Full Time After Extra Time This is a live match. Extra Time Half Time

Luton Town vs Preston North End. Sky Bet Championship.

3:00pm, Saturday 18th January 2025.

Kenilworth RoadAttendance11,540.

Preston North End 0

Watch Live

Luton Town 0-0 Preston North End: Matt Bloomfield's first Hatters game ends in dour draw

Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Luton Town and Preston North End at Kenilworth Road on Saturday; Matt Bloomfield's first game in charge of Hatters ends in draw.

Saturday 18 January 2025 18:52, UK

New Luton manager Matt Bloomfield started his reign with an instantly forgettable goalless draw against Preston at Kenilworth Road.

The contest did not live up to the hype of the manager's free-flowing efforts at his previous club, with high-flying Wycombe scoring goals aplenty in League One, as visiting goalkeeper Freddie Woodman was hardly extended all game.

Although the first half did not provide the kind of fireworks that were expected, Luton did have the opening chance of note. However, Tom Holmes was unable to bulldoze his way through from a corner with centre-half partner Mark McGuinness dragging the loose ball wide.

Luton remained the most likely scorers though, Jordan Clark sending in an effort that was easy for Woodman, while Tom Krauss' cross was inches away from being turned into net by a North End defender.

Town looked to gain more ascendancy after the break, Clark dinking over a tantalising cross that was missed by both Carlton Morris and Isaiah Jones when a touch from either would surely have seen the deadlock broken.

A well-worked free-kick routine from deep then saw Luton defender Amari'i Bell have to make an important clearing header from inside his own six-yard box as the Lilywhites looked to pounce.

With 55 minutes on the clock, the visitors threatened once more, as they won a free-kick following a foul on Milutin Osmajic which was sent into the box. Morris cleared it out for Kaine Kesler-Hayden to fire in an ambitious half-volley that was well wide.

Midway through the half, Andrew Hughes tried to catch out Luton keeper Thomas Kaminski from 45 yards, but his attempt sailed wide of the target.

The Hatters responded with their first effort on target during the second period, Morris taking Clark's chipped pass in his stride but putting his snapshot too close to Woodman.

Luton changed their entire front three with 15 minutes to go, bringing on Elijah Adebayo, Victor Moses and youngster Zack Nelson but they could not pep up the hosts' attack.

Clark went close with four minutes to go but his free-kick from 25 yards unable to beat Woodman at his near post, while Adebayo then tried his luck in stoppage time from outside the box, Woodman barely tested once more as a drab affair ended all square.

The managers

Luton's Matt Bloomfield:

"Some good and some not so good. I thought out of possession, it was nice to get a clean sheet, first one in 12 I'm led to believe and stop a run of five straight defeats as well.

"So there's some bits to be pleased with, identity-wise, I thought there were some bits that came out.

Obviously we'd have loved to have scored, created more clear-cut opportunities, we didn't quite do that but I don't think that's been just today, I think that's been throughout the season.

"So more work to be done but a good foundation for us to build.

"You learn a huge amount in game situations, both individually and collectively, so what I've learned today is that as a group they're willing to take on the work and really try to implement that on a Saturday afternoon, so that's really encouraging and pleasing."

Preston's Paul Heckingbottom:

"I'm really pleased from minute one to the end. I think you guys could have probably guessed how I was going to approach the game after our last away performance in the league and then it became a little bit tricky in terms of when Luton made the change of manager.

"You don't know what team they're going to pick and tactically set up, so we're just focused on ourselves and our mentality away from home.

"One thing that is for sure is their threats are still the same, the personnel and 12 out of the last 20 goals are set-plays, so there's only two out of the last 20 when they've really opened teams up in open play.

"We picked a team to combat that and it was about that today. I've been critical where we've come away from home and had moments in games where we haven't been as resolute, haven't been as dogged, not managed moments in games well enough.

"I'd love it if that was a benchmark for every away game until the end of the season in terms of the mentality, we want to be better in other areas, but it was important that we showed that today."