Luton Town FC vs Millwall (2nd Oct 2019)

LUTON TOWN 1 MILLWALL 1

McManaman nets his first goal for the Town to earn a point

Callum McManaman netted his first goal for the club as the Hatters fought back from a goal down to take a point from a live TV game they dominated against Millwall tonight.

In a game controlled almost from start to finish by the Hatters, the Town went behind on the hour mark as Tom Bradshaw reacted first to fire home a rebound for the visitors, who were a place below the Hatters in 18th at kick-off, but level on ten points.

Substitute McManaman beat a resilient Bartosz Bialkowski with just four minutes left and despite trying to score a last-gasp winner, Luton had to settle with a point which saw them remain 17th in the table.

The Hatters enjoyed plenty of early possession and could have opened the scoring on a number of occasions during the first 20 minutes.

A clever corner routine nearly caught the Lions cold as Izzy Brown fired the ball low across the surface to Dan Potts, but his effort was blocked and cleared away.

The left-back was again involved in an attack, this time he provided a tantalising ball across the area that had too much pace on it for Cornick to get hold of and consequently divert towards goal.

From that same attack, Luton regained possession and won another corner. Brown delivered to the near post this time where James Collins was waiting but he was denied by Bialkowski - despite the keeper not knowing much about it - something that would continue for the rest of the evening.

Luton’s bombardment continued in the second half and during a ten-minute flurry, Collins could well have helped himself to a brace.

Brown was the creator of both chances for Town. First, he played a lovely pass down the line from a free-kick, which was blocked behind for a corner as Collins couldn’t quite latch onto it.

From the resulting set piece, Collins was brilliantly denied by Bialkowski with an acrobatic effort that seemed destined to ripple the back of the net.

But completely against the run of play, Millwall snatched the lead on the hour mark through Bradshaw.

After an onslaught of Luton attacks, Jed Wallace unleashed a left-footed shot inside the 18-yard box that Simon Sluga could only parry and Bradshaw reacted quickest to bundle the ball home.

Millwall looked to kill the game with a quick second and Matt Smith almost did exactly that. Wallace whipped a ball across from the right-hand-side but Smith’s diving header went inches wide of the post.

Luton – after a sustained period of pressure from the away side – again took control and forced the issue trying to get back into the game.

Substitute Kazenga LuaLua was lively as soon as he entered the fray and produced a dangerous ball across the box, which Collins got on the end of, but again Bialkowski stood firm to deny him.

The Hatters didn’t give up and eventually got their reward with an equaliser just four minutes from time.

Two of Luton’s substitutes combined to bring the game back level as Luke Bolton cut the ball back to McManaman inside the box and he prodded beyond the goalkeeper.

Luton continued to probe, but Millwall put plenty of bodies behind the ball to ensure they left with a point.

Despite the disappointment of not being able to secure all three points, Town have earned four points in the last two games at Blackburn and here tonight, to head to Derby on Saturday in good spirits.

TOWN: Sluga, Bree, Pearson, Bradley (C), Potts, Tunnicliffe, Butterfield (LuaLua 65), Mpanzu, Brown (Bolton 85), Cornick (McManaman 65), Collins. Subs not used: Berry, Lee, Jones, Shea

Goal: McManaman 86

MILLWALL: Bialkowski, Romeo, Hutchinson (C), Cooper, Wallace, Mahoney (Thompson 45), Leonard, Molumby, Wallace, Smith (O’Brien 81), Bradshaw. Subs not used: McCarthy, Williams, Steele, Pearce, Bodvarsson

Goal: Bradshaw 60

Yellows: Molumby, Wallace

Referee: Darren Bond

Attendance: 10,049 (1,032 away)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BoynQ-gYo0 – Graeme Jones interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pZhDfhZ0AE – Match highlights

GRAEME JONES ON THE MILLWALL DRAW

Hatters boss Graeme Jones feels his side are still developing as they drew 1-1 with Millwall at Kenilworth Road this evening.

Tom Bradshaw gave the visitors the lead just after the hour mark when he converted at the back-stick, but substitute Callum McManaman fired in from close range after good work by Luke Bolton to secure the Hatters a point.

Jones said: “I think possession was 61-39, we had more shots than them first half and second half, so you can only look at the facts of the game. The style of play brought more chances for us than it did for Millwall. I think you see a team in Luton Town long term that’s developing and it’s got many different ways of playing. We won the game at Blackburn with far less possession than we had tonight. We’ve managed to take four points from two really difficult fixtures, we changed the shape a few times and managed to get a positive result.

“Kazenga, Callum and Luke Bolton were ready for their role and as a manager that’s all you ask for, to contribute to the team when needed, and that’s exactly what the boys did.

“I think our performance was good enough for six points [from the last two games]. That’s the truth, it’s the absolute truth, but in this league you get challenges like that – Blackburn were completely different to Millwall, completely different in every aspect, now we’re becoming adaptable and now we’re becoming flexible. So the positive for me is we’ve got another positive result and we move onto Derby.”

McManaman scores late on to rescue a point for Luton

Championship: Luton Town 1 Millwall 1

Substitute Callum McManaman's first goal for the club saw the Hatters rescue a thoroughly deserved point against Millwall this evening.

The winger pounced from close range, turning home fellow replacement Luke Bolton's cross, finally beating visiting keeper Bartosz Bialkowski.

It had looked like the former Ipswich stopper would be the hero for his side, with a string of superb stops to frustrate leading scorer James Collins.

But McManaman's first goals since November 2018 ensured that wasn't the case, the Hatters remaining five points clear of the drop zone..

Town were unsurprisingly unchanged for the clash, staying with the exactly same 11 and bench who won 2-1 at Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.

The visitors looked dangerous from corners early on, while Town's best chance was a set-piece of their own, Izzy Brown disappointingly over from a free kick 20 yards out.

Brown had a better attempt a few minutes later, rolling his free kick across the box for Dan Potts whose left footed blast thudded into a covering defender.

Relaxed in possession, Luton were producing some thoroughly pleasing football in the early stages, Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu driving into the box and Potts crossing, Harry Cornick unable to turn the ball over the line at the far post.

Another clever set-play routine saw Brown's low corner met first time by James Collins, Bialkowski showing swift reflexes to parry.

With 15 to go until the break, Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu had a go after Town won possession back from a throw, but 22 yards from goal he leaned back and skied his attempt.

The visitors brought on Ben Thompson at the break and he had an early chance, sending an ambitious header behind.

Yet another clever free kick saw Brown find Collins whose effort was deflected behind, before Bialkowski made the save of the night, a superhuman effort to fingertip Collins' volley from the resulting corner on to the bar.

Millwall weren't able to mount too many attacks, Jayson Molumby volleying hopefully over from range, but they then had the lead on the hour mark, Sluga making a fine save from Jed Wallace's angled drive, but Tom Bradshaw was lurking at the back post to slide home.

Collins then had a go from distance, his effort not coming down in time, while Millwall should have doubled their lead, Smith somehow heading wide from almost on the goal-line.

Town boss Graeme Jones brought on Kazenga LuaLua and McManaman as Brown curled disappointingly over from the edge of the box.

Bialkowski then kept his side in front, when LuaLua tricked his way to the byline, and his low cross was met by Collins, the keeper making another brilliant stop.

Sluga had to be alert to beat away Thompson's drive from 25 yards, as Town were then level with four minutes left, Bolton doing superbly to reach the byline and McManaman adjusting his feet cleverly to sidefoot home, eventually beating the resistance of Bialkowski.

Molumby's dipping late volley didn't miss by much, but although Luton pressed, they couldn't find a late winner, having to settle for a hard-fought point.

Hatters: Simon Sluga, James Bree, Dan Potts, Sonny Bradley (C), Matty Pearson, Jacob Butterfield (Kazenga LuaLua 65), Ryan Tunnicliffe, Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu, Izzy Brown (Luke Bolton 85), Harry Cornick (Callum McManaman 65), James Collins.

Subs not used: James Shea, Lloyd Jones, Elliot Lee, Luke Berry.

Rovers: Bartosz Bialkowski, Murray Wallace, Shaun Hutchinson ©, Jake Cooper, Jed Wallace, Tom Bradshaw, Matt Smith (Aiden O'Brien 81), Mahlon Romeo, Jayson Molumby, Ryan Leonard, Connor Mahoney (Ben Thompson 46).

Subs not used: Jason McCarthy, Shaun Williams, Luke Steele, Alex Pearce, Jon Dadi Bodvarsson.

Booked: Molumby 74, J Wallace 77.

Referee: Darren Bond.

Attendance: 10,049 (1,032 Millwall).

Luton chief hails his side's 'magnificent' reaction to pick up a point against Millwall

Town boss Graeme Jones hailed his side’s character as they fought back to earn a 1-1 draw against Millwall at Kenilworth Road last night.

After dominating the majority of the first half and looking the team more likely to score in the second, Luton were then hit by a breakaway goal from the Lions on the hour mark, Tom Bradshaw sliding home the rebound after Simon Sluga had saved well from Jed Wallace.

However, Hatters ensured they weren’t beaten on home soil in the league for a third time this term, Callum McManaman netting with four minutes to go as Jones said: “Millwall have got their style, it’s not for me, but Neil’s (Harris) done a fantastic job there.

“Styles are just choices and Neil came with a plan, I thought they played on the counter and when we gave the ball away, they were at their most dangerous with Wallace and (Connor) Mahoney, but we coped really, really well.

“They weren’t a threat first half, at all. They scored, I’ll have to look in detail while they scored, but the reaction from our players was magnificent.

“I was absolutely delighted with the character of the boys.

"I spoke at the weekend about the same mental and physical consistency in their performance for 95 minutes, and I feel like I got that again.

"When you’ve got that, that makes you competitive and it puts you in a position where you’re going to get football results.

“I think possession was 61, 39, we had more shots than them both first half and second half, so you can only look at the facts of the game, the style of play brought more chances for us than it did for Millwall.”

After conceding it took the hosts a few moments to retain their composure, Matt Smith missing a glorious chance to double Millwall's lead, nodding wide from close range.

But once they did, Town came on strong and got the point they fully deserved at the very least, courtesy of McManaman’s first goal for the club.

Jones said: “We got a little bit ragged because we were trying to score immediately and football’s not like that.

"But the intention and the reaction was there, and sometimes you have to keep probing, do it in a level headed way, not tally ho where you’re throwing the kitchen sink at everybody.

"It would just be nice to be 0-0 in a game and be in a position to make some positive substitutions, because that was the plan, rather than reactive ones and how it looks, but overall I’m satisfied.”

The fact that Jones had to bring on his attacking players to find a way back into the game was due to Luton conceding the first goal for the sixth time this season and fourth in five matches at home.

When asked if he had been frustrated to have to come back from trailing again, the Town boss added: "You don’t want that, you want to take the lead, but maybe we’ll take the lead and get beat.

"Everybody wants this ideal world of clean sheets and score first, the end result was a draw.

"Saturday we got back in the game, reacted and won 2-1, so it’s about the character of the players, the reaction.

"Again it's something we’ve worked at, or something we’ve spoken about, something that I’ve instilled in every performance, so I’d rather look at the positives.

“I’ll have to see it back, I can remember Dan Potts over covering a little bit, guy taps it in back post, but I’m here for positive.

"We’ve just taken four points, we’ve just been promoted, 15 months ago in League Two, we’ve just taken four points against Blackburn and Millwall, I think that’s enough said."

Jones praises the attitude of Town's substitutes during Lions draw

Luton boss Graeme Jones praised his three substitutes for the part they played during tonight’s 1-1 draw with Millwall.

After Tom Bradshaw opened the scoring on the hour mark, Jones brought on Callum McManaman and Kazenga LuaLua in a bid to pep up Town’s effort to find an equaliser, the duo causing plenty of problems.

The Town chief then also added Luke Bolton to the mix for the final five minutes, with the Manchester City youngster tricking his way to the byline and crossing for McManaman to find the net with his first goal for the club.

Jones said: “The managers can make substitutions but if the players aren’t ready and their attitude isn’t right and you haven’t managed them well and explained reasons why you’re doing things, you’re not going to get that kind of performance.

“Kazenga, Callum and Luke Bolton were ready for their work and as a manager that’s all you ask for, contribute to the team when needed and that’s exactly what the boys did.

“People see a full back coming on the pitch sometimes and they don’t think its a positive substitute, it was, because we defended with one less body at the back.

“It needs to be the attitude of the players needs to be correct as you can make all the subs in the world, you can make 10 subs and it won’t affect it.

“So their attitude and their understanding of their role, I see Luke speak to every single player as he comes on the pitch and lets them know what we’re doing, so we’re on the same page and we’re now adding things to our armoury as the season goes on.”