Opposition view: Luton coach Hayrettin blames Cobblers defeat on sloppy defending

After conceding early, the Cobblers attacked at will in the first half and looked capable of scoring at every opportunity, helped by some shoddy Luton defending.

Paul Benson’s ninth-minute opener was cancelled out by John-Joe O’Toole following a slick free-kick routine before Lawson D’Ath and then Marc Richards capitalised on further statuesque defending to put the visitors 3-1 ahead at half-time.

Though Luton fought back to make it 3-3 in the second half, Northampton came away with all three points when Ricky Holmes was given time and space to blast home a 70th minute winner.

Afterwards, Luton first team coach Hayrettin did the post-match interview, instead of under pressure manager Jon Still, and he said: “When you go 1-0 up at home you expect to win, when you score three goals at home, you expect to win.

“I think our second half performance was decent, but we can’t concede the goals we conceded the way we have been and expect to get back in the game.

“Our defending wasn’t good enough, the gaffer knows that, we’ve got to get back to work and try and rectify that.

“But the goals we’re conceding are so sloppy and unlike a John Still team that I know, or any team really. You cannot defend like that and expect to go and win the game.

“We’ve given it a go second half but it just wasn’t to be. The players don’t want to go out and make fundamental mistakes.

“As a player or as a group of players, we know that we need to do better at certain areas, especially the back.

“It’s not good enough, the defenders need to work hard, the people in front of them need to work harder, we need to be a bit tighter.

“We have to defend better for sure, 100 per cent we have to defend better, but it’s very bizarre when we look at things like this. As we work so hard and so tirelessly to make sure they understand and do the right thing, but although it’s good play for them, we expect to do better than that.”