Alan Sheehan highlights Luton’s togetherness after victory at Coventry

Posted Wednesday, March 09, 2022 by PA

Luton first team coach Alan Sheehan praised the togetherness of the Hatters’ squad after Elijah Adebayo’s first-half goal sealed a 1-0 win over Coventry at the CBS Arena.

Nathan Jones’ men made it seven wins in 10 games with Adebayo’s 13th Sky Bet Championship goal of the season, which came when he latched on to a long ball from emergency loan goalkeeper Alex Palmer before slotting home his third goal against the Sky Blues this season.

The victory took Luton back into the play off places after they dropped out of the top six on Saturday following a 2-1 defeat to Middlesbrough.

Former Leicester and Leeds defender Sheehan said afterwards: “The way the lads defend for each other is so impressive, that togetherness is worth a few points at the end of the season.

“When we go a goal ahead we rarely get beaten, so to get that goal and grind (the win) out was excellent.

“We’re in an excellent place, the club is in an excellent place, it’s a wonderful place to work with wonderful players and staff.

“Everyone is pulling together and when everyone is pulling in the right direction something good comes from it – and the togetherness at this football club is outstanding.”

The all-important goal saw West Brom loanee Palmer spring off the turf and launch an attack, punting the ball downfield before Adebayo shifted inside, opened his body and slotted past Simon Moore.

Sheehan added: “I thought it was a great finish. A long ball over the top, which is something we didn’t do enough in the first half, getting in behind them.

“But the one time we did, that one moment of quality from either side in the first half…that ended up winning the game for us.

“You can’t play unbelievable football every week, I think tonight was a night for the basics, the pitch was a bit bobbly and hard to gain momentum at times but we did the basics well and that was important.

“We stayed in the game, we defended our box really well when we had to and we probably had the better chances over the 90 minutes”

Sky Blues boss Mark Robins admitted the defeat was a kick in the teeth to his side, who fell six points behind the play off places after a second defeat in succession following Saturday’s 3-1 defeat at Swansea.

Robins admitted: “I’m saying to the players in the dressing room it’s a difficult one because on the one hand the performance is really good, but to lose it is a right kick in the teeth.

“I think we were really unlucky. They beat us up down there and as poor a performance as it was down there, I think it was a really strong performance tonight.”

Coventry had a chance to score inside 15 seconds when Viktor Gyokeres picked out the returning Matty Godden in the box after almost two months out following appendix surgery, before Gyökeres himself had two chances to put Coventry a goal to the good.

Robins added: “That seems to be something that you say too often, but that is where we’re at. It’s so frustrating.

“It’s just the reality of our situation, there are some brilliant things, some really good things from our goalkeeper to the opposite end and creating really good opportunities.

“It’s just that last little bit and at some point they will realise how good they are, have a calm brain and pass the ball into a space that contains the net.”