Luton Town FC vs Crawley Town (11th Feb 2017)

PUBLISHED 18:28 11th February 2017 Hylton double helps Town come from behind to win

LUTON TOWN 2 (Hylton 70, 76) CRAWLEY TOWN 1 (Collins 60)

Att: 7,316 (225 away)

Danny Hylton added two more goals to make it the most prolific campaign of his career as the Hatters ground out an important three points this afternoon by once again fighting back from a goal down to beat Crawley 2-1.

Hylton’s first goal took him level with his previous best tally of 16 for Oxford two seasons ago, and his second made it 17 for the season and completely wiped out the lead Crawley had taken on the hour through their own 17-goal top scorer James Collins.

With Carlisle losing 4-1 at home to Blackpool, it means the victory – earned on an at times frustrating and ugly afternoon – takes the Town to within three points of the Cumbrians, who currently occupy the third automatic promotion spot.

And there was more good news soon after the final whistle when physio Simon Parsell received a call from Luton & Dunstable Hospital to say that midfielder Jordan Cook, who had been carried off on a stretcher after an eight-minute hold-up in the first half, was being released with just soft tissue damage to his neck after being struck in a challenge with Crawley’s Conor Henderson.

Jones made just one enforced change from Tuesday night’s Checkatrade Trophy quarter-final win over Yeovil, with Scott Cuthbert returning to the heart of defence alongside Alan Sheehan as Johnny Mullins sat out the last of his four-game league suspension.

Matt Macey retained his place in goal after making his debut on loan from Arsenal against the Glovers, while Stephen O’Donnell also kept his shirt at right-back after impressing in the 5-2 win over.

The first chance of sorts fell Crawley’s way in the fifth minute when O’Donnell attempted to clear James Collins’ low cross, but the ball smashed into Glen Rea and ricocheted safely into Macey’s grateful arms.

The Town’s first opening came in the seventh minute, when Rea found O’Donnell on the right and the Scot’s early cross was volleyed goalward by Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu, only for Red Devils keeper Glenn Morris to push it away by the foot of the post.

Crawley captain Jimmy Smith volleyed wide of the Hatters’ near post after receiving a quick throw from Lewis Young on the right, but O’Donnell was soon creating another good chance for the Hatters, only Danny Hylton couldn’t quite control his clipped cross when unmarked eight yards out.

Crawley’s Smith sent another shot inches past Macey’s left-hand post on 22 minutes as the visitors took the game to the Town, but Isaac Vassell – as you’d expect from a man who had scored five in his last four games – was always looking to get in behind.

He had one shot blocked, allowing Morris to collect comfortably, before Hylton’s extravagant dummy on Sheehan’s pass put him through on 28 minutes, only for the Crawley keeper to race out and narrow the angle as the ex-Truro striker looked to get his effort away.

A surging 33rd-minute run by Mpanzu – one of several in the opening half – down the left produced an excellent link-up with Cook and Senior, who whipped in a great ball looking for Vassell, but the Cornishman couldn’t climb high enough to meet it and get a header on goal.

A minute later came a worrying looking injury for Cook after being caught by Crawley midfielder Conor Henderson. The ex-Walsall man was stretchered off with his neck in a brace after an eight-minute hold-up and striker Ollie Palmer came on for his home debut.

With the fourth official having signalled eight minutes of time to be added on, three minutes into it Crawley went as close as either team to opening the scoring when Jimmy Smith met a deep cross from Jordan Roberts on the left with a firm header, but it slipped safely just wide of the far post.

The Hatters started the second half on the front foot and when Hylton and Josh Lelan challenged for a ball to the right of the Crawley area, referee Chris Sarginson gave the Town a free-kick and showed the visiting defender a yellow card. Sheehan whipped in a terrific inswinger, but Crawley managed to survive.

Jonathan Smith then crossed for Vassell to nod down into Hylton’s path, but the top scorer’s shot from outside the penalty area was blocked almost at source, then Vassell saw an effort cleared off the line after

Crawley took the lead on the hour when Collins lashed in from the edge of the Town box, past two retreating defenders, after Macey had raced off his line to make a good save from Jimmy Smith in the initial attack.

The Town went in search of an equaliser and Jonathan Smith saw a header loop over the angle of post and bar, then – seconds after Luke Gambin had come on for Vassell – Palmer crashed a 68th-minute textbook volley from 20 yards that Morris flew across his line to push away.

By the 70th minute the Hatters were on terms, and it was Hylton who got the final touch after an almighty scramble virtually on the line as Crawley keeper Morris struggled to deal with another fine free-kick from Sheehan on the right.

Three minutes later Morris was scrambling across his goal-line again to keep out a deflected shot from Rea, but by the 76th minute the Town had their noses in front, Mpanzu doing brilliantly to get to the left byline and stand up a great cross for the unmarked Hylton to volley home.

Macey pulled off a spectacular save to keep out a 25-yard drive from Roberts in the 79th minute, then sub Rhys Murphy sent one just wide as the men from Sussex sought a way back.

But the Hatters were comfortable, safely negotiating the final ten minutes with only a low shot from another Crawley sub, Josh Payne, that went safely past Macey’s right post – and three important points were in the bag.

TOWN: Macey, O’Donnell, Cuthbert ©, Sheehan, Senior, Rea, Smith, Mpanzu, Cook (Palmer 42), Hylton (Marriott 90+6), Vassell (Gambin 67). Subs: Gray, D’Ath, Justin, Moore.

Yellows: Palmer, Rea

CRAWLEY: Morris, Connolly, Boldewijn (Bawling 84), Jimmy Smith, Roberts, Collins, Young, Djalo (Murphy 79), Lelan, Cox, Henderson (Payne 84). Subs: Mersin (GK), Blackman, Clifford.

Yellows: Lelan

http://www.lutontown.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/luton-town-football-league-two-crawley-town-3567975.aspx

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZbeueuR0KI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdz_Z0y0Oik

PUBLISHED 18:05 11th February 2017 The** win puts the Hatters fourth in Sky Bet League Two**

Town boss Nathan Jones praised his side for coming out on top in what he labelled an “ugly” 2-1 win over Crawley Town at Kenilworth Road.

The visitors took the lead after half-time when James Collins fired home from the edge of the Hatters box.

But a brace from Danny Hylton put the Town ahead and pushed his team up into fourth place in Sky Bet League Two, with Exeter and Wycombe both losing.

Speaking LutonTown.co.uk, Jones said: “Look, we were well below where we need to be, well below where we were on Tuesday night. But we came in at half-time and we’ve seen a couple of scores, I’ve just said ‘Look, we have got to win the game’.

“If we have to win ugly, we win ugly. And we did. I didn’t envisage us going behind before we had to do it. We pressed and pressed for the equaliser and then once we’d got the equaliser, it was looking like there was going to be only one winner until the last four or five minutes when they threw everything. It’s a great win for us, it’s an important win for us today and I am pleased with that.”

Hatters midfielder Jordan Cook was taken off on a stretcher in the first half, but the gaffer was pleased to report that his removal from the match was just precautionary. He had a bang to the neck and it’s a shame really as he has been in great form lately,” Jones continued. “It must have been [bad] because he stayed down, he’s a tough kid. So we hope he is fine, but he’s been taken away just for precautionary x-rays.”

Thankfully this was backed up soon after the final whistle when physio Simon Parsell received a call from Luton & Dunstable Hospital to say that the midfielder was being released with just soft tissue damage, but no lasting injury.

League Two: Luton Town 2 Crawley Town 1

Two goals in six minutes from leading scorer Danny Hylton saw Luton come from a goal behind to claim an absolutely crucial victory over Crawley this afternoon and potentially ignite their faltering promotion charge.

It had looked like another afternoon of frustration for the Kenilworth Road faithful once James Collins fired the visitors ahead on the hour mark, with Hatters' appearing destined to drop further points on home soil.

However, once Hylton bundled the ball over the line from Alan Sheehan's free kick 10 minutes later, he then had his second and 17th of the season, volleying Pelly-Ruddock's cross into the bottom corner to seal victory.

The importance of the win was highlighted even more with a quick look at the other scores in the division, third placed Carlisle hammered 4-1 at home by Blackpool, with Exeter beaten by Plymouth too, as Nathan Jones' side closed the gap on the Cumbrians to just three points.

Jones had opted to make just one change from the side who hammered Yeovil Town in the Checkatrade Trophy, as captain Scott Cuthbert replaced the still suspended Johnny Mullins.

That meant Arsenal loanee Matt Macey retained his place in between the posts for his league debut for the club, with Stuart Moore on the bench, while Stephen O'Donnell got the nod over James Justin too.

Hatters were denied an opener on seven minutes after a truly wonderful save from visiting stopper Glenn Morris, who somehow got down to repel Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu's instinctive volley from O'Donnell's pinpoint cross, Jordan Cook putting the rebound into the side-netting.

Crawley looked to attack as well, a refreshing change from sides who normally rock up at Town and stick men behind the ball, Jimmy Smith just failing to turn a dangerous cross beyond Macey and then firing wide from a quick throw-in.

Hatters had another opportunity when O'Donnell's cross was miscontrolled by Hylton in the clear, and Vassell, searching to make it five games in a row on the scoresheet, didn't gamble as he could have been left with a tap-in.

The visitors enjoyed a decent spell of possession, Jordan Roberts' searching cross clipping the top of the bar and then dangerman Smith not too far away with a snapshot on 22 minutes.

Vassell was close to continuing his prolific vein of form on 27 minutes, after Hylton's sublime dummy from Sheehan's through ball, but his first touch took him wide allowing Morris to narrow the angle.

A lengthy stoppage then ensued on 34 minutes, when Cook was felled by an aerial challenge from Conor Henderson and after some extensive treatment, was stretchered off in a neck brace.

That saw Ollie Palmer on for his home debut upfront, with Hylton dropping back to the tip of the diamond, although during the eight minutes of stoppage time, Crawley weren't too far away from an opener, Jimmy Smith nodding just past the far post.

In the second period, and with results starting to fall for Town, they made matters harder for themselves, falling behind on the hour mark as Dean Cox's chip outfoxed Sheehan to release Smith.

Macey came out to save well at his feet, but the Red Devils' attacker showed good composure to tee up Collins who lashed home.

Vassell was then taken off for Luke Gambin, which allowed Hylton to return to his favoured striking berth alongside Palmer, the latter almost equalising in spectacular fashion, arching a thunderous volley that was palmed away by Morris.

However, Town, who were much more direct than they have been at any stage this term with Palmer upfront, were level on 70 minutes with a strike that will never win goal of the month, Sheehan's free kick punched into the air by Morris, Hylton stabbing home from close range.

Now on level terms, Luton wasted no time completing the turnaround, as the excellent Mpanzu set off on a mazy run to the byline and dinked over a wonderful cross for Hylton to volley in his 17th of an increasingly impressive season just six minutes later.

To their credit, Crawley came back once more in the final stages, almost nicking a point through Roberts' drive from distance, tipped behind by Macey, and sub Rhys Murphy, who dragged off target after Town gave the ball away cheaply.

The hosts clung on though to climb to fourth in the table and could even be as high as third when struggling Hartlepool visit Kenilworth Road on Tuesday night, if results elsewhere are as favourable once more.

Hatters: Matt Macey, Stephen O'Donnell, Jack Senior, Scott Cuthbert, Alan Sheehan, Glen Rea, Jonathan Smith, Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu, Jordan Cook (Ollie Palmer 42), Isaac Vassell (Luke Gambin 67), Danny Hylton (Jack Marriott 90).

Subs not used: Craig King, Jake Gray, Lawson D'Ath, James Justin.

Crawley: Glenn Morris, Mark Connolly, Enzio Boldewijn (Bobson Bawling 83), Jimmy Smith (C), Jordan Roberts, James Collins, Lewis Young, Kaby Djalo (Rhys Murphy 79), Josh Lelan, Dean Cox, Conor Henderson (Josh Payne 84).

Subs not used: Yusuf Mersin, Andre Blackman, Billy Clifford.

Booked: Lelan 47, Palmer 90, Rea 90.

Attendance: 7,316 (Crawley 225).

Referee: Christopher Sarginson.

Hatters MOM: Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu. Fine all-round showing and marvellous assist for the winner.

Jones delighted by Town's 'beautiful' win over Crawley

A thrilled Luton Town boss Nathan Jones hailed his side’s victory over Crawley Town yesterday as a ‘beautiful win’.

The Hatters came from a goal behind to end a run of three straight defeats against the Red Devils on home soil, thanks to Danny Hylton’s six minute double strike.

Speaking afterwards, Jones said: “I didn’t think we were really fluent. We were on top and it only looked like there was going to be one side winning the game, but they scored from a counter attack which has been a bit of an Achilles heel.

“I can’t do any more work on it, can’t tell them about it, can’t actually warn them at half time. We have to react, have to defend that better, and we didn’t.

“So we gave ourselves a little bit of a hill to climb, not a mountain, but a hill, then once we got the first we pushed for the second and it’s a beautiful win, it really is a beautiful win.

“Because it shows that we can dig in as well. They say that the good sides when they play badly can still win, well we did both.”

Although Jones didn’t think the match was ever going to be one to release a highlights package on DVD of, with the likes of Carlisle and Exeter losing, he knew the importance of victory, as it pushed the Hatters up to fourth once more.

The Town chief added: “We were far from where we are normally, and far from where we were Tuesday (against Yeovil), but, look, a win's a win and we needed that.

“We played Crawley not far off this time last year and it was as dominant a performance as I’ve ever seen, and we lost the game 1-0 .

"Today, we were nowhere near dominant, but we stuck at it. We went in at half time and said this will be a big, big win, because I saw how the results were going at half time, so I knew it would be a big win and it was.

"We should have been ahead first half, which would have settled us down, but when we don't take that. You kind of think, 'have we got the minerals really to want to get promoted? To want to do something special?'

"That's what I questioned at half time, how much do they want it? Because we weren't fluent and didn’t play particularly well, but we still had a little bit of a cutting edge about us and we still should have gone in up.

“Then after we go a goal down, we came back and they showed a lot of character. We have different threats and we've won the game and to be fair, that's all I'm concerned about.

"That’s probably one of the only games I won’t be watching back, because it was ugly and we were nowhere near it, but it’s been a big week for us in terms of exertion, in terms of what we’ve had to do and I’m very, very happy with the win.”

Scrappy equaliser a 'good sign' for the Hatters

Luton boss Nathan Jones lauded his side’s ability to mix it up and finally score a scrappy goal during their 2-1 victory over Crawley Town yesterday afternoon.

After Jordan Cook was injured on 34 minutes, Jones brought on target man Ollie Palmer, with Hatters taking a more direct approach to find their on-loan striker whenever possible.

It played a huge part in the first goal, when Alan Sheehan’s free kick caused havoc inside the area and Danny Hylton stabbed in from close range.

Although there had been a little confusion as to whether Town’s top scorer or Palmer had got the final touch, Jones said: “It’s Hylts’ goal. Danny said it was his and I would have loved Ollie to have scored and got his first goal, but if he wasn’t going to score, then I’m delighted for Danny, as he was nowhere near his performance levels today, but he dug deep, kept in it, and was a constant menace.

“We have a different threat now, a little bit more height, little bit more presence about us.

“Because sides have been doing that early on in the season and getting results.

“There’s been some sides who have been relying heavily on set plays and so on, and we didn’t score any, we had to score a good goal.

“Now we can score scrappy ones and that’s a good sign for us, because we still try and score very good goals and beautiful goals, but if we need to mix it then we’ve proved we can.”

Hylton’s second after a fine piece of skill and cross from Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu drew plenty of praise from Jones too, especially as it was something they had been practicing during training.

He continued: “The second goal was a lovely finish from a great bit of play from Pelly.

“It’s the area for me that he’s in. It’s pleasing for me as he doesn’t score enough from crosses Danny and that’s been the thing, we’ve needed to work on getting him into certain areas where the ball’s going to land.

“It did for him for the second goal and we’re absolutely delighted because they defended stoutly.

“They’re not a bad side, they started fantastically well and after they’ve gone 1-0 up you start to think is it going to be one of those days again, but we showed bags and bags of character so I’m pleased with that.”

To make matters even better for Jones, he saw his side leapfrog Exeter into fourth place, and with Carlisle losing, cut the gap to third to just three points ahead of a home game with Hartlepool on Tuesday night.

Jones added: “We can’t do anything about anyone else and everyone’s going to be playing each other, sooner or later.

“It’s those games that you have to keep picking up points in and we have to keep picking up points all the time.

“Because it’s so tight, people are on good form, good runs and we’ve just been consistently inconsistent all year as we haven’t put a run of five, six, seven wins together yet.

“Others have done that and that’s pushed them into where they are. Whereas we’re consistently picking up wins, two or three on the trot and then we lose the game, so if we can eradicate that then we can really, really have a good push.”

'SUPER Danny Hylton' rang deservedly around Kenilworth Road at the final whistle as Luton's main man was the last Hatter to leave the pitch, drinking in the fruits of his six-minute, two-goal rescue act.

By the 60th minute, when James Collins claimed Crawley's opener, Town were staring down the barrel of an demoralising defeat against the Sussex side with the worst away record in League Two this term.

That reality looked likely until Hylton poked in after some penalty box pinball ten minutes later to end a seven-game league barren spell for the club – his longest in an orange shirt – having got back to scoring ways in Tuesday's 5-2 EFL Trophy triumph over Yeovil.

But with third-placed Carlisle getting gubbed 4-1 by Blackpool, even a point would have provided little solace for automatic promotion-hopefuls Luton, who threatened to add this to their collection of missed opportunities to make ground on the top three.

Hylton was culpable for the last of those, seven days earlier at Grimsby, but he atoned with a decisive volley that brought his season's tally to 17. The finish was what you'd expect, but the chance was carved out expertly by Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu who put in an another man-of-the-match display.

His was a moment of quality in an otherwise ugly win, but Town will take that all the way until the end of term if it gets them the big prize of a passage through to League One.

"We were far from where we are normally," said manager Nathan Jones, adding: "A win's a win and we needed that. We played Crawley not far off this time last year and it was as dominant a performance as I have ever seen and we lost the game 1-0. Today, we were nowhere near dominant but we stuck at it.

"We went in at half time and I spoke to them and said, 'this will be a big win,' because I saw how results [elsewhere] were going at half time. I knew it would be a big win and it was."

It should have been so much more comfortable for the hosts though. They weren't fluent but they had chances to take the lead.

Mpanzu – restored to a more attacking midfield role – thought he'd opened the scoring but saw his acrobatic volley kept out superbly by Crawley keeper Glenn Morris, who also got the better of Isaac Vassell. Yet the Reds, who had won 1-0 on their last two visits to this parish, played some tidy forward-thinking stuff and Jordan

That saw Hylton move back into an unfamiliar attacking midfield role and it stunted much of Luton's attacking play until Luke Gambin was introduced and the top scorer returned to the sharp end. Three minutes later he restored parity after Collins had put Crawley ahead, smashing in the rebound after Arsenal loan stopper Matt Macey – making his league bow for Luton – blocked Smith's path to goal but could do little about the rebound.

From looking like Luton would never score and then drawing level, Mpanzu grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck, darting to the byline and dinking to the unmarked Hylton at the back stick for his brace.

Luton gritted their teeth to take the points and, in slicing a six-point gap in half, finally took a golden opportunity to push on a break into the top three.

Luton: Macey, O'Donnell, Smith, Cuthbert, Hylton (Marriott, 95), Cook (Palmer, 42), Rea, Mpanzu, Vassell (Gambin, 67), Senior, Sheehan Unused subs: Moore, Gray, D'Ath, Justin

Crawley: Morris, Connolly, Boldewijn (Bawling, 84), Smith, Roberts, Collins, Young, Djalo (Murphy, 79), Lelan, Cox, Henderson (Payne, 84) Unused subs: Mersin, Blackman, Clifford

Referee: Christopher Sarginson

Attendance: 7,316 (225)

Jones hails 'beautiful win' but won't replay 'ugly' game

LUTON boss Nathan Jones admitted he's in no rush to review the DVD of his side's 'ugly' 2-1 comeback win against Crawley but still hailed it as a 'beautiful win' after it moved them to within three points of the League Two automatic promotion places.

Danny Hylton scored a six-minute brace to end a wretched run of three straight Kenilworth Road defeats to the Red Devils and record only their third victory in the division this term after conceding the opening goal.

Jones, who would usually study the DVD of the match to help him prepare for tomorrow night's visit of Hartlepool, said: "That's probably one of the only games I won't be watching back, because it was ugly and we were nowhere near it, but it's been a big week for us in terms of exertion, in terms of what we've had to do and I'm very, very happy with the win."

His delight was also because third and fourth-placed Carlisle and Exeter both lost, so the Hatters leapfrogged the Grecians and moved back to the top of the chasing pack.

The Town chief said: "We gave ourselves a little bit of a hill to climb, not a mountain, but a hill, then once we got the first we pushed for the second and it's a beautiful win, it really is a beautiful win, because it shows that we can dig in as well. They say that the good sides, when they play badly, can still win, well we did both."

Jones knew at half time, with the score still 0-0, that those results elsewhere were going his side's way, so they had an opportunity to cut what was a six-point gap.

He said: "We went in at half time and said, 'this will be a big, big win', because I saw how the results were going at half time, so I knew it would be a big win and it was.

"We should have been ahead in the first half, which would have settled us down, but when we don't take that you kind of think, 'have we got the minerals really to want to get promoted? To want to do something special?'

"That's what I questioned at half time; how much do they want it? Because we weren't fluent and didn't play particularly well, but we still had a little bit of a cutting edge about us and we still should have gone in [at half time a goal] up.

"Then after we go a goal down, we came back and they showed a lot of character. We have different threats and we've won the game and to be fair, that's all I'm concerned about."