Latics assist is of no consolation for hard-working Hatters defender Bree

Personal accolades could do little to lift Town defender James Bree following Saturday’s frustrating 2-1 home defeat to Wigan Athletic.

The 24-year-old was the architect of the hosts moving ahead in the first half when crossing for Carlton Morris to head beyond Ben Amos and put the Hatters in front, his second assist in as many games.

It counted for little in the end though, the Latics hitting back with two goals in the final 10 minutes to claim all three points, as speaking afterwards, Bree said: “It’s nice for me personally to get assists, but I think when the game ends like that, it doesn’t really matter.

“If you go on to win, it’s something you can look back on and it’s nice, but I don’t really care to be fair.”

The move came about from one of Town’s short corner routines set in place by first team coach Alan Sheehan.

With Allan Campbell taking it, Luke Freeman and Jordan Clark were both involved, finding Bree position further back.

The former Aston Villa and Barnsley defender then lofted the ball into the area for Morris to do the rest, although admitted afterwards that it hadn’t actually quite gone to plan.

He continued: “I was actually meant to have a shot.

“Sheez won’t like that, he’ll say it was planned, but I was meant to have a shot on the edge of the box.

“It came a bit deeper and I just thought I’d stick it in.

“The way that we work the corners and the corner routines, we do a lot of short corner routines and we had so many in that first half towards the end, so it’s nice to come away and nick one.”

Last year, it was Bree taking the majority of corners until Sheehan joined the coaching staff, with Kal Naismith and then Robert Snodgrass heading out at times to deliver their left-footed inswingers into the area.

This term has seen former Arsenal youngster Freeman take up that mantle, as Bree said: “I had the same thing a little bit with Kal Naismith last year where he started taking the crosses from the right.

"I know every time Freez get the ball he’s going to deliver.

"We have a little chat and say this is what we’re going to do, trust it, and I think Sheez has given us that license to do whatever we want when we’re out there.

"It was more about trying little short corners, one came off, but it’s nice, me and Freez have a nice little link, especially from throw-ins, when he comes over.

"We’ve got some really good technical players in the midfield, Al (Allan Campbell), Clicker (Jordan Clark), Luke, so it’s nice to get on the ball and play with them.”

With Morris now up to three for the season, having scored another terrific header in the 1-1 draw against Sheffield United recently, Bree believes the new addition’s aerial ability is a massive plus for the Hatters.

He continued: “It’s so nice now that we’ve Eli (Elijah Adebayo) and Carlton to aim for in the box, obviously Cammy (Cameron Jerome) when he comes on as well.

"For me it’s just about putting the ball in the right area and Amari’i (Bell) on the other side.

"It helps so much that you stick it in an area and you know they’re going to go and win it.

"That was the case for his goal.

"I’ve seen Carlton make his move and thought I’d just hang it up there for him.

"He goes up and wins it and think he’ll score a lot like that this season.”

With Bree continuing to show the kind of form that saw him overcome a tough start to life at Kenilworth Road, becoming a crowd favourite last term with his unerring accuracy from the right flank, it will no doubt make both Morris and the rest of Town’s strikers attempts to find the net that bit easier in the coming weeks and months.

It’s a facet of his game that has been practiced religiously since coming up through the ranks with Barnsley too, as he said: “It’s something that I’ve worked on since I was young really.

"It’s a big, big part of my game crossing the ball and deliveries, that’s what I do really.

"I wish that I could be like Fred (Onyedinma) and get at people one v one, but that’s not really something that I do too much, so I want to get the ball and deliver when I can.

"It’s just one of those things, you have little spells where it clicks and it just feels right, and I think that’s just what it is at the minute.

"On average the balls that I do put into the box are normally quite good, so long may that continue.”