Reading vs Luton Town FC (19th Jan 2022)

Report | Reading 0-2 Luton Town

The Hatters made it four league matches unbeaten, and five in all competitions, with a comfortable win at struggling Reading tonight.

An own goal from Tom Holmes and a second in as many games from midfielder Allan Campbell gave Nathan Jones side all three points, lifting them back into the top half of the table in the process ahead of Saturday's trip to Sheffield United.

After taking four points off promotion expectants Fulham and Bournemouth in the last two Championship matches, the Town turned in a disciplined, commanding away performance in the first of four rearranged fixtures following the Covid call-offs over the festive period.

Jones made one change to the side that beat league Peter Kioso – who was recalled yesterday from his loan spell with Milton Keynes – started in place of James Bree, who sat out this one with a tight hamstring sustained against Bournemouth, having played every minute of the Hatters' league and FA Cup matches this season.

Reece Burke and Allan Campbell were both declared fit and in the starting eleven after coming off during Saturday’s 3-2 win against AFC Bournemouth, whilst Cameron Jerome started for the second league match in succession alongside Elijah Adebayo up-front.

The top scorer looked a threat from the off, getting the better of Holmes by the left corner flag and crossing low towards the near post inside the first minute, but Royals keeper Luke Southwood gathered just ahead of Jordan Clark.

Adebayo had the Town's first real sight of goal in the tenth minute, firing over after receiving a headed lay-off from strike partner Jerome, and we had to wait until the 28th-minute for another effort, Clark cutting in from the left angle of the box, only for his attempted curler to be deflected onto the roof of Southwood's net.

The breakthrough came in the 33rd minute, and for the second game in a row, it was courtesy of an own goal. Clark was at the heart of the move that led to it, collecting the loose ball midway inside the hosts' half after Holmes had won a header above Adebayo.

The ex-Shrewsbury and Accrington man fed Amari'i Bell on the left and his cross, whipped into the six-yard box, was diverted past Southwood and into his own net by centre-half Holmes.

Reading came out after the break and made a rare foray into the Town box, with John Swift - who had curled their best effort of the first half just wide of James Shea's left post - picking out Danny Drinkwater, but the on-loan Chelsea midfielder's header was easily held by the Hatters number one.

Town were soon back on the front foot, Naismith seeing a low right-footed shot parried by Southwood into the path of Campbell, who fed Clark to stand a cross up towards Adebayo, but Reading managed to clear for a corner.

Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu hit a piledriver inches over the bar as the Royals' struggled to clear the set piece, blocking a Sonny Bradley snapshot in a spell of penalty area pinball.

Shea had to field a tame header from George Puscas, moments before the Hatters had their second of the night.

For once, Adebayo was the architect, carrying the ball down the right, checking back to find Reece Burke, who played a simple pass inside to Mpanzu, making his 320th appearance in a Town shirt.

The club's longest-serving player was having a terrific game in the midfield holding role, and he slipped a perfectly timed ball into the box for Adebayo to run onto and calmly square for Campbell to ram home his second goal in as many matches.

Kioso called Southwood into action with a right-footed drive on 65 minutes, then Adebayo's nimble feet set Campbell up again for another chance, the Reading keeper once more getting down low to save his ten-yard effort.

Reading sub Lucas Joao sent a header narrowly wide as the hosts looked for a way back into the game, but it never came as Shea, aided by a solid defensive performance from skipper Bradley, Burke and Naismith ahead of him, kept his fourth clean sheet in seven matches.

There was still time for Adebayo to find the net after a good run by sub Fred Onyedinma, but the striker was offside when the winger's shot landed at his feet in the 89th minute.

Next up a trip to south Yorkshire - a happy recent hunting ground for the Hatters - and Sheffield United in three days' time!

Goals:

Luton: Holmes (OG) 33, Campbell 58

Nathan Jones' thoughts on Reading win

Manager Nathan Jones was pleased to record back-to-back league wins for the first time in the league this season with a 2-0 win against Reading.

A goal in either half moved the Hatters into the top half of the table with a deserved victory in Berkshire.

“I thought we were outstanding on the weekend and coming here, when I asked them to do stuff, they do it. When we played Harrogate for example, I just asked them to win the game.

“I knew we were undercooked in a number of ways and today I said that I wanted to go back to back, we haven’t done that for a while and I said that we need back-to-back wins and it was a tricky time this because they are having a tough time but they have some dangerous players, players that can hurt you if you’re not at it but we were excellent.

“Our application was brilliant, Jones continued. “We defended our box really well and we looked a threat and we had enough quality to win the game, that’s what we did. I’m really pleased because with the schedule that we’ve got, I just asked them to win the game tonight and that’s what we did because that was very important.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcWVfgAa3_0 – Nathan Jones interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_AtaL643C8 – match highlights

Luton secure back-to-back wins for the first time this season with Royals triumph

Championship: Reading 0 Luton Town 2

Luton recorded back-to-back wins for the first time this season as they heaped more misery on a desperately poor Reading side at the Select Car Leasing Stadium this evening.

In following up their excellent triumph against Bournemouth on Saturday, the Hatters also ended their 22-year wait for a league win in Berkshire, the last time they managed three points back in August 1999 when goals from Andrew Fotiadis and Liam George sealed a 2-1 Division Two success.

This time around they always looked by far the more likely side, with their struggling hosts suffering from a severe lack of confidence, facing their fans for the first time following a 7-0 thumping at the hands of free-scoring Fulham and without a win on home soil since October.

Town made one change to their side, James Bree seeing his ever-present record ended due to a tight hamstring, Peter Kioso straight back in following his recall from MK Dons earlier in the week.

The visitors made a positive start to proceedings, Elijah Adebayo looking dangerous, the forward having the first opening on 10 minutes, found by Cameron Jerome's clever header from Reece Burke's ball forward.

He opted to shoot, when a pass to the unmarked Jordan Clark might have been the better option, slicing waywardly over the top.

Neither side could really grab a foothold in a scrappy first period, Luton then managing to gain a slight foothold, Clark taking a quick free kick before advancing into the area and seeing his effort deflected over by a covering defender.

However, the midfielder was to play a big role in Luton taking the lead on 33, when he scampered away on the left and found the overlapping Amari'i Bell.

The Jamaican international looked up and delivered an excellent low cross that was met by the diving head of home defender Tom Holmes, who powered his attempted clearance beyond Luke Southwood and into the bottom corner as Town took the lead from an own goal for the second game running.

John Swift almost levelled instantly, given space to line up a shot on his left foot, dragging wide of James Shea's goal.

Luton went close to a second, again from a Reading player, as full back Tyrell Ashcroft, under pressure from Adebayo, stooped to put Burke's deep cross only just past the far post.

After the break, Reading had what was technically an effort on target, on-loan Chelsea midfielder Danny Drinkwater's header plucked out of the sky by James Shea.

Luton then looked for what you felt would be a killer second against a side completely bereft of any kind of spirit, particularly on home soil, their fans already voicing their discontent with proceedings.

Naismith looked for his third goal in as many games, with an excellent block tackle and trying his luck on his right foot, saw Southwood unconvincingly shovelling the ball away, Clark's follow up cross headed behind from underneath the bar.

From Naismith's corner, a bout of pinball ensued, Bradley's shot charged down, Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu's ambitious first time blast from 20 yards always rising.

George Puscas saw his tame header from Ethan Bristow's comfortable for Shea, as Luton's better quality shone through again on 58 minutes, taking what looked an insurmountable lead.

Adebayo did excellently to pressure the hosts defence into a mistake, as he held the ball up and found Mpanzu, who squeezed a terrific ball through the Royals back-line for the striker.

He looked up and sent over a low cross for the sliding Campbell to turn home for his second goal in as many matches.

The goal weirdly sparked a response from Reading, who had their best few minutes in an attacking sense, Ethan Bairstow's potshot leading to a corner and then Swift firing straight at Shea.

Back came Luton as the match suddenly took on an end to end affair that never looked like materialising in the dull first period, as Campbell nicked the ball through to Kioso on the right and his low drive was ungainly repelled by the legs of Southwood.

Campbell then might have had another himself, found after some splendid work by Adebayo, drilling low at Southwood who this time handled solidly.

The action then calmed somewhat, Lucas Joao's downward header off target, as Town were able to ring the changes as the game wore down, one of them, Fred Onyedinma almost the architect of a third, but Adebayo was flagged offside after tapping home his cross-shot from a matter of inches.

Apart from robbing the forward of a 12th goal this term, it didn't matter a great deal, as Luton climbed up to 11th in the table and are now just seven points off the play-off places with two matches in hand.

Royals: Luke Southwood, Tyrell Ashcroft, Ethan Bristow, Tom Holmes, Michael Morrison ©, Josh Laurent, Danny Drinkwater, Andy Rinomhota, Tom Dele-Bashiru (Jahmari Clarke 69), John Swift, George Puscas (Lucas Joao 59).

Subs not used: James Holden, Kelvin Abrefa, Louie Holzman, Mamadi Camara.,

Hatters: James Shea; Peter Kioso, Reece Burke, Sonny Bradley (C), Kal Naismith, Amari'i Bell; Allan Campbell (Gabe Osho 79), Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu, Jordan Clark (Henri Lansbury 70); Cameron Jerome (Fred Onyedinma 74), Elijah Adebayo.

Subs not used: Simon Sluga, Dan Potts, Luke Berry, Carlos Mendes Gomes.

Booked: Drinkwater 90, Joao 90.

Referee: Tim Robinson.

Jones hails his Town players after making it successive victories with Reading victory

Reaction from Hatters boss to tonight's 2-0 win at Reading

Luton boss Nathan Jones hailed his players for doing exactly what he asked of them after recording successive wins in the Championship for the first time this season with a 2-0 triumph at Reading this evening.

An own goal from Tom Holmes in the first half saw the visitors move in front at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, before Allan Campbell’s strike just before the hour ensured the Hatters climbed up to 11th in the table.

Jones said: “I thought we were outstanding on the weekend (against Bournemouth), then to come here, I ask them to do stuff, against Harrogate for example, just win the game, as I knew we were physically nowhere, undercooked in so many ways.

“Today I said 'I want to go back-to-back, we haven’t been back-to-back in a while.'

"So it’s a tricky game this because they're having a tough time but they've got some dangerous players, players that can hurt you if you’re not at it.

"But I thought we were excellent, the application was brilliant, we defended our box really well, limited them to very little, and then looked a threat at times.

"We had enough quality to win the game, so I'm really pleased as when you look at the schedule we’ve got, and with everything, I just asked them to win the game tonight and that’s what we did.

"It was really important we did that.”

Although Reading are struggling badly this term, looking in danger of sliding into League One, Jones was always wary of the threat they could possess, especially with Town not winning here in the league since the 1998-99 campaign.

He added: "This is the Championship, they've got (Lucas) Joao who can always turn a game, but I thought we had a real element of control.

"The pitch was really poor so it was very tricky to move the ball and any time you moved it into midfield it was very dangerous.

"But I felt our front two were excellent all night, we had a threat, they gave us a little bit of impetus, and we were a real threat from set-plays,.

"We always looked like where were going score when we got the ball in the box and I'm happy we scored two away from home.

"I remember watching Luton here in the Championship, two, three, four, five, whatever the score was, and lost, now we come here and we’re winning and we’re strong.

"That shows we’ve come a long way and it's really pleasing, while performance-wise, for an away performance it was excellent."