Luton Town concern at an all-time high as relegation to League One beckons | OneFootball

The Hatters are staring down the barrel of a second straight relegation if they don't turn things around at Kenilworth Road

The drop off in this Luton Town team of late beggars belief, with the Hatters a shadow of the side that took the division by storm two years ago.

Rob Edwards rode the crest of a wave to take the club to the Premier League, with an emotional day at Wembley securing a return to the top flight, to culminate a journey that had seen them drop down to non-league and rise back up stronger.

But that hard work has almost been undone in the blink of an eye, with Edwards departing the club earlier this month amid the turmoil at Kenilworth Road and Town failing to muster any of the sort of gusto that saw them defy the odds in claiming that promotion less than 24 months ago.

Matt Bloomfield is the man trusted to take up the mantle from here on in, but the signs are worrying in Bedfordshire right now, with things needing to turn around before too long.

Luton Town’s defensive woes leave Championship relegation a real possibility

Tuesday night’s defeat to Oxford United was further proof of just how much work Bloomfield has to do in his new post if he is to turn fortunes around at Luton in the remainder of the season, with his new charges twice surrendering a lead before going down 3-2 at the Kassam Stadium.

Tom Krauss’ stunning opener gave the visitors the perfect start before some slack defending in the penalty area allowed Michal Helik to net his first goal for the club after joining from Huddersfield Town earlier in the month, with Thomas Kaminski likely feeling he could have done better with the effort in the Hatters’ goal.

Mark McGuinness put Town ahead once again with a header at the far post, but a porousness that has been too often the case came back to haunt them once again in the last half hour, as Ciaron Brown diverted a corner into the back of the net, before Greg Leigh was left unmarked in the penalty area to complete the turnaround with 20 minutes to play.

With all three of the hosts’ goals coming from deliveries from wide positions, it is clear to see where the Hatters are struggling right now, which is complete chalk and cheese compared to the side that was so compact and whole-hearted in the same division two years ago, with Bloomfield summing it up at the final whistle.

“It’s very disappointing. The game will never change, the two 18-yard boxes are the most important areas of the pitch," he said after the defeat.

“You have to defend one end with your life and you have to stick the ball away in the net the other end, that’s what the game comes down to.”

Only rock-bottom side Plymouth Argyle have conceded more than Luton’s 47 league goals this season, with just one clean sheet in their previous 12 Championship outings speaking for itself, with that coming in a dire showing from both sides in the 0-0 draw with Preston North End at the weekend.

The good news is that Bloomfield still has time to turn things around in the current campaign, and with the January transfer window still wide open, the former Wycombe Wanderers boss can still make additions if needed, to help tighten up a porous backline.

The 40-year-old had the promotion-chasing Chairboys solid at the back during his time at Adams Park with just 27 goals conceded during his 25 matches in charge before his departure, and will be looking to adapt that approach in his new environment.

Luton Town away form is hindering any sort of Hatters momentum

With Town sitting in 23rd on 26 points, they have a whole host of clubs within touching distance ahead of them, with just a faint pulse injected back into their performances likely to give them a fighting chance of survival.

That said, the Hatters need to work out a way of earning points on the road, with that defeat at Oxford making it 12 defeats from 14 this season, with just one draw and win apiece at this stage of the season.

Once again, it is only the Pilgrims of Plymouth that sit below them in that regard, with a trip to Home Park even being fruitless earlier in the season, with all their huff and puff coming to no avail.

Having shipped goals at an alarming rate, Town haven’t picked up any points on the road since mid-September, with the travelling supporters making the journey in hope, rather than expectation, with many a journey home being tinged with disappointment.

Things don’t look to be getting any easier in that regard, with trips to Sheffield Wednesday and Sunderland to come, before a showdown with local rivals Watford on February 23, with the Hornets likely wanting to rub salt into the wounds of their nearest neighbours when the two face off.

There are plenty of warning signs that aren’t being heeded, and Bloomfield needs to arrest the slide fast, which might be quite the ask for someone fairly early in their managerial career.

Carry on this way and a return to League One is most definitely on the cards, but we all know the Hatters can thrive off of a backs-to-the-wall mentality, and with their status as a Championship side hanging by a thread, they will need to delve deep inside to turn things around before too long.