Harford disappointed as defeat denies Luton promotion

Posted Sunday, April 28, 2019 by PA

Luton caretaker boss Mick Harford expressed his disappointment at seeing his side surrender the three points at Burton having seen James Collins bag his 25th goal of the season.

Brewers striker Lucas Akins turned the game on its head with a second-half brace to put a dent in Town’s automatic promotion hopes with a 2-1 defeat.

Harford said: “We have got one last chance next week against Oxford.

“We didn’t perform today. Ever since I was given the opportunity to manage the football club that is probably our worst performance in terms of the way we played.

“I don’t mind getting beat and I think that Burton thoroughly deserved the victory. Their movement was very good and we couldn’t contain them at times. You have got to give them a bit of credit.”

In difficult first-half conditions with the wind at Albion’s backs, Luton struggled to get forward with Collins’ goal something for Harford’s men to build on before promotion nerves set in after half-time.

“Overall we are very disappointed but we move on,” Harford added.

“I will not accept the way that we played today in terms of how we played. We went too long at times, too direct and that is not what we are about.

“Maybe the players, and ourselves the staff, are maybe a little bit nervy and edgy but we felt that we didn’t really have any control in the game today and that is the most disappointing factor.

“We got what I thought was a fortunate lead in my opinion because they [Burton] created numerous opportunities in the first half and got themselves in some great positions and there was some excellent defending from us but we weren’t really at the races today, to be honest.”

It now comes down to next Saturday with Luton equal on points with Barnsley and with Portsmouth and Sunderland also in the mix if they can win their games in hand on Tuesday night.

“I am only interested now in how we can get ourselves up for next Saturday which will be quite easy really in terms of what we need to do,” Harford said.

“We have no divine right to be in any position and we have to work hard. At the start of the season, we would have taken this position with one game to go.

“We are coming to the end now and it’s getting slightly tricky but I have every confidence in the staff and the players in the football club to get us over the line.”

Brewers boss Nigel Clough was proud of his team’s persistence that ensured they would not go into the final game of the season on the back of three straight defeats.

He said: “First half I thought we played well but just needed a little bit of something extra and after the first 10 minutes of the second half I thought we upped it that little bit to make the difference.

“We played pretty well throughout the game and were unlucky to be 1-0 down from about their first attack and we have had to drag ourselves back into it and Lucas has got two very good goals to get us the win.”

Akins’ brace came courtesy of two John Brayford assists which pleased the Brewers boss immensely.

“John Brayford, shall we say, is a little bit tired,” explained Clough.

“I wish he was 10 years younger. He used to bomb up and down for us here in the early days and at Derby and he is doing it again now at 30-odd years old and made two goals for us, one with a brilliant header at the far post and the other with a great cross.

“The young lads were all good today as well but it was a good solid team performance against the best team in the league.

“It doesn’t matter if you have got nothing left to play for. There’s three points at stake and it’s your pride and integrity that you keep giving everything right to the last game.”