Luton look to consolidate their position in the Championship’s play-off positions when they welcome Blackpool to Kenilworth Road. Mark O’Haire previews the encounter.
Luton survive bruising Cardiff clash
Luton remain well on-course to finish in the Championship’s top-six after picking up a vital 1-0 victory against Cardiff on Easter Monday. The Hatters displayed tremendous fighting spirit in the Welsh capital as Nathan Jones‘ outfit were dealt three injury blows during the game with James Bree, James Shea and Fred Onyedinma all forced off during the contest.
However, unbowed by the changes they had to make, Town deservedly struck the only goal of a tight game when one of their replacements, Harry Cornick, rose to head home his 12th of the season on 71 minutes. The success maintains Luton’s position in the league table but the win stretched the gap to seventh place to six points as we turn for home.
Captain Sonny Bradley will return for suspension here but Jones admitted he has selection problems ahead of Saturday’s showdown. He said, “The games are getting tough, not just because they are Championship games but because we are losing players. I have got 10 injuries – eight central midfield players out – we are patching everything up. It’s tough.”
Blackpool shred Birmingham
Blackpool showed their mean streak on Easter Monday by thrashing Birmingham 6-1 at Bloomfield Road. The Tangerines were superb from the first whistle, taking the lead just three minutes into the match-up through full debutant Jake Beesley and continued to press thereafter; CJ Hamilton and Kenny Dougall were also on the scoresheet before half-time.
Neil Critchley‘s charges were dominate and aggressive on and off the ball, and could easily have led by more at the break. And Blackpool continued to put Birmingham to the sword in the second-half, with Beesley grabbing his second, Jerry Yates scoring from the penalty spot and Callum Connolly drilling home a stunning free-kick from 30 yards to complete the rout.
Despite the one-sided affair, Critchley was left demanding more from his players. Speaking post-match, he said: “It’s been a great day. But what we’ve done is been clinical, which we’ve not done in previous games. You’re probably going to think I’m a lunatic, but we’ve just taken our chances – our general play has been better in some other games recently.”
Luton have enjoyed reasonable supremacy when meeting Blackpool over their last 11 league match-ups. The Hatters have returned W7-D3-L1 in head-to-head encounters going back to 2003 with the Bedfordshire boys also running out impressive 3-0 victors when the two teams crossed swords at Bloomfield Road back in December’s most recent contest.
Only Nottingham Forest boast a better points return than Luton 1.834/5 since the start of December. The Hatters have claimed W14-D4-L5 in their last 23 Championship fixtures, whilst recording 10 clean sheets along the way. However, Town have also claimed W16-D4-L6 from fixtures against sides outside the top-10, with 12 of those 16 triumphs to nil.
Blackpool 4.804/1 have quite convincingly taken the honours of top promoted club in the Championship this campaign. The Seasiders recovered from a slow transition period and have since tabled W15-D9-L13 across their last 36 outings, a run that began after September’s international break. Yet the guests have claimed just four away wins all season.
Luton have been involved in a few fun affairs at Kenilworth Road this season. The Hatters’ home matches average 2.67 goals per-game with 12/21 (57%) producing Over 2.5 Goals 2.001/1 profit. The majority of heavy lifting has been done by Town with Nathan Jones’ outfit posting a hefty 10 (48%) clean sheets in front of their home supporters.
Despite their plight when taking to the road, Blackpool have impressively scored in all 13 of their away trips to teams inside the top-14 this term, and will arrive on a high following Easter Monday’s eye-catching success. However, a paltry tally of two clean sheets in games as guests is likely to prove the Seasiders’ undoing on Saturday.
Backing Luton to win at 1.834/5 stands out considering Town’s form over the past five months, particularly when welcoming a poor traveller that’s occupying mid-table obscurity at the back end of a long season.
Source: Betfair UK English Championship
