'They made life difficult for us': Luton Town boss praises Blackpool's defensive display

The Seasiders were four minutes away from claiming three vital points against the league leaders, who haven't been beaten at home all season.

But Jason Cummings came off the bench to snatch a point for the 10 men of Luton, who are now unbeaten in their last 28 games.

The Hatters had earlier raced into an early lead when James Collins scored after just six minutes, only for Nya Kirby to level matters with his first senior goal.

Pool got their noses in front when Matty Virtue slammed home just two minutes after Collins had been sent off for two quickfire bookings.

But Terry McPhillips' men were unable to end Luton's impressive run, with the league leaders scoring late on leaving both sides to settle for a point.

“We knew they would come and sit off," Harford said. "They made life difficult for us but we were scintillating in the opening 25 minutes and moved the ball really well.

“I think the goal actually took a bit of the wind out of our sails a little bit and they sat even deeper, meaning there was no space and no gaps.

“You have to give them a little bit of credit in terms of their defensive performance. They were solid and they were compact.

“They grew into the game second half. Liam Feeney got back onto his right foot a couple of times and put some balls into the box and Armand Gnanduillet was a real threat despite not starting the game particularly well.

“We were on the back foot in the second half and they scored from a corner, which isn’t like us. It was a bit of a scramble and they got a goal.

“But the boys showed magnificent character. The fight was there right to the end and we deservedly got a point. In fact I think we deserved more based on what I saw.

“It's a positive result in terms of stretching our unbeaten run, it’s brilliant, and I’d like to pass on my congratulations to the players who have got us to that marker.

“It’s a phenomenal run and they just keep breaking records throughout the season and hopefully that will continue."

On James Collins' sending off, Harford felt it was harsh to show the striker two yellows in the space of as many minutes.

“We don’t really think it’s a sending off," he said.

"He was a bit late but it was only a couple of minutes after he had been booked, so we’re disappointed with the referee because I thought it was a bit harsh.

“I thought he could have got the captains together and maybe tell them to just calm down a bit. But he shows the red and we were very disappointed."