Luton boss Rob Edwards was left to reflect on a “good day” for his side as they produced a battling performance to see off Hull 1-0 at Kenilworth Road.
Centre-half Mark McGuinness’s first goal for the club on 33 minutes was enough to ensure the points remained in Bedfordshire.
Edwards, whose future had looked uncertain following the 5-1 reverse to Middlesbrough before the international break, said: “It (victory) was important, but what was important was the process of it all.
“I can’t control the result and what was ultimately going to happen today but what was important was the way the lads stuck at it, showed some spirit, character, kept fighting to the end, in a really difficult game, so that’s the most important thing.
“Seeing the fans at the end as well, it gave me a lot of heart, so it was a good day. Hull are a really difficult, complex team to play against and I admire a lot of what he does, Tim, with his team and how they play.
“It was a difficult day and then we had the curveball of having to change the team not long before the game as well.
“It kind of sums us up at the moment and has done for quite a long time, but full credit to the lads that went out and played, they were brilliant, subs included as they made a good impact as well.”
The Tigers made a bright start to the contest, dominating possession, although Teden Mengi headed straight at Croatian keeper Ivor Pandur, before Luton took the lead on 33 minutes, McGuinness swivelling to volley in Shandon Baptiste’s corner.
.Joao Pedro glanced wide from Lewie Coyle’s inviting cross, but after the break, Elijah Adebayo nodded Tom Holmes’ delivery wide.
City should have restored parity on 51 minutes, Regan Slater’s marvellous low cross sidefooted against the post by Pedro, with Luton stopper Thomas Kaminski parrying Kasey Palmer’s fierce drive away.
The Belgian then made a terrific stop late on when Palmer’s curler deflected off McGuinness, as sub Chris Bedia volleyed badly wide with virtually his first touch in stoppage time.
A frustrated Tigers chief Tim Walter, who saw his side now make it eight games without a victory, added: “It’s the same, a replay from the other games that we played the last seven weeks, but at the end, they took one set-piece to score and we didn’t.
“We weren’t able to score and that’s the moment, but what I saw was a good character from my team, because they’re fighting until the end.
“They tried to fight against a loss and that’s important to have and they created, we had a lot of possession, we played a different style, we played not just from the back short, we played long balls and I’m very happy about my team.
“They want to score, that’s all they want, they want to shoot them in, they want to score before, but on Tuesday it’s the next opportunity to score and to shoot goals and that’s all I can expect.
“They still showed a lot of confidence and a lot of conviction and that’s all I can see at the moment on the pitch.”
