He missed out completely along with Glen Rea, with Luke Berry and Admiral Muskwe where they were joined for the first time since November 27 by Harry Cornick, Harry Isted replacing Simon Sluga too.

In came Fred Onyedinma to partner Cameron Jerome upfront, with Henri Lansbury and Allan Campbell included too.

The hosts made a bright start to the contest, with both the front two combining well, winning a corner that saw Kal Naismith's cross headed goalwards by Jerome, Thomas Kaminski collecting at the second attempt with Onyedinma lurking.

Naismith then looked to have underhit a free kick into the box, but it was surely rehearsed, Lansbury there to glance his header into the gloves of Kaminski.

Rovers' only chance from the opening 15 minutes came courtesy of a mistake by the hosts, Lansbury caught in possession and Sam Gallagher advancing on the left, drilling straight at James Shea.

Luton fashioned a wonderful chance just after the midway point of the first half, a cleverly-worked free kick seeing Lansbury loft a pass into the area for Jerome to touch back to an unmarked Naismith who looked destined to score, only to scuff wide on his right foot.

A miscommunication at the back between Lansbury and Shea led to James Bree booked for bringing his man down, the resulting set-piece headed back across goal and then wide by Bradley Johnson.

Luton and Jerome were denied a deserved opener on 40 minutes though when Onyedinma did excellently to find some space in the area and pull his cross back for the experienced forward.

His sidefooted attempt beat Kaminski but not the post, rebounding into the arms of the grateful stopper.

After the break, Tom Lockyer saw yellow for an off the ball block on Gallagher who had to be replaced, Joe Rankin-Costellos's free kick flipped over the bar by Shea.

The goalkeeper was almost beaten midway through the half when Johnson took aim from 25 yards, his drive cannoning off a diving Naismith and falling narrowly wide.

A short corner saw Deyovaisio Zeefuk also try his luck, Naismith sticking out a leg to divert it behind once more, the set-piece well cleared.

With 20 to go, Jones shuffled his front pairing, Cornick and Muskwe on for Onyednima and Jerome.

However, the new forward-line couldn't do much to engineer a match-winning chance for the Hatters, although Town did ramp up the pressure late on winning a number of corners and free kicks.

From one, the impressive Gabe Osho looked certain to meet it, only for a stretching Lockyer to rise first and deflect it away from the target, as a game that had simmered nicely throughout, boiled over in stoppage time, Kaminski and Cornick seeing yellow for a bout of handbags in the area.

The result saw Luton remain in 10th place and also stay six points adrift of the play-off berths, but now with just one game in hand on Middlesbrough, who leapfrogged Huddersfield aboved the dotted line.

Hatters: James Shea, James Bree, Gabe Osho, Tom Lockyer, Kal Naismith ©, Amari'i Bell, Allan Campbell (Luke Berry 83), Henri Lansbury, Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu, Fred Onyedinma (Harry Cornick 70), Cameron Jerome (Admiral Muskwe 70).

Subs not used: Harry Isted, Carlos Mendes Gomes, Dan Potts, Reece Burke,

Rovers: Thomas Kaminski, Ryan Nambe, Bradley Johnson, Sam Gallagher (Daniel Butterworth 50), Scott Wharton, Tayo Edun (Joe Rankin-Costello 22), John Buckley (Daniel Ayala 75), Jan Paul van Hecke, Darragh Lenihan ©, Lewis Travis, Deyovaisio Zeefuik.

Subs not used: Jacob Davenport, Aynsley Pears, Harry Chapman, Jake Garrett.

Booked: van Hecke 28, Bree 29, Lockyer 46, Cornick 90, Kaminski 90.

Referee: James Linington.

Attendance: 9,987 (1,032 Rovers).

Town chief thought his Hatters side had the two best chances in goalless draw against Rovers

Jerome and Naismith go closest for Luton at Kenilworth Road

Hatters boss Nathan Jones felt that his side had the two best chances of the game during their goalless draw with Blackburn Rovers at Kenilworth Road on Saturday.

The Town chief was right too, as a game full of commendable effort and commitment from both sides, with defences on top for the majority, had precious little in the way of clear-cut opportunities.

The most presentable ones were created by Luton though, both coming in the first half, as a wonderful free kick routine saw Henri Lansbury dink a ball into the box for Cameron Jerome to feed Kal Naismith, who on his right foot, scuffed disappointingly wide with keeper Thomas Kaminski beaten.

Five minutes before the break and Jerome himself should have found the back of the net, as picked out by Fred Onyedinma’s cut back, he rolled his shot against the post and into the arms of a grateful Kaminski.

With a second period full of endeavour, but only one shot on goal, that when Rovers sub Joe Rankin-Costello forced James Shea into a routine stop from a free kick, Jones said: “With the way that the league is and the brutality of the game schedule and what you have to do, with the travelling, sometimes it’s hard to be pure and full of energy and spark.

"These are a tough side to play against, second in the league, but I felt we were at least good value for the point.

"We’ve had the two best chances of the game, Kal Naismith should score, Cameron Jerome should score, and then we’ve had some set-plays there with just a bit of communication we have had some free headers from point blank range.

"So I felt we were probably slightly the better side today, but it was a real tight game and playing against Blackburn, who have dominated and overrun sides, I’m relatively pleased.

"Plus it’s been a 10 point month and the FA Cup win, so it’s been a real good month for us.

“Kal should score, it’s a great free kick, great routine, we should score, and then Cameron Jerome should score.

"Seven, eight yards out, free shot, he's really got to get a better connection and late on we created enough to have won the game.

"We haven’t played fluently in any way, but we defended well, our keeper’s had very little to do, we defended (Sam) Gallagher really first half and then they’ve got that big a side and we were missing some big players today, Elijah (Adebayo), Sonny Bradley.

"So to compete with those, we’ve had to really defend well and once again we’ve defended our box fantastically well this week.

"I’m really pleased as it’s been a tough month and a relentless month, so to put in the level of performance and to get the points return, plus the FA Cup win, shows we’re in a good place.”