Luton Town FC vs Nottingham Forest (15th Apr 2022)

Match Report | Luton Town 1-0 Nottingham Forest

Ten-man Luton Town picked up a vital three points with a 1-0 win against play-off rivals Nottingham Forest on Good Friday.

A first-half penalty from Kal Naismith was enough for the Hatters to record the win, but had to do it with only ten men after Sonny Bradley’s sending off in the second half.

The result sees Town leapfrog Forest into fourth place in the Sky Bet Championship table.

Nathan Jones made two changes from Monday’s defeat away to Huddersfield Town. Reece Burke returned to the starting line-up, after injury against Preston North End. Elsewhere, Robert Snodgrass made his first start for the Hatters, replacing Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu who missed out through injury.

The game’s first chance would fall to the Hatters. Fred Onyedinma latched onto Bradley’s precise long ball, but Brice Samba made a good save to deny the shot.

Forest registered their first chance of the game just after the ten minute mark. Keinan Davis did well to power forward and slip in Lewis Grabban, who forced a smart save from James Shea.

Not long after the half hour mark, Town took the lead. James Bree broke into the area and saw the ball handled by Jack Colback, with the referee pointing to the spot. Naismith stepped up and sent Samba the wrong way from 12 yards.

Early on in the second half, the away side did have the ball in the back of the Luton net, but Djed Spence’s effort was ruled out after the 21-year-old was flagged offside.

Luton would make their first substitution of the game just after the hour mark. Danny Hylton was brought on in place of Harry Cornick.

The Hatters had a good chance from a Snodgrass corner. The Scotsman’s delivery was met by the head of Bradley, but his effort was headed downwards and bounced over the crossbar.

Shea was then called into action at the other end, saving and handling well to deny Philip Zinckernagel.

Luton were reduced to ten men with just over ten minutes left. Bradley picked up a second yellow and was sent off after a late challenge. The resulting free-kick saw Zinckernagel’s effort headed clear by the Luton wall.

Peter Kioso was Town’s second switch of the game, as he came on for Snodgrass, in a defensive reshuffle from Jones.

The away side had a couple of huge chances in quick succession. First, Zinckernagel’s effort hit the post, before Shea pushed away another effort from Brennan Johnson.

Elijah Adebayo came close to adding a second for Town late on. The striker twisted and turned to get beyond Forest defenders, before seeing his effort saved by Samba’s feet.

Town made their third and final switch as the game went into eight minutes of time added on, with Tom Lockyer replacing Adebayo.

The Luton players had to dig deep for all three points, but got over the line to claim a vital victory in the fight for the play-offs.

Goals:

Town: Naismith (37’)

Att: 10,070 (1,031 away)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7G-V2iV_7iE – Nathan Jones interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngx4e1Hkd-M – match highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vSyoZSHPdM – Kal Naismith interview

Nathan Jones reacts to Nottingham Forest win!

Nathan Jones praised a brilliant team performance and memorable atmosphere as the Hatters bounced back to earn a big win against play-off rivals Nottingham Forest.

Thanks to Kal Naismith’s first-half penalty, the Hatters leapfrogged their opponents into fourth on a sunny afternoon at Kenilworth Road.

Reflecting on the Good Friday victory, the gaffer said: “Praise the lord on a very religious day that we have got three points. It was a magnificent performance, first half I thought we were outstanding, we weren’t going to be able to keep up that momentum, especially considering the decimation of players we’ve had and we weren’t able to bring real game-changers on.

“What a performance, first half we were brilliant, really, really good. We had to dig in, defend our box well and we did apart from two shots. Sheasy made a good save and they hit the post, I can’t remember them having anything else.

Jones heaped further praise on his players by saying: “We keep going, that’s the character in this group and the belief we have in what we do. We asked them to do something different today and I thought tactically we were superb.

"Two of the outstanding young individuals in the league this year have been Brennan Johnson and Djed Spence. We went with Amari’i Bell and Fred Onyedinma against them and felt we were exceptional. Tactically we were brilliant, we went up against a top side and managed to get the win.

Finally, the Welshman commented on the atmosphere generated by the 10,070 fans inside Kenilworth Road, adding: “We made a big thing of it before the game and said they will be with us from the start so it was about keeping with them.

"You have to keep being us, being front-footed, put balls in the box, press and give them something to get behind. These were the games we wanted, these are the games we’ve had six months into my team here where we built momentum. What an atmosphere, what an afternoon!”

Naismith on the spot as Luton battle to a terrific win over play-off rivals Forest

Championship: Luton Town 1 Nottingham Forest 0

Kal Naismith's first half penalty saw Luton Town fight, kick and scrap their way to an absolutely massive win against play-off rivals Nottingham Forest at Kenilworth Road this afternoon.

The visitors had rocked up at the ground on a lengthy 10 match unbeaten run, which included five straight wins, and seven victories in total, as they still had dreams of catching second-placed Bournemouth.

However, as they have done this term, Luton saved their best for matches against the top sides, as following a draw with Fulham and beating the Cherries on home soil, Nathan Jones' side, with Allan Campbell in particular giving a sensational lung-busting display, ended their own mini blip of sorts thanks to Naismith's nerveless spot-kick.

They even had to play the last 13 minutes with 10 men after Sonny Bradley's controversial red card, but to a man they put their bodies on the line to hold off the Reds in what was a frantic conclusion, played out with a packed out stadium roaring them on.

Jones made two changes to the side who faced Huddersfield Town on Monday night with Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu and Henri Lansbury absent as expected, following their knee and neck injuries picked up in the 2-0 defeat.

Robert Snodgrass came in for his first start, while defender Reece Burke was also back after missing four games due to a hamstring injury, Elliot Thorpe on the bench too.

The Hatters moved Fred Onyedinma to a new position as left wing-back, James Bree right, with Kal Naismith holding in front of a defence of Burke, Sonny Bradley and Amari'i Bell.

A fast opening by the hosts, who pressured their opponents into some uncharacteristic mistakes in front of a fully invested and vocal home support saw Onyedinma almost give them the perfect start, as Bradley's low, flat ball out from the back was miscontrolled by Djed Spence, the winger's toepoke deflected behind by Brice Samba.

Forest then showed signs of their undoubted class, on-loan Aston Villa forward Keinan Davis, bizarrely in gloves, setting off on a muscular run to find his strike partner Lewis Grabban, whose low shot looked destined to break the deadlock, only for James Shea to get down superbly to palm it behind for a corner.

Luton were back on the front foot though, once more causing the Reds to misplace a number of passes, with the willing Onyedinma always an out ball, as after winning another corner, Naismith's 30-yard blast flew over the top.

Forest began to get a foothold though, breaking Town's press with more regularity, but the best they could muster was a Grabban effort that was never testing Shea.

With 37 minutes gone, the Hatters were then handed, quite literally, the chance to open the scoring when a long ball from defence was collected by Bree, with Jack Colback unable to keep his arms down, the linesman signalling the offence and referee James Linington pointing to the spot.

It completed a miserable season against the Hatters for the former Sunderland and Newcastle player, who had hauled Tom Lockyer down at the City Ground for a penalty that Brice Samba went on to save from Elijah Adebayo.

With that in mind, and after his miss against Huddersfield on Monday night, Naismith assumed responsibility, grabbing the ball and this time Samba was unable to be the hero, the Scot calmly sending him the wrong way to make it 1-0.

It had looked like Forest were on level terms just moments after the break, Spence going through to beat Shea but once more Town were grateful to see the linesman's flag raised as it was ruled out for offside.

Adebayo had a sniff of a cheeky second when the visitors defence gave the ball away, but his snapshot lacked height and power to beat the back-pedalling Samba, who was able to control easily.

Luton really should have further the lead on 66 minutes though when Snodgrass sent over a corner, an unmarked Naismith heading down and over the bar when she should have tested Samba.

They were almost made to pay immediately as a neat move by the visitors saw sub Philip Zinckernagel, left all alone and with his first touch, put his header too close to Shea who gratefully clung on.

Forest kept the momentum up though, Spence finally getting on the outside of Onyedinma, his low ball skied over by Ryan Yates.

The game took another twist with 15 left as Town were reduced to 10 men when Bradley was shown a second yellow for clipping sub Sam Surridge, the forward clearly in an offside position, but the referee believing it touched a Luton player on its way through to him.

The wall did its job from Zinckernagel's free kick, as somehow it remained 1-1 moments later, when the same player curled against the post, Shea at full stretch to stave from Spence's follow-up.

In the build up, Davis pulled up and had to go off which meant that with Forest out of substitutes, the numbers were crucially evened up for the final eight minutes.

Adebayo almost made the points safe, creating some space before shooting against Samba's legs, as eight minutes of stoppage time were flashed up, but the closest the Reds came was that man Zinckernagel again, shooting wastefully over from outside the box.

Hatters: James Shea, Fred Onyedinma, Amari'i Bell, James Bree, Reece Burke, Sonny Bradley (C), Kal Naismith, Robert Snodgrass (Peter Kioso 82), Allan Campbell, Harry Cornick (Danny Hylton 65), Elijah Adebayo (Tom Lockyer 90) .

Subs not used: Harry Isted, Elliot Thorpe, Admiral Muskwe, Dan Potts.

Reds: Brice Samba, Djed Spence, Tobias Figueiredo, Joe Worrall, Lewis Grabban (C, Sam Surridge 75), Jack Colback (Joe Lolley 81), Keinan Davis, Brennan Johnson, Ryan Yates, Scott McKenna (Philip Zinckernagel 66), James Garner.

Subs not used: Ethan Howarth, Richie Laryea, Alex Mighten, Cafu.

Bookings: Bradley 26, Garner 44, Naismith 48, Burke 63, Davis 63, Campbell 63, Shea 70, Worrall 74, Adebayo 90, Figueiredo 90. Sent off: Bradley 77.

Referee: James Linington. Attendance: 10,070 (1,031 Forest).

Jones: Town's victory over in-form Reds can only be labelled as 'mammoth'

Town chief on huge Good Friday success

Luton boss Nathan Jones felt his side’s wonderful 1-0 win over play-off rivals Nottingham Forest this afternoon couldn’t be described as anything other than ‘mammoth'.

The Hatters went into the contest, televised live on Sky, on the back of three games without a win, while Steve Cooper’s men were flying, 10 undefeated, triumphing in their last five too.

However, Town were able to keep out a team containing the likes of Lewis Grabban and Brennan Johnson, netting the only goal themselves when Kal Naismith converted a 37th minute penalty.

Luton then had to play the final 13 minutes with 10 men after captain Sonny Bradley received his second yellow card, as on the victory, Jones said: “You’d be an absolute idiot if you didn’t describe that as a mammoth win.

"Forest hadn’t lost in ten, they’d won the last five and they have been annihilating teams with pace and power.

"Then they came up against a side who could match them today.

“Tactically we had to be right. I felt, on the balance of play, it was a pretty even game, with two top teams.

"It was a magnificent performance, and first half I thought we were outstanding.

"We were always not going to be able to keep up that momentum, especially with the decimation of players we have, we weren’t able to bring real game-changers on, but what a performance.

“First half we were brilliant, I thought we were really, really good, we had to dig in, defend our box well and we did.

“Apart from two shots really, Sheasy (James Shea) made a good save, they hit the post, apart from that, I can't remember another chance.

“I felt we should’ve had a pen, it was definitely not a sending off and some decisions have gone against us, but we’ve shown real quality, desire and adaptability.

“Because, apart from the stadium falling down, we’ve had to cope with everything.”