Luton 2-1 Bradford: Top Hatters Keep Play-Off Chase Alive
Credit: Altaf Shah
A wet and muddy Kenilworth Road played host to a key battle at the sharp end of the League One table as 5th placed Bradford, newly promoted from the fourth tier, travelled to a Luton side in 7th who were on Match Of The Day every week just two seasons prior. Two years is a long, long time in football and now the Hatters find themselves amongst the chasing pack as a gap begins to form between those in the play-off places and the rest of the division. Jack Wilshere’s team approached this fixture knowing defeat could send them as many as nine points short of the top six, effectively ending their hopes of a return to the Championship at the first time of asking, while Graham Alexander’s travelling Bantams were well aware that a big away victory would all-but secure their play-off status on their return to League One.
Whatever you think about Luton Town, you can never accuse them of being boring. They’ve either been promoted or relegated in six of the last twelve seasons, rising all the way from non-league to the Premier League before crashing back down to League One with successive relegations. They defied all expectations to reach the top, and again went against the odds to drop back to the third tier.
They’ve faced a lot of upheaval, both on and off the field, as a squad geared for a return to the Premier League suddenly had to adapt for an away trip to Port Vale. Only two of the team that played in their final-day defeat at West Brom that condemned them to a League One return played this weekend for the visit of Bradford, with most of their highest earners, who deemed themselves far too good for the third tier, were moved on in the summer and replaced by young, hungry players both permanently and on loan. With a few experienced players at this level sprinkled in, all signs pointed to yet another promotion in the Luton Town story. Things haven’t been as smooth at the Kenilworth Road faithful would’ve hoped for, however. Manager Matt Bloomfield was dismissed after a poor start to the campaign and replaced by the inexperienced Jack Wilshere as Luton desperately scrambled to get back into the Championship and continue their generally upward trajectory of recent years.
The former Arsenal man has had mixed successes in his time as the Hatters’ boss thus far. On one hand, his side’s only loss at home to date was to Mansfield on his very first game, with them going on to claim at least a point from the subsequent ten games in front of their own fans. That all sounds great, good form at home is an essential platform to build a promotion charge on top of. On their travels, however, Wilshere’s Luton have won just two from eight. And they were his opening two trips. With just one point picked up from their last six games on the road, Luton are holding themselves back from leapfrogging Bradford or Huddersfield into a play-off spot for a shot at redemption.
Speak of the devil, this weekend’s visitors Bradford are having a remarkable season. Traditionally one of the bigger clubs in the EFL, and certainly too big for League Two, Bradford have had to endure the company of the fourth tier for six seasons before finally achieving promotion on the final day last season. Elation soon turned to trepidation, without the financial muscle of your Wrexhams and Stockports of promotions past, how would the Bantams adapt to their new surroundings? And would they have what it takes to survive in a League One season that is proving to be as competitive as its ever been? Cut to February and Bradford are sat in the play-offs with a buffer separating them and the rest of the division, with a second successive promotion more than on the cards. They were actually looking like automatic promotion hopefuls at points throughout the first half of the season, before a couple of wobbles combined with the imperious form of the top two has knocked them out of that particular race.
This game could end up being season-defining for both sides involved. Bradford were in 5th before kick-off, knowing that a victory would send them at worst 8 points clear of the sides chasing them. Having won just twice in the last thirteen away trips in all competitions, three points at fortress Kenilworth was always going to be a tall order. Luton began the day in 7th, three points necessary to keep their promotion dreams alive, a loss would see their season start to slip away from them. Game on.
The first-half started lively and lived up to the pre-match promise. Luton skipper Jordan Clark led the charge from midfield, testing Sam Walker in the Bradford net early on with a low drive before rattling the crossbar with a shot from a tight angle later in the half. Bradford’s best chance of the opening period came from a corner, as Tyreik Wright found himself unmarked but could only flash his shot wide of the post. With both sides showing positive signs, it was only a matter of time before the deadlock was finally broken.
Six minutes before the break, 18 year-old Jake Richards found a pocket of space just outside the Bradford area. He worked the ball onto his left foot and drove his effort hard and low into the bottom right-hand corner, well beyond the reach of Walker. It was the teenager’s third goal of the season after swapping Exeter for Luton in the summer, it looks like they’ve got a gem on their hands at Kenilworth Road. Wilshere’s faith in youth has made his team come unstuck in some tricky moments, but it more than paid off here. With inexperience comes inconsistency, both in the dugout and on the pitch. But when it works, it really works. A sprinkle of magic from young Walker saw Luton drag Bradford back within touching distance and wrenched the play-off race wide open. At half-time, with the gap now just four points between them, Bradford knew they had to come out and impose themselves on Luton to avoid losing precious ground in the hunt for promotion. All Luton had to do was hold and try to pick them off as they came forward. The stage was set for a pulsating finale.
Bradford opened the half strongly, clearly trying to take control of the match and swing it back into their favour, but just couldn’t find an opening. It didn’t take long for the hosts to double their advantage. Just ten minutes after the restart, the ball was back in the Bradford net. Jake Richards was heavily involved again, pressing well and using his physicality to dispossess Jenson Metcalfe on halfway. He tackled it into the path of his captain Clark, who found Shayden Morris in acres of space on the right. The former Aberdeen man, signed in summer after a fairly impressive season in Scotland, has had a difficult start to his Luton Town career. He’s found himself in and out of the team, and regularly failed to make an impression in games where he has featured. Watching his goal today, you couldn’t tell. He took the ball under his spell, drove into the box, chopped his defender and slotted home like it was the most natural thing in the world. Luton fans will be hoping they get to see this side of him more often. 2-0 and in the ascendancy, was there any way back for Bradford or would it be the latest entry in a series of travelling defeats?
After an hour, Graham Alexander made the decision to substitute his entire front three, and they almost all combined immediately to halve the deficit. A beautiful flick from Stephen Humphrys found Antoni Sarcevic in space in midfield. He played an inch-perfect through ball to Manchester United loanee Ethan Wheatley, his tame effort easily gathered by the ‘keeper as he squandered a golden opportunity one-on-one. The 20 year-old spent the first half of the season at Northampton, failing to impress as he managed just 3 goals in 22 games. United decided that maybe playing with a higher quality of player could bring the best out of young Wheatley, opting to recall him and send him to Bradford on deadline day. Missing a chance so simple with one of his first touches as a Bantam isn’t the ideal start for the young lad, who will be desperate to redeem himself in the coming weeks.
Chances at both ends continued as Bradford pushed for a way back into the game and Luton exploited the gaps left in their backline. West Ham loanee Gideon Kodua had the best of the remaining efforts for the hosts, his shot well saved by Walker as he looked to add a goal to go with his assist for the opener. The substitutes combined again for Bradford as Sarcevic laid the ball off to Humphrys on the edge of the box, whose effort stung the palms of Luton ‘keeper Josh Keeley and was ultimately cleared away.
Humphrys would eventually get his goal, but it was just too late for Bradford to mount a comeback. A looping, hopeful ball over the top by Sarcevic dropped in front of Humphrys and Luton full-back Joe Johnson. Humphrys showed the 19 year-old why he has been one of the most consistently dangerous forwards at this level for years now, controlling the ball on his chest while holding off his defender and slotting his finish coolly past the ‘keeper. Six minutes into seven added, the score was pulled back to 2-1 and that’s how it ended. Bradford succumbed to another defeat on the road and Luton’s home form has kept their play-off hopes ticking for at least another week or two.
In a game of this magnitude, Bradford simply cannot afford to miss the chances that they did. On another day they win that game on the quality of the opportunities they created, and they were certainly value for at least a draw. They’re currently four points ahead of Luton in 7th with a game in hand, so the outcome of this play-off race is all down to them. Keep slipping up, and watch a remarkable season fizzle out into just a good one. Start picking up points consistently again, and they could be a Championship side before they’ve even settled into League One. If you’d have offered Bradford fans survival pre season, they’d have bitten your hand off, but the manner in which they’ve gone about dismantling a lot of their competition in this league means that anything below sixth is now deemed a failure. Their fate hangs in the balance, with home fixtures against a resurgent Peterborough and fellow play-off hopefuls Stockport up next. We’ll know a lot more about Bradford’s credentials in a few weeks’ time.
Luton have a tricky trip to Cardiff to navigate next up, before what should be easy fixtures against Wigan, Burton and Port Vale. The simple facts of the case are this: sort out your away form, reach the play-offs. Once you get into that top six, anything can happen. Oftentimes it’s the team that makes the last-gasp run of form that carries their momentum up into the play-offs all the way to Wembley and into the division above. Has Wilshere got what it takes to carry this young Luton side back to the second tier?
A match with enormous permutations, won by the home side on this occasion. Both will be hopeful of making it to the top six come May, but only four teams can make it to the play-offs. With Cardiff, Lincoln, Bolton and Stockport looking all-but assured of a place, everyone from Huddersfield in 5th to Mansfield in 12th will be trying to cram into the final two places. Into the final third of the season now! This is where we find out who really has the ability to go all the way.