DRUMMY: I’VE GOT MY GOALS
CRAWLEY TOWN boss Dermot Drummy defended his decision to bring in another goalkeeper despite giving Mitchell Beeney his debut only last week.
Beeney did not even make the squad for the visit of Luton as Glenn Morris started his Crawley career with a clean sheet.
Drummy said: “I’m not a development coach. I’ve got to stay in a job as well so Crawley have got to win.
“We are not here to develop at the cost of three points. I’ve got to educate the players about winning three points and also get us up the table.”
Drummy, the former Chelsea reserves and academy coach who was appointed in April, praised the tactical prowess of his side.
“Tactically we got it right,” he added. “In the end you have to defend to the hill.
“We are not a big, strong team at the moment, but with that spirit and defensive quality and with Glenn in goal, we looked more solid.”
Luton manager Nathan Jones conceded his side were not good enough after they dropped to seventh in the league.
With Danny Hylton on the bench nursing a cheekbone injury, they started the match with no recognised striker and Jones admitted they were below par.
“We didn’t play. I don’t think we were any real danger,” Jones said.
“And the first goal came right before half-time. It was a good time for them but it came out of nothing really. It was just a cross and it was poor to concede a goal at that time and of that calibre.
“That then gives them something to cling on to. They sat back and they wasted time.
“We needed to pick up the tempo all the time and that is because of our errors there and defending the cross. Then obviously we didn’t create a lot in the second half and when we did, we huffed and puffed.”
Luton started brightly as Isaac Vassell pounced on a defensive error outside the Crawley penalty area but failed to test Morris as his shot sailed wide.
Crawley’s Billy Clifford set up James Collins in front of goal but Christian Walton blocked the hosts’ first effort on goal.
Mark Connolly made a goalline clearance after Morris underestimated Vassell’s cross and left an open goal.
Collins then scored his fourth goal of the season after he lost his man and met Lewis Young’s low cross in the sixyard box. Substitute Jack Marriot thought he had scored an injury-time equaliser until the referee awarded a free-kick against him for a foul on Morris, and the victory was sealed when Jimmy Smith played Enzio Boldewijn through to set up the second goal and home win of the season.