Town boss Rob Edwards reflected on a mixed day after seeing his side’s pre-season camp in Slovenia end with a 3-2 defeat to Turkish top-flight side Göztepe on Saturday.
“It was frustrating to lose the game but we were looking for number of things from the game: 90 minutes for some, which we got, more minutes for others, which we got, and no injuries, which I believe we got,” he said.
“We wanted a performance, which we didn’t really get until later on. I thought we lacked any forward thrust and we weren’t what I want us to be. We played too passive in the first half.
“We made three big errors for three of their goals and we’ve got to make sure we cut that out. If we make them now, now’s the time, but we’ve got to learn from them and get better.
“It’s a mixed day. Good to get minutes in for some, no injury but performance-wise we left a bit out there.”
After trailing 3-0, two goals from substitute Zack Nelson gave the Town hope of mounting an unlikely comeback.
“He can make an impact and I think he’ll also think he could have had a hat-trick,” added Edwards. “He’s a talented player and I really hope he can make an impact this year and we’re challenging him to do that.”
The game also saw Reuell Walters and Shandon Baptiste make their first appearance in Luton colours following their recent arrivals with the pair playing the opening 45 minutes.
“I was pleased with them – look, they were never going to be judged today, it’s their first minutes for us,” said the manager. “They’ve had 45 minutes, they’ve come in and now had a feel for what we’re about and they’re only going to get better.”
Attention now turns to the next pre-season friendly at Dundee United next Friday and Edwards is looking forward to returning to the UK to continue their preparations ahead of the Championship opener against Burnley on 12th August.
“We’ve had two games here, two tough tests and there’s lot to work on and build on,” he said.
“It’s positive. I’m not going to let the result spoil my thoughts. We know we’ve got lots to work on but we know we have a lot of players to come back and help us. We’re working hard behind the scenes to get four, five, six, seven back as soon as possible.”
