Luton Town FC vs Preston North End (16th Mar 2022)

Match Report | Luton Town 4-0 Preston North End

Luton Town returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion, beating Preston North End 4-0 at Kenilworth Road on Wednesday night.

Luke Berry opened the scoring for Town, before Onyedinma doubled the lead. Berry added a third before half-time with a fantastic flick and the Hatters added a fourth in the second half, courtesy Bambo Diaby’s own goal.

Nathan Jones made four changes to the Town side from Sunday’s defeat against QPR. Kioso and Dan Potts came into the defence, with Berry replacing the injured Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu. In attack, Harry Cornick partnered Elijah Adebayo.

Town made the perfect start, scoring within the opening ten minutes. A James Bree cross was floated into the area, and the ball eventually fell to Berry who calmly slotted into the bottom corner for the opener.

Cameron Archer had the visitors’ first chance. Latching onto a long ball forward, the Aston Villa loanee broke into the Town area and saw his shot saved by James Shea, making his 100th appearance for the club.

Town were forced into an early switch, with Reece Burke unable to continue. Onyendinma was brought on, and Bree dropped into the back three.

Not long after coming on, Onyedinma doubled Luton’s lead. Bree’s free kick was bundled over the line by the 25-year-old, with Kioso also amongst the action. Kioso was originally credited with the goal, but went down as an Onyedinma strike.

Amari’i Bell almost added a third for Luton before half time. Onyendinma did well on the right-hand side and found Bell with a cross, but his header was saved well by Daniel Iversen.

Town would add their third goal of the first half shortly after. Cornick’s cross was met by Berry, who found the bottom corner with a brilliant back-heel flick.

In the first chance of the second half, it was nearly four. Kioso rose highest from Bree’s corner, but saw his header blocked by a Preston defender, with Adebayo firing over from the rebound.

Just before the hour mark, Luton would have their fourth. Countering from a Preston attack, Cornick found Bell, whose venomous effort was saved by Iversen but saw the ball rebound off Diaby for an own goal.

Adebayo almost added a fifth, as Town went in search of another. The striker’s header crashed off the crossbar, with the linesman’s flag going up shortly after.

Preston should’ve pulled one back, but Josh Murphy saw his effort flash wide of Shea’s post.

Danny Hylton was Town’s second switch of the game, replacing Cornick with just over ten minutes remaining.

Town made their third and final switch as the game entered the 81st minute, with Carlos Mendes Gomes introduced for Berry as the Town recorded an emphatic win as they moved back up into the Championship play-off places.

Goals:

Town: Berry (9’, 43’), Onyedinma (28’), Diaby OG (59’)

Att: 9,408 (614 away)

Nathan Jones' Preston reaction

Manager Nathan Jones couldn’t hide his delight after tonight’s 4-0 win against Preston North End.

Disappointment plagued his post-match thoughts on Sunday but the gaffer was ‘so proud’ of the group who despite being struck with injuries and illness, bounced back in style with goals from Luke Berry, Fred Onyedinma and a second half own goal.

“I’m absolutely over the moon, Jones admitted. “I can’t hide my feelings tonight. Going into the game we were depleted, we lost five centre-halves, four before the game and one during the game.

"We have people coming back from injury, people who haven’t played many minutes and to put that level of performance in shows the group is in a wonderful place.

“I’m so proud of them because I said tonight ‘just stay in the hunt’, all we have to do is stay in the hunt tonight whatever it takes. I thought we were outstanding.

It comes to a point where it’s in god’s hands. We had Cameron Jerome go down over night, we had people go down yesterday, people pulling out and we lost so many players it was disruptive but this group rides with the punches.

It is a relentless period, the Championship is a crazy league but what a response, what a performance. It just shows that this is a class group.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edOtE8FLo90 – Nathan Jones interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDELcKgy4As – match highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=na48nu7XHic – Peter Kioso interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu_cMT_cpvE – reverse angle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdehx6PoKdA – Luke Berry goal from all angles

Town bounce back from QPR defeat in some style by hammering Preston to move up to fifth

Championship: Luton Town 4 Preston 0

Luton produced the perfect response to Sunday's gutting 2-1 defeat to QPR with a thoroughly convincing victory over Preston North End this evening, once more showing their ability bounce back at the first attempt.

Although the visitors were diabolical on the night, going into the game, they looked a tough cookie, only beaten twice since early December, with five clean sheets in their last six away games.

However, once Luke Berry had put Town in front on eight minutes, there was only winner as the Lilywhites were handed their heaviest defeat of the campaign on a desperate night for Ryan Lowe's team.

The only down-side to the result was an already depleted Hatters picking up two further injuries, Reece Burke appearing to pull his hamstring, and then top scorer Elijah Adebayo hobbling off late on.

Boss Nathan Jones made four changes, fielding a new-look defence, Peter Kioso and Dan Potts in for Tom Lockyer and Kal Naismith, with Potts taking the captain's armband, while Berry and Harry Cornick also came in, Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu and Cameron Jerome both missing out.

A subdued start to the game saw Preston settle quicker, as it took a misplaced pass from Ben Whiteman to get the Hatters going, Cornick's pass setting Adebayo away, Bambo Diaby getting just enough on his sliding intervention.

However, Town then worked the ball right and James Bree's up and under saw Adebayo challenge two defenders, who had completely ignored Berry, the midfielder left totally unmarked to just roll his side-footer into the bottom corner.

The Hatters' already patched up back-line then had another plaster applied as Burke pulled up when sprinting back to try and stop Cameron Archer, who was denied by a fine instinctive save from Shea.

That saw Fred Onyedinma come on to move to wing-back, Bree switching to one of the three centre half berths, but rather than the let it affect them, Town went 2-0 up 28 minutes, as the substitute was cleaned out on the right by Andrew Hughes.

Bree stepped up deliver the perfect ball in for Kioso to convert in from close range for his first ever goal for the Hatters. Or so we thought.

With Onyedinma also close by, it was the summer addition who was deemed to have the final touch, credited with the strike during the interval.

Cornick tried to add a third, curling well, well wide from range, as did Ali McCann from a similar distance.

Luton were only dealing in goals it seemed though, as they had a third three minutes before the break when Clark tricked his way forward to find Adebayo.

He played in Cornick whose low cross was met by the trailing leg of Berry who managed to somehow not just get enough on the ball to turn it on target, but also find enough power and precision to beat the mystified Daniel Iversen at his near post.

Town could and maybe should have had a fourth just before the break too, Onyedinma doing terrifically to manufacture a cross on the right which was met by Bell of all people eight yards out, Iversen springing to his left to save.

Emil Riis Jakobsen summed up the visitors pretty hopeless opening period with an ambitious attempt that was shanked well wide, as following the break, Bree's set-pieces continued to cause problems.

This time Kioso definite did get the required contact, his header cannoning off a covering defender, Adebayo stabbing the loose ball over.

Preston substitute Ched Evans saw his header blocked behind, but the visitors' evening went from bad to worse as Luton broke away on the left, Cornick finding the overlapping Bell whose shot was batted by Iversen against hapless defender Diaby and into the net.

Still Town pressed, Bree having a field day from set-plays, another met by Adebayo and over via a slight deflection.

Preston's struggles were clear at both ends of the pitch as they should have pulled one back on 66 minutes, Josh Murphy left in isolation 10 yards from goal, but he slammed wastefully wide, having another shot saved by Shea at his near post.

Jones opted to rest both Berry and Cornick in the closing stages, with Danny Hylton and Carlos Mendes Gomes on, as Kioso still wasn't giving up on his first goal, swivelling to connect with another Bree corner, arrowing inches past the post.

The only slight worry came late on when Adebayo went off, leaving Jones with headaches in both defence and attack ahead of Saturday's trip to Hull City, the Tigers doing Town a favour by beating fellow play-off contenders Coventry City this evening.

Hatters: James Shea, James Bree, Amari'i Bell, Peter Kioso, Reece Burke (Fred Onyedinma 23), Dan Potts, Luke Berry (Carlos Mendes Gomes 81), Allan Campbell, Jordan Clark, Harry Cornick (Danny Hylton 77), Elijah Adebayo.

Subs not used: Harry Isted, Admiral Muskwe, Elliot Thorpe, Henri Lansbury.

Lilywhites: Daniel Iversen, Sepp van den Berg, Ben Whiteman, Alan Browne ©, Daniel Johnson, Ali McCann (Josh Murphy 46), Andrew Hughes, Emil Riis Jakobsen (Ched Evans 46), Cameron Archer, Bambo Diaby, Brad Potts (Scott Sinclair 80).

Subs not used: Patrick Bauer, Joe Rafferty, Sean Maguire, Connor Ripley.

Booked: Hughes 27, Whiteman 75, Campbell 87.

Referee: Stephen Martin.

Attendance: 9,408 (614 Preston).

Jones hails 'excellent' Town's energy as they thrash Lilywhites at Kenilworth Road

Hatters boss reacts to midweek victory

Luton chief Nathan Jones was elated with the manner in how his side got back to winning ways instantly by seeing off Preston North End 4-0 this evening.

Going into the game after a controversial 2-1 reverse to QPR on Sunday, the Hatters were soon in their stride, the recalled Luke Berry on target after just eight minutes.

Fred Onyedinma and Berry made it 3-0 by the break, before Bambo Diaby's own goal on the hour mark saw Town move up to fifth in the table, climbing above both Rangers and Middlesbrough.

Jones said: “Let’s not forget, these are a real good side, they’ve lost one in ten.

“With the greatest of respect, it’s not like we’ve done that to somebody that’s already down, it’s a wonderful performance.

“We were robbed on Sunday, we were good on Sunday.

"Tonight, we defended our box better and we were far more clinical.

"I thought that was as good a performance as we’ve had here.

“I’m so, so happy. Luke Berry does what Luke Berry does very, very well. I just thought we were excellent in the first half.

“The second half, we’ve got a benchmark or a watershed, where Swansea came here, we were three-up (at half-time) and cruising, it should’ve been four or five but we ended up drawing it.

“So, now, we don’t do a Swansea, we didn’t, and the energy we showed in the second half was quite frightening, especially because everyone’s having to do massive shifts."