Spoils shared as Luton and Huddersfield play out goalless Championship stalemate

Posted Sunday, October 03, 2021 by PA

Luton could not follow up their 5-0 midweek thrashing of Coventry with another goal-laden performance as they played out a goalless Championship draw with Huddersfield on Saturday afternoon.

Hatters defender Kal Naismith missed an early chance from 40 yards on a sodden surface, but the ball skidded wide, while team-mate Harry Cornick’s angled effort was gathered by visiting goalkeeper Lee Nicholls.

The Terriers’ only real opening early on saw Danny Ward volley an effort wide, while Luton created the best chance when Amari’i Bell picked up a loose header to burst into the area, but disappointingly dragged his shot across goal.

Luke Berry could not quite divert his chance on target when arriving at the far post to meet James Bree’s cross, while Ward was the only one having any sighters for the Terriers, shanking an effort well wide from outside the box.

With six minutes to go until half-time, Luton came within inches of a deserved lead. Cornick did brilliantly on the right to beat his man and put in a cross which Bell met a few yards from goal, but could somehow only volley the ball against the post.

Elijah Adebayo then had a go at breaking the deadlock but his low shot was well gathered by Nicholls under pressure from the lurking home forwards.

After the break, the visitors started strongly, as they began to come into the contest as an attacking force, Josh Koroma’s shot deflecting and allowing Simon Sluga to save.

Cornick then saw his long-range effort deflected behind, but Huddersfield were within a whisker of taking the lead on the hour mark when Danel Sinani went for the top corner with a curling attempt but narrowly missed.

Sinani had another attempt on goal moments later from even further out, only finding the midriff of Sluga, as team-mate Scott High let fly from outside the box – when he had others better placed – but his effort did not test the Luton keeper.

Bell put on a run of his own after being picked out by Luton substitute Henri Lansbury, the visiting defence doing their job, while the Hatters’ replacement then had a go himself after Nicholls punched Bree’s corner out to him, only to slip and skew his volley wide.

With time running out, Huddersfield might have won it as full-back Harry Toffolo was played in by Koroma’s clever reverse ball but, from a tight angle, he got underneath his shot and lifted the ball over the top.

Late on, Lansbury’s high hanging cross was easily dealt with by Nicholls as both sides had to make do with a point.