Luton Boss Mick Harford On The Match

Last updated : 13 March 2008 By Thetashkentterror

Mick Harford
Hatters manager Mick Harford spoke to BBC Three Counties Radio about his side's 2-1 defeat at Carlisle earlier this evening, Harford suggesting that at least his players had played better than of late :


" On the first-half performance when we gave two sloppy goals away, it's very hard when you go to any football game, or any football ground in the country, to give teams a two goal lead. In the second-half I thought the players showed a hell of a lot of character and a lot of spirit and also played some very good football. We scored a good goal and maybe could have gone on to get an equaliser, and it would have been deserved I thought but it wasn't to be. Since I have been at the football club my record is very poor but we'll keep working hard to turn that around and it will eventually turn around.

" The first disallowed goal was maybe a push, you can't touch players nowadays and if there is any infringement on the goalkeeper it seems to be given that way, and the referee has deemed that it was a free-kick. The second-half performance gives me a little bit of hope though, that's the way I'd like the team to play, when we get an opportunity to play. It's another defeat which is the most disappointing thing but the second-half performance, it gives me a little bit of hope. It's going to be tough, it is still going to be a long road to go.

" We were playing downwind in the first-half and I thought that we'd have more chances and more possession. Then obviously they had more chances in the first-half, as we did in the second-half against the wind. It was just two very sloppy goals and the players who are responsible for it are very disappointed in the dressing-room.

" Absolutely unmarked for the first goal, and Dean Brill maybe should have stayed where he was for the second goal. He's a very young goalkeeper though, he's a very, very talented goalkeeper and along the way he is going to make mistakes. One day Dean Brill will be a top goalkeeper I'm sure and he'll learn from those errors.

" Paul McVeigh has got a good football brain, he's a talented little footballer. He is another player who is trying to get up to match speed but his effort, commitment and skill levels this evenings were very good, so I was pleased with Paul. Ryan (Charles) is a really lovely kid, an energetic lad, he wants to play football and he wants to learn. I thought he deserved his debut the way he has trained and the way he has worked hard in training. He's been great to have around and he'll be part of the future of Luton Town hopefully.

" It's nice to have them (Lewis Emanuel and Sol Davis) both back, Sol played 90 minutes again, hopefully he can come through today. He's had a bit of a rough time lately and he's been fatigued a lot after he got back into the team. Sol is an adequate left-back though and obviously Lewis on the left side in front of him gives us a bit of strength and defensive qualities down there, but I thought that going forward Lewis did well too.

" I won't let the second-half display kid me, I'm a realist, it's another defeat. I'm not daft enough to stand here and think 45 minutes of good football is going to turn this football club around. It's disappointing to lose the game but it's a start. They are disappointed in the dressing-room, they are upset at why they can't perform like that for 90 minutes. "