In line with the rest of the football world right now, it was another eventful week for Luton Town. It started off with gloom after a disappointing 3-0 loss at Stoke City, but there was no time to fully assess what went wrong in Staffordshire, with Millwall visiting Kenilworth Road just three days later.
There was also a vital clash on Saturday against a Sheffield Wednesday side who were struggling for form, with three points essential for both teams in their individual pursuits.
Late Heartbreak and Extraordinary Comeback in Eventful Week for Luton Town
Late Millwall Equaliser Starts an Eventful Week for Luton Town
On Tuesday night, the Hatters faced a Millwall team who were unbeaten in eight games, becoming quite the draw specialists. Nathan Jones opted to make five changes to the side who were beaten by Stoke, handing debuts to Elijah Adebayo and Tom Ince. Joe Morrell was also given a start – a rare occurrence since his summer move but a welcomed one given the support on social media.
Luton dominated the game in most parts and Adebayo gave the hosts the lead in the 55th minute, marking his debut with a goal that seemed to be the winner. However, in the fifth minute of injury time, George Evans-a player who had not scored in three and a half years-nodded in an equaliser. Of course, the overriding emotion was one of frustration as the referee blew the final whistle, but the performance was promising, showing a real strength in depth.
Friday Marked Eight Years Since John Still Was Appointed
On Friday, the club tweeted that it had been eight years since John Still was appointed Luton Town manager. The former Dagenham & Redbridge man is considered by some as the pioneer of Luton’s recent success and is still very highly regarded amongst Town fans.
Still won the hearts of the Luton faithful by getting the Hatters back into the football league during a record-breaking Conference campaign. The Hatters won the division by 19 points that season, a sizeable gap that emphasised the club’s superiority that year.
Still’s legacy lives on among the Hatters, with his “control the controllables” state of mind – a common answer to panicking fans on social media.
It seems Still laid down the foundations for Nathan Jones to build upon and propel the Hatters into the mid-table Championship side that they have become.
Fantastic Comeback Sees Hatters Snatch All Three Points Against Sheffield Wednesday
The Hatters may have come a long way in the eight years since Still took over, but the first-half performance against Sheffield Wednesday was as if they were still in the fifth division of English football. Luton were lucky not to be 4-0 down at the break and the fact that it was only two gave them a fighting chance.
The misery of the first-half was soon forgotten when Kal Naismith smartly converted from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall‘s scuffed corner in the 51st minute, providing a lifeline for the Bedfordshire club. Seven minutes later, and it was somehow all level. This time, Adebayo drifted out to the left before firing a ball into the box, with Ryan Tunnicliffe latching onto it and slotting past Joe Wildsmith in the Wednesday goal.
The Hatters continued this dominance for the entirety of the second half, with Harry Cornick coming on to stretch an already tired defence. It was the winger who created the eventual winner, when his deep cross was met by the head of Adebayo who nodded in from inside the six-yard box, earning all three points for his new employers.
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