The Hatters had another productive pre-season fixture at The Brache this afternoon as they went down 2-1 to Danish Superliga side AGF before flying off for their Slovenian training camp.
The Danes, who finished fifth in their league last season, posed a real step up in class of opposition following the opening 3-0 win over Stevenage on Tuesday afternoon.
They were playing their final friendly before they kick-off their league campaign next Friday and came out on top with a fortunate early goal from Gift Links and a late one from Jacob Andersen, after Carlton Morris had equalised with his second goal in as many matches.
Town had played some excellent football in between, however, and can take many positives with them as they head out to Kranjska Gora, where they will take on Ukrainian side Rukh Lviv and Turkish outfit Goztepe in the next week.
The Hatters lined up with James Shea in goal behind a back three of Tom Holmes, making his first appearance in a Luton shirt since signing from Reading in January and spending the second half of last season back on loan with the Royals, Teden Mengi and Joe Johnson.
Chieo Ogbene and Alfie Doughty were the wing backs with Jordan Clark, Tahith Chong and Zack Nelson in midfield behind Morris and Elijah Adebayo in attack.
Skipper Morris had the Town’s first shot on 12 minutes, meeting Doughty’s left-wing corner with a sweet half-volley that flew just past the post.
The Danes spurned a great chance to take the lead a minute later when former Brentford defender Henrik Dalsgaard headed over from close range, but they did gain the advantage in the 14th minute when Doughty’s clearance off the line hit wideman Links inside the six-yard box and rebounded into the back of the net.
Doughty and Chong were soon providing much of the Hatters’ attacking threat down the left, with Ogbene cutting inside from the right and seeing a powerful shot blocked just after the half-hour.
A lovely passing move involving Nelson, Adebayo, Morris and Ogbene ended with Johnson standing up a ball to the far post for Morris, who couldn’t get a clean header on goal, before Mikael Anderson missed two good opportunities to extend the visitors’ lead in the five minutes before half-time.
The Hatters were level in first half injury-time when Doughty’s ball down the left caused confusion in the Danes’ defence, with Morris nipping in to steer a short back header past goalkeeper Jesper Hansen and net a deserved equaliser.
Edwards made two changes at the break, with Daiki Hashioka and Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu on in place of Holmes and Nelson, and Town went close to gaining the upper hand in scoreline when Johnson’s clever footwork set Chong up for a shot from the edge of the box.
A deflection took the ball narrowly wide and Adebayo climbed highest to meet the resulting corner at the far post, only to see his header hacked clear off the line.
Shea had to be alert to keep out an AGF corner a minute later, as Morris’ clearing header ricocheted back off strike partner Adebayo’s head at the near post.
Edwards then brought on Cauley Woodrow for Morris and Andros Townsend for Ogbene, but the visitors were enjoying a good spell, Anderson pulling the trigger as Town cleared a corner only as far as the edge of the box, Mengi putting his head in the way to block it, before Shea was quick off his line to deny Links a second at the far post.
Clark had cleared a header off the line with his final involvement before making way for Jayden Luker, who enjoyed a productive loan spell at Woking last season.
With John McAtee and Joe Taylor on up front, who both had excellent League One loans at Barnsley and Lincoln respectively, and youngsters Axel Piesold, Jack Bateson and Aidan Francis-Clarke all introduced from the bench, the Town line-up took on a fresh look.
Townsend and McAtee were soon combining well in the final third, with the former England international curling an effort just wide with 20 minutes to go.
Then Jameson Horlick replaced Shea and the young goalkeeper was immediately called into action, pulling off a flying save to keep another Anderson shot from 20 yards.
He could do nothing to keep out Andersen’s left-footed shot from just inside the area on 76 minutes, however, as the Danes regained the lead and maintained it until the end.
Town: Shea (Horlick 72), Holmes (Hashioka 46), Mengi (Bateson 62), Johnson (Francis-Clarke 69), Ogbene (Townsend 55), Nelson (Mpanzu 46), Clark (Luker 69), Chong (McAtee 60), Doughty (Piesold 62), Morris (Woodrow 55), Adebayo (Taylor 60).
Goals:
AFG – Links 14, Andersen 76
LT – Morris 45+1
