Luton Town FC vs Yeovil Town (5th Aug 2017)

MATCH REPORT: LUTON TOWN 8 YEOVIL TOWN 2

Hatters record highest-ever opening day victory against the Glovers

The Hatters produced a stunning performance to come from behind record what is believed to be the highest-ever opening day victory in the club’s history at Kenilworth Road this afternoon.

Nathan Jones’ side smashed eight goals past his old club Yeovil – who had opened the scoring through Otis Khan’s early free-kick and grabbed a second consolation in the second half through Francois Zoko – to usurp the 6-1 first-day win over Oldham Athletic in 1978-79.

Jones picked five of his eight summer signings to start and brought another one as a substitute – with three of them opening their accounts for the club and another, goalkeeper Marek Stech, saving a penalty against the club he last played for in English football three years ago.

An old face opened the scoring with the equaliser in 12 minutes, Olly Lee volleying home. But James Collins – bought from Crawley – walked away with the matchball after netting a hat-trick, while Alan McCormack scored a stunner and Elliot Lee nodded in the eight on his second Town bow.

The Lee brothers became the first Hatters siblings to appear in a competitive game since the Steins at Wembley in 1988 when Elliot came on as a substitute in the second half.

In amongst all of that, another familiar face, Isaac Vassell, tormented the visiting defence and scored twice in as many minutes to give the Town a 5-1 half-time lead.

The other two to make their debuts were right-back Jack Stacey and on-loan Birmingham man Andrew Shinnie, who was outstanding at the tip of the midfield diamond and provided four assists [actually it was only three assists] for the seven goals that flew in while he was on the pitch.

As a sign of what was to follow, the Town almost had the perfect start with just 18 seconds on the clock when Collins found himself in the clear after Glovers centre-half Keston Davies let Alan Sheehan’s ball go over his head, but visiting keeper Artur Krysiak did well to keep his right-footed shot out.

We were just two minutes in when the man who netted 22 for Crawley last term was presented with another chance, Shinnie slipping a fine ball into the box for Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu, who toed it to the side of the sprawling Krysiak, but Nathan Smith got back to clear his side-footed effort off the line.

The Hatters were made to pay in the seventh minute when Zoko was brought down 20 yards out and Khan curled his free-kick into the top corner past Stech.

As responses go, Jones couldn’t have asked for any better. First Shinnie shot from 20 yards, which was spilled by Krysiak, but the keeper gathered as Mpanzu looked to pounce.

Then, from a lightning quick break that began in the Town penalty area with Mpanzu curling a beautiful ball down the left channel for Vassell to stretch his legs, Olly Lee produced a perfect volleyed finish to the striker’s far-post cross to bring the Town level by the 12th minute.

In the 14th minute Stacey crossed from the right and Collins saw his header saved by Krysiak, but five minutes later he had his first competitive goal after a prolific pre-season.

Vassell won the ball for Shinnie to play another incisive pass through the centre of the Glovers’ defence, and Collins bided his time to slip a cute finish past the onrushing Krysiak.

McCormack had a quiet word in the striker’s ear as the players celebrated, but by the 24th-minute he was leading them himself – and how he deserved to!

Sheehan’s [I think it was O Lee with the corner] left-wing corner was headed clear by a Yeovil defender, but only as far as his fellow Irishman McCormack, who was waiting 25 yards out to smash a stunning right-footed volley into the top corner.

The Hatters were playing some wonderful one-touch football with McCormack, Shinnie, Lee and Mpanzu controlling proceedings, and just after the half-hour the latter got hold of a lay-off from Shinnie, but this time Krysiak got down low to his left to save his shot comfortably.

Collins soon had the ball in the net again, but on this occasion was penalised for a foul on the Glovers keeper.

We didn’t have to wait long for more to cheer as by the 36th minute Vassell had his deserved first goal, latching onto a fine through ball from Shinnie [it was actually Collins] to finish low into the bottom left corner.

Two minutes later the Cornishman had his second, making it 5-1, when Collins picked him out from wide on the right and he clipped another low shot past Krysiak, this time low into the opposite corner.

McCormack was shown a yellow card for tripping Ryan Dickson in the box, but Stech produced a great save to keep out Khan’s penalty and preserve the four-goal advantage going into half-time – not before Olly Lee had struck a post however, after more good link play between Shinnie and Collins.

The elder Lee brother was first to try his luck after the break too, and why not after his first-half display? This time, however, his left-foot 25-yarder went just wide.

Stech was proving his worth at the other end against his former employers, pulling off a brilliant one-handed save to claw a Zoko volley away in the 52nd minute.

But it was six for the Hatters just before the hour when Olly Lee picked the pocket of Yeovil sub Omar Sowunmi 30 yards from goal, and Shinnie laid the ball off for Collins to rifle another fine finish into the roof of the net.

McCormack left the pitch to a standing ovation – and the fans singing his name to the same tune they used to reserve for Cameron McGeehan – in the 64th minute, replaced by Glen Rea, and by the 66th it was seven, Collins completing his hat-trick from 25 yards after Shinnie set him up again.

Yeovil grabbed their second within a minute, when Zoko headed in a left-wing cross from Dixon, and Collins and Shinnie – who had provided four assists, including all three for the hat-trick man – were quickly taken off to the same deserved ovation that McCormack received.

There was a worrying spell when Stech came to punch a cross clear and collided with Sowunmi, both men staying down for treatment for several minutes with the big Czech keeper left with a bloodied lip.

And when play restarted, Vassell went in search of his own treble when he cut in from the right onto his left foot, only this time the former Truro City man sliced high and wide.

Former Hatter Jake Gray tested Stech’s recovery five minutes into nine added on for the stoppage, but the keeper tipped the midfielder’s effort over the bar and then came and punched the resulting corner clear.

And in the 99th minute of a thrilling afternoon, Elliot Lee rose at the far post to nod in his brother’s pinpoint cross from a free-kick by the left corner flag to make it eight and put the Town on top of the infant Sky Bet League Two table!

HATTERS: Stech, Stacey, Cuthbert ©, Sheehan, Potts, McCormack (Rea 64), Olly Lee, Mpanzu, Shinnie (Mullins 75), Collins (Elliot Lee 69), Vassell. Subs: Cook, Senior, Gambin, Shea (GK)

GOALS: Olly Lee 12, Collins 19, 58, 66, McCormack 24, Vassell 36, 38, Elliot Lee 90+9

Yellows: McCormack, Mpanzu, Rea

YEOVIL: Krysiak, Alfei, Davies (Sowunmi 46), Nathan Smith, Dickson, Gray, Bailey ©, Connor Smith (Santos 64), Khan, Zoko, Olomola (Surridge 71). Subs: Browne, Maddison (GK), James

GOALS: Khan 7, Zoko 67

Yellows: Connor Smith, Olomola, Alfei

REFEREE: Gavin Ward ATT: 8,101 (258 away)

Hatters boss Nathan Jones was delighted with his players as they put Yeovil Town to the sword in an 8-2 victory at Kenilworth Road.

The visitors took the lead early on through Otis Khan’s well taken free-kick, before the Hatters responded with five in the space of 26 minutes – as Olly Lee, James Collins, Alan McCormack all got one each, whilst Isaac Vassell got a brace.

After the restart, Collins completed his hat-trick with two well taken goals, with the visitors then responding through Francois Zoko, as he headed in from close range.

Substitute Elliot Lee finished off the scoring in the ninth minute of added time, heading in from his brother’s left-wing cross.

Jones said: “It probably could have gone better! We went a goal behind when we shouldn’t have. We had a number of chances before they scored on six minutes, so we did come out of the blocks. I am delighted, if somebody had offered me that result any day of the year you would take that.

“I said to the players there are always some funny results on the opening day and I didn’t want us to be one of them in terms of being on the wrong end of one. But we showed a clinical edge in terms of our finishing when we got opportunities, that’s the main thing I am delighted with.”

Keeper Marek Stech made his competitive debut for the Hatters and impressed, denying Zoko with a fantastic reflex save in the second 45 minutes, having made a penalty save in the first half. He then received lengthy treatment on the pitch after a clash of heads, which resulted in the stopper requiring stitches in his lip.

“I thought he showed excellent concentration right throughout,” Jones continued. “I thought he was flawless in everything he did.

“We were fearful because we made a change that might have cost us right before the corner – they might have nicked a goal or anything. But he showed real concentration and why he’s a top keeper for this level. And he is – he’s an excellent keeper.”

The Lee brothers being on the pitch marked the first time the Town have had siblings playing in a competitive match since Brian and Mark Stein in the Littlewoods Cup victory of 1988.

Jones wants his side to concentrate on the here and now though, as he was thoroughly impressed by the two current Town players combining for the final goal.

He explained: “I want to make the right kind of history. I am not worried about that kind of stuff. What I am worried about is we win enough games to get promoted, that’s all.

“Credit to Paul Hart, I was content to keep it how it was late on, but we knew it was the last kick of the game, so we thought we would put it in and see if we could get another one and we did.

“Without being too blasé, we knew it was the end of the game, we knew they couldn’t score and we thought we would take our chances. We got it and we are pleased.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q004fSHWTno

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY7uPCVi8_w

Collins bags three as Hatters hammer EIGHT on the opening day

League Two: Luton Town 8 Yeovil Town 2

Wow. Simply wow.

As far as opening day markers go, Luton Town have put their flag well and truly in the sand with a jaw-dropping 8-2 victory over Yeovil Town this afternoon.

The result is believed to be the Hatters biggest victory in their first match of the season, while they are the first team net eight on the opening day since Wolves annihilated Manchester City way back in 1962, some 55 years ago.

Striker James Collins will no doubt take the headlines with his debut treble, as he has in this piece, but the performance was all about Town's wonderful all-round play, typified by the likes of Andrew Shinnie and Alan McCormack, while Isaac Vassell was, as boss Nathan Jones has often described him, a pure animal at times.

Luton's chief handed four other players their first starts alongside Collins, and the hosts simply shot out of the blocks.

They should have been ahead inside 30 seconds, when a long ball over the top by Alan Sheehan fell at the feet of Collins, but with just Artur Krysiak to beat, he could only shoot tamely at the keeper.

Krysiak was called into action moments later, diving at the feet of Mpanzu, with referee Gavin Ward adjudging it was done legally, and Collins' follow up cleared off the line.

Despite Luton's bright start, it was the visitors who took the lead with their first attempt on target, Otis Khan curling a wonderful free kick around the wall and beyond the grasp of Marek Stech.

In previous years, heads may have dropped, but under Jones, falling behind has never affected them too much, and Town tried to hit back instantly, Shinnie shooting at Krysiak.

Crucially, parity was restored within five minutes though, courtesy of a wonderful team goal.

Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu took possession deep in his own half and sent a glorious ball forward for Vassell who outpaced Nathan Smith before picking out the run of Olly Lee, to nestle a controlled side-foot volley into the bottom corner.

Buoyed by the leveller, Collins glanced a header at Krysiak, although Khan proved the Glovers' main outlet, forcing Stech into a decent low stop.

However, Luton had turned it around in the 20th minute as Collins showed just why the Town were so intent on signing him.

Slipped through by Shinnie, he still had plenty of work to do, but did it superbly, racing away and under pressure from Smith, coolly dinked over the advancing Krysiak.

Things then got even with an absolute stonker for Town's third. A corner was cleared as far as McCormack 25 yards from goal, he let it bounce and then sent it back from where it came, thundering an absolutely sizzling volley past a motionless Krysiak.

The game then just went a little bit crazy after that - as Luton powered forward with a clinical accuracy not seen in these parts during recent times.

Isaac Vassell was the main beneficiary, as first he shrugged off not one but two defenders to burst clear down the middle on 36 minutes and beat Krysiak.

Just 60 seconds later, he was wheeling away in celebration once more, collecting Collins' cross on his left foot to bring it down and then shoot beyond the hapless keeper.

Luton could even avoid conceding from 12 yards too as McCormack was penalised in the area and Khan stepped up only to see Stech repel his effort.

Town might have had a sixth in the opening half, Lee's drive from outside the area cannoning off the post..

After the break, Hatters appeared to be suffering a bit of a lull, unsurprising from their opening exploits, and it needed a truly magnificent, bordering on world class save, from Stech to deny Glovers a second as he stuck out a right hand to not just stop Zoko's close range volley, but somehow claw it away from goal.

Hatters showed that despite dropping down the gears, they were still far too good for their opponents, as Lee won the ball back high up the pitch, with Shinnie slipping in Collins who unerringly dispatched his shot beyond Krysiak just prior to the hour mark.

The striker then marked his debut with his hat-trick as he took aim from 20 yards on 66 minutes and his low effort found the bottom corner beyond the despairing dive of now truly miserable Krysiak.

Town then switched off defensively for a moment and Yeovil finally had something to smile about, with Ryan Dickons's cross met at the back post by Zoko to finally beat Stech.

The Czech Republic keeper gave Town[s players and fans a real heart their mouth moment when he took a nasty whack to head while coming for a cross, needing well over five minutes of treatment.

With Alan Sheehan ready to take the gloves, the summer addition got up to finish the game, tipping over ex-Hatter Jake Gray's late effort and showing he had lost none of his bravery, racing off his line to punch clear once more.

The gloss, if it was needed, was then put on the scoreline, as Elliot Lee came off the bench, as Town fielded their first set of brothers in a competitive match since 1988, and got on the end of Olly's cross to head home his first goal since returning to the club too.

If this is the standard set by Luton now, then we could well be in for some real fun this season.

Hatters: Marek Stech, Jack Stacey, Dan Potts, Scott Cuthbert ©, Alan Sheehan, Alan McCormack (Glen Rea 64), Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu, Olly Lee, Andrew Shinnie (Johnny Mullins 75), James Collins (Elliot Lee 69), Isaac Vassell.

Subs not used: Jordan Cook, Jack Senior, James Shea, Luke Gambin.

Glovers: Artur Krysiak, Daniel Alfei, Nathan Smith, Keston Davies (Omar Sowunmi 46), Otis Khan, Connor Smith (Alefe Santos 64) Jake Gray, Ryan Dickson, Francois Zoko (Someone), James Bailey ©, Olufela Olomola (Sam Surridge 71).

Subs not used: Rhys Browne, Jonny Maddison, Tom James.

Booked: Connor Smith 31, McCormack 41, Mpanzu 60, Olomola 61, Rea 90, Alfei 90.

Referee: Gavin Ward.

Attendance: 8,101 (258 Yeovil).

Hatters MOM: James Collins. Wonderful debut.

Jones hails a dream start for the Hatters

Luton boss Nathan Jones hailed a dream start for his side after they crushed Yeovil Town 8-2 at Kenilworth Road this afternoon.

The Hatters positively ran riot throughout the 90 minutes, leading 5-1 at half time, and then adding a further three in the second period, with summer signing James Collins bagging a hat-trick on debut.

Isaac Vassell netted twice as well, with Alan McCormack, Olly Lee and Elliot Lee on target too, meaning Luton set a new club record for their biggest ever opening day Football League win.

Speaking afterwards, Jones said: “It's a dream start in terms of the amount of goals and how clinical we were, but we work a lot on our attacking play so it's just reward really for the work that we do.

"It's a wonderful, wonderful start for us, and we would have taken that all day long, as would anyone else in the world would have.

"Lets not be too disrespectful though, they had a penalty which Marek (Stech) did superbly well and right after half time he had to pull off a wonderful save as well.

"So at crucial times, we called upon our good players, but we we had some wonderful chances and we could have got more.

“We were clinical in our finishing. To score eight in any game at any level is wonderful, but to do it here, in the first game, after the disappointment of last year, kind of puts a few things to bed. “

When asked if he had ever been involved in such a margin of victory during his career, Jones added: “No, I don't think I have to be honest with you. I'm very proud, I might not look it at my face, these games drain you at times, but I'm very, very proud.

“We've had some real good performances here, it's a great win, it sets us up, puts us top of the league which is where we want to be, but I really want to be top of the league in 10, 11 months time.

“Right now we're very happy, we'll enjoy it for a minimum amount of time because we'll be preparing straight away for Ipswich tomorrow.”

Hatters boss relieved to put Blackpool memories behind him

Luton boss Nathan Jones was delighted to put the memories of Town's gut-wrenching defeat to Blackpool in the play-off semi-final firmly behind him with a record breaking 8-2 opening day win over Yeovil Town yesterday.

Hatters' last competitive outing at Kenilworth Road in League Two had seen the side concede a heartbreaking equaliser to virtually the last kick which saw them beaten on aggregate by the Tangerines, leaving Jones shell-shocked at the final whistle.

However, almost three months on and those tears turned to cheers, as Hatters romped to victory against the Glovers, with the home players afforded a superb ovation by the 8,000 strong home crowd.

Jones said: “To score that amount, to win at home, to give our fans something to cheer about after the disappointment of May the 18th and that date will be etched for a little while, that goes a long way to repaying a little bit of the faith that people show in me.

“We're a good group and they want to work hard and they want to do things right.

“I wouldn't say it was a wounded animal but what we said at half time was, 'remember the last feeling we had here in the changing room, remember the Blackpool feeling'.

“We want a ruthless edge to us, we really do need that and we feel that we have that.

“It's a great day for us, we won't get carried away because we've got more tests to come, and it's only early.

“At this stage last year we were top of the league as well, so we'll enjoy today but tomorrow morning when we wake up we'll focus on the week ahead.

“We couldn't have imagined it beyond our wildest dreams and we don't take that for granted and be coy about it or be too carried away in any kind of way.

“There's always some kind of results on the first day that are a little bit freakish or whatever, now I don't think that was freakish, think that was just clinical.

“It's a new season, we have new challenges, we have a new squad and hopefully we can continue.”

Despite the utterly convincing nature of the victory, it could have been a different story with Luton falling behind in the seventh minute to Otis Khan's superb free kick, while Marek Stech also saved a first half penalty too.

Jones knows they have to be tighter defensively when up against stronger sides, as he continued: “That's what we have to eradicate, as they won't all be eight, we won't score eight goals every week, so we have to keep clean sheets.

“We work on that and we demand on them in a certain way, so I was a bit disappointed on that.

“I was a bit disappointed with the build up to it as it was a real soft free kick, a real, real soft free kick, but those things happen.

“It was good quality from the boy Khan to score, but apart from that, we can't really dwell too much on the negatives, as I thought in possession we had a real cutting edge about us and our front two, backed up by (Andrew) Shinnie, I thought were excellent.

“We want to try and eradicate that the little rash things, because some games that could cost you as it cost us last season in terms of too many draws, but the three or four negatives were surpassed by the mountain of positives from today.”

Although keen to not get carried away by one result that saw Town leap to the summit, Jones was going to allow himself to savour the moment, as he added: “You've got to enjoy these times as it doesn't happen too often.

“It's a tricky fixture, against Yeovil, my old club, as I know what they do, they study us, we have a good rivalry.

“I have some friends there, so it's extra rivalry. I know it will be a difficult game, they press, have good individuals, but we just have that quality and if we showed that quality we'll win games of football more than we lose.

“We have to build on that though, have to learn from certain things that we could have done better, have to eradicate things, but we have to continue with the things that we did very well and we did do some things very, very well.

“Sometimes I can get carried away in terms of wanting standards to be so high, but no-one could have envisaged an 8-2 victory, so we'll enjoy that.

“It was good for the fans as well, they came out, and the atmosphere was magnificent, right from the go.

“At the end I was very proud, one of the proudest moments I've had as a manager and long may that continue.

“It's been a long summer after the last competitive game here, but hopefully that's kind of put to bed a few things.”

Brilliant Luton smash eight past Yeovil in opening day massacre

Luton Town 8 Yeovil Town 2

Sensational Luton Town lived up to their pre-season billing as promotion favourites – and then some – with a clinical 8-2 opening day demolition of sorry Yeovil Town.

Even big-spending Mansfield Town, the title favourites as far as the bookies are concerned, will have been casting a worried look in the direction of Kenilworth Road after this performance.

Eight goals straight out of the top drawer had the home fans in raptures, but perhaps more pleasing was the fact that Luton did not panic after falling behind early on. If anything, it probably drove them on to keep going for the jugular long after Yeovil had waved the white flag.

Summer James Collins, who marked his full debut with a hat-trick of the highest quality, had two chances to get off the mark before Yeovil took the lead, denied first by keeper Artur Krysiak and then by a goalline clearance.

With their first foray forward, Yeovil went in front when Otis Khan stepped up and curled a free kick from the edge of the area into the top right hand corner, beyond even the huge reach of Marek Stech.

However, the Hatters were not behind for long. Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu turned defence into attack with a measured ball down the left flank which Isaac Vassell chased down before putting in an inch-perfect cross to the far post, which the onrushing Olly Lee met with perfect timing at the far post to dispatch into the opposite corner.

Before the clock could even reach the 20-minute mark, Luton were in front. Andrew Shinnie showed exactly why he has been brought in on loan from Birmingham with a delightful ball over the top which Collins picked up in the area before finishing coolly with an equally sublime chip over the helpless Krysiak.

If Luton fans were pleased enough with that, they were in dreamland soon after when a corner came out to Alan McCormack lurking just outside the area, and the former Brentford midfielder set himself before sending it straight into the top corner for an absolute belter of a goal.

There had barely been time to pause for breath in the opening half hour, and after a short lull the Hatters clicked into top gear once more. After Collins had one ruled out for a foul on the keeper, Vassell netted twice in as many minutes to show just why Bristol City have been chasing him.

The first was all his own work, outstripping the Yeovil defence on the right before cutting in and finding the net, while for the second, he neatly controlled a Collins cross from the right before firing across Krysiak and into the far corner.

Yeovil were all over the place by now but had the chance to pull one back when McCormack was penalised for a foul on Ryan Dickson in the area, but Stech this time got the better of Khan, diving to his left to keep out the spot kick.

Luton were attacking at will by this stage and tearing Yeovil to shreds, and it should have been 6-1 at half time, but Lee's strike following another impressive move cannoned back off the post.

Things naturally started at a slower pace after the break, but Stech soon got the pulses racing again with as good a save as you will ever see, keeping out a Francois Zoko at point blank range with a one-handed stop.

But anything Vassell can do, Collins can do too better, bagging his second of the game with a clinical finish into the far corner from the left hand edge of the box, then completing his hat-trick on 65 minutes by drilling home from 20 yards out.

Yeovil pulled one back almost straight from the kick off as Francois Zoko finished from a Dickson cross to have the final say, but Luton made sure of having the final say when sub Elliot Lee nodded home a free kick at the far post in the final minute of injury time.

HATTERS: Stech, Stacey, Sheehan, Cuthbert, Potts, McCormack (Lee. E), Mpanzu, Lee. O, Shinnie (Rea), Collins (Mullins), Vassell. Subs (not used): Shea, Cook, Senior, Gambin.

Luton's opening day heroics puts play-off defeat to bed, says Jones

Luton Town's amazing 8-2 opening day hammering of Yeovil finally has finally exorcised the ghosts of last season's play-off defeat to Blackpool, says manager Nathan Jones.

The last time the Hatters took to the pitch at Kenilworth Road for a competitive game, their play-off campaign came to an end in heart-breaking fashion against a Blackpool side who went on to be promoted.

But less than three months later, any lingering memories of that nightmarish evening were put to bed as Jones' new-look Luton side blew Yeovil away with a display of mouth-watering attacking and clinical finishing.

Jones said: "It's been a long summer in terms of what happened in our last competitive game here, but hopefully that has put to bed a few things. I said at half time remember the feeling when we were last here. We want a ruthless edge to us, and we feel we have that now.

"I might not look it because games drain you at times, but I'm very very proud. To give our fans something to cheer about after May 18th – that date will be etched for a little while – but that goes a long way to repaying the faith people have shown in me.

"It's a dream start in terms of the amount of goals and how clinical we were, but we work a lot on our tactical play, so it's just rewards for the work we do. It's a wonderful wonderful start for us and I would have taken that all day long, as anyone else in the world would have.

"We could have (hit double figures), but we were clinical enough in our finishing. To score eight is wonderful in any game at any level, but to do it here on the first day put the disappointments of last season to bed."

Jones could be forgiven for allowing himself one of his much-loved glasses of claret last night but has warned his players not to celebrate too hard, and will also be cautious against getting too carried away with yesterday's result.

He added: "We couldn't have imagined it beyond our wildest dreams, so we're not going to take it for granted and be coy about it, but we also won't get carried away by it in any kind of way. You always get a freakish result on the opening day – I don't think that was freakish, just clinical.

"I hope they won't be celebrating too much as we've got a game on Tuesday, but we've got to enjoy these times because they don't happen often. We'll enjoy it for the minimum amount of time as we're already preparing for Ipswich on Tuesday.

"Sometimes I get carried away with wanting standards so high, but nobody could envisage an 8-2 victory so we'll enjoy that. It was good for the fans, the atmosphere was excellent, and at the end was one of the proudest moments I've had as a manager – long may that continue.

"We have to now build on that, learn from certain things we could have done better, eradicate certain things and keep doing the things we did well. We won't score eight goals every week so we have to keep clean sheets, we work on that and we demand them in certain ways.

"But we can't dwell too much on the negatives as in possession we had a real cutting edge about us, and our front two backed up by Andrew Shinnie were excellent. In possession, I thought we were excellent and controlled the game."