Defender Gabe Osho said he and his team-mates’ bitter disappointment at losing to runaway leaders Burnley courtesy of a late penalty shows how much potential there is in the Hatters’ season.
Town remain fourth in the Sky Bet Championship table, having given the Clarets – who moved 11 points clear of second-placed Sheffield United and 15 ahead of the play-off places – a real run for their money at a sold-out Kenilworth Road.
Ashley Barnes’ 78th-minute penalty, given for a handball against Osho, was all that separated the sides and the former Reading man said: “It’s disappointing, for me personally with giving away the pen, but as a team I think we worked really hard and went toe-to-toe with them.
“I think we were better than them. Ethan didn’t really have a save to make in the whole game, and against top of the league, that’s all you can ask for. So yeah, (it’s) really disappointing.”
Even with ten men following captain Tom Lockyer’s dismissal for two quickfire yellow cards following the award, and conversion of the penalty, the Hatters still pressed for an equaliser and pushed Vincent Kompany’s side all the way.
“It just shows how much the team wanted it, how much we believed that we could win the game,” said the 24-year-old. “As the game went on it became more and more apparent that we could win the game, so it was really frustrating.”
On the penalty, conceded when Brazilian sub Vitinho attempted to lift the ball past Osho in the box, with it striking the defender’s arm, he said: “The way I remember it, it was just flicked over someone’s head, and then the guy’s flicked it back towards me as I was running towards him.
“I mean, if my hand's out wide, then I understand. But from what I remember, my hand was literally by my side and he’s a yard away. It just kind of sums up what’s happening with me at the moment. I just have to trust in the process and keep going.”
Osho also conceded a penalty for Coventry’s equaliser last Saturday, but is in fine form, turning in some impressive performances on the left side of the Hatters’ back three.
They were denied three points at Preston on Wednesday night by a harsh handball given against Lockyer, and Osho went on: “It’s disappointing, especially the last two results because they could have been wins and then the table looks completely different.
“But the manager has just said that if we keep performing at that level, we’ll get where we want to get to, so hopefully we’ll start to get the rub of the green.”
He added: “Today shows us, and the league table shows us that we can go head to head with literally any single team in the league, so we’ll take confidence from that. Obviously the result’s disappointing, but we’ll move forward and try to win the up and coming games.”