Take your hat off to the late, late show

LUTON manager Nathan Jones hailed a ‘fantastic three points’ but admitted his side were not good enough, despite a dramatic win at Wycombe.

The Hatters looked as though they were going to be beaten by an Adebayo Akinfenwa goal before Scott Cuthbert and James Collins struck at the death to turn the game on its head.

And although he was clearly delighted with a come-from-behind win, Jones couldn’t hide his displeasure at his team’s overall performance.

“It was a fantastic three points but we were nowhere near, first half, in terms of competing – nowhere near in terms of how we went about it,” said the Luton boss.

“We couldn’t really handle Akinfenwa. We didn’t do the ugly side of stuff.

“I’m disappointed with the first half, I really am.

“I’m going to have to think about my team selection and play a team full of workers until the game opens up, and then bring the footballers on, but I can’t take it away from an absolutely wonderful afternoon.

“I can enjoy that. It won’t mask over the fact that we weren’t great, but this is a difficult place to come.

“I’d have rather won like that than lost gallantly.”

Luton were largely outplayed by their hosts, for whom Akinfenwa was a constant threat, but could have levelled in the 52nd minute when Danny Hylton was denied from the penalty spot by Scott Brown, having been brought down by Joe Jacobson.

It was the first time the Wycombe keeper had been tested.

Wycombe, conversely, created plenty of good chances, but couldn’t find an elusive second goal that would have made the game safe, and were punished late on.

But Gareth Ainsworth refused to criticise his team despite their last-gasp defeat.

He said: “I’m gutted at the end but really proud of my boys.

“We’ve given a team that’s spent so much they should be getting promoted this year, a good game.

“We’ve done ourselves no harm in the end and shown we can compete with the better teams in this league.

“I’m positive after that performance.

“Yes, it’s cruel, but it does happen sometimes and they go home on the end of a fantastic moment at the end.

“Well done to Luton but for the majority of the game, we were the better side.

“If we play like that for 46 games, I’m sure we’ll be there or thereabouts at the end of the season.”