Edwards left wondering what Luton have done wrong to be punished

Edwards left wondering what Luton have done wrong to be punished by freak QPR winner

 

Luton boss Rob Edwards was left wondering just what he has done to deserve the luck that went against him and his side during this evening’s 2-1 defeat to QPR.

After the R’s wasted two glorious chances early on, the visitors then fell behind with 24 minutes on the clock, Michael Frey getting the better of Reuell Walters at the back post to turn his volley beyond Thomas Kaminski. However, the goal should in fact have been ruled out for an accidental handball by the Swiss striker, the ball striking his left arm before the finish, as he clearly knew something was up, not celebrating until seeing referee Andy Davies had pointed to the centre circle.

Then, when Mark McGuinness levelled with a towering header on the stroke of half time, Luton were the better team in the opening stages of the second period until Ilias Chair’s 62nd minute effort from range struck the unwitting Morgan Fox which left Thomas Kaminski wrongfooted, going on to bobble over the line for proved to be the winner.

 

It meant Luton were condemned to a fourth successive defeat and have now lost all of their last 10 fixtures on the road, as discussing the goals, Edwards said: “The way we conceded both, an element of handball in the first and obviously a great deal of luck in the second. It feels like we’ve been here before doesn’t it and really, really tough to take. I think it was a handball. We’re not in the Premier League and we don’t get the benefit of VAR, so handball, a deflection, it just seems to be that’s the way it’s going at the moment. I’m looking up and thinking, ‘what we have we done to be punished like this?’”

 

 

Edwards was also disappointed by the build-up to what proved to be the decisive strike, as QPR attacker Paul Smyth suffered a cut to his eye after being caught by Amari’i Bell. Rather than being told to stay off the pitch to receive treatment, the officials let him come back on, as he then immediately sat down on the turf once Town had given away a free-kick which saw the physios called on.

 

It meant R’s boss Marti Cifuentes had time to make two changes, which included withdrawing Smyth, as his side scored from the set-piece they had been awarded, with Edwards continuing: “It’s really frustrating when Smyth is down for ages and is on the touchline, he’s allowed then to come into the middle of the pitch to receive treatment, for them to make subs and it slowed the whole thing down.

“That shouldn’t happen. He should just be taken off, make sure he’s all right obviously, get the treatment, but off the pitch, get the game going. I don’t think the free kick happens that way then as it would have been different, they would have had less bodies on the pitch. So I thought that was poor from the officials and then the goal just seems to be the way we’re going at the moment

Despite being beaten again, Edwards had yet again been pleased with the majority of what he had witnessed, adding: “The lads gave everything, I thought minus a couple of poor bits in the first half where we didn’t mark in the box, which we went through a lot, that’s the reason why we’ve probably played a back five a lot, you can see why, but minus those mistakes there, there was not a lot in the game.

 

“I thought we created one or two big moments, got the goal, 1-1 at half time, great. We started the second half brilliantly, we were on top and playing really well, in the ascendancy and that’s when we’ve got to try and strike, we’ve got to score in that moment, but we couldn’t

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