Rob Edwards says he loves his Luton side for continuing to fight amid a growing injury crisis as Luke Berry came off the bench to bag a late leveller and keep Luton in the Premier League survival race just when things were looking bleak.
Town’s problems deepened with the early exits of Alfie Doughty (hamstring) and Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu (ankle), just when the latter was leading the fight in his best performance of the season, which began with a magnificent block on Divock Origi.
The continuing adversity – which had nine senior players on the injury list before this game – looked to have finally caught up with them as they struggled to create chances.
Chris Woods’ first half opener had given the Hatters that sinking feeling, while a leveller for Teden Mengi was chalked off for handball.
It epitomised a match where few things went right for the hosts, including some bizarre and infuriating decisions by referee Darren England.
But, needing a goal, boss Edwards turned to Berry and it came from an 89th minute corner. Burke headed into the midfielder’s path and, like he’d done so many times in his previous 149 appearances, where he’d scored in all three lower divisions, he smelt the possibility, swivelled and pummelled the ball through bodies and into the net.
“The way the game was going, (I’m) really pleased in the end,” said the manager, adding: “It’s been a challenging week to say the least and I think not just football, life. Everyone’s going through stuff, everyone gets knocked down, everyone gets disappointments, everyone gets things go against them and it’s about how you deal with it and how you react that’s really important.
“And I think this group has shown that’s how you react, they’ve got so much character, and no matter what’s thrown at us at the moment, we’ll keep going.
“And that doesn’t mean we’re always going to get points, I know that, we’re not always going to play well, but they’ll always keep going and keep fighting, and I love them for that.
“It’s difficult for us with a full group to be competitive in this league, which we have, we’ve drawn two games and lost a mad game by a single goal, that’s hard anyway, never mind with what we’re missing at the moment.
“And I love the group of lads that are fit and available at the moment, but to have nine senior players out and two more go down today as well, it’s difficult for us.
“And there’s so many people playing out of position, even if it’s just one position down or up, in a different kind of position, Issa on the left and Chieo playing right back really, it was hard for us to really get a rhythm and be at our best.”
He added: “I thought the game was almost petering out but again we popped up with a set-play that was important and then we wanted to try and push, the crowd are up for it, but couldn’t find another.”
But Berry’s first Premier League goal lifted a Kenilworth Road crowd that had almost become resigned to a fate of being one-season wonders in the Premier League and sparked a frenzied finale where they sensed a winner.
It didn’t come, but in the position they were in, a point will feel almost like victory.
And in hindsight, two goal-line clearances, one in each half, from Burke and Mengi could prove vital in the final reckoning.
And if Town can get more bodies back after the international break, this will could prove a vital point. And with the possibility of points deductions for Forest and Everton still to come, there’s life in Luton yet.
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