Matty Pearson had not set foot in Ewood Park since Blackburn Rovers released him as a 19-year-old but he returned to head home a winner in a wonderful away-day for Luton.
His towering moment, from Izzy Brown’s second assist of the game, proved the difference on the scoreboard, but it was near 40 minutes of thou-shalt-not-pass defending that saw the Hatters to their third win of the Championship campaign.
James Collins’ 50th goal in 102 Town appearances had given his side an unlikely platform after Rovers ran them ragged for an opening quarter of an hour where they couldn’t get near the ball.
But with only their second attack, Brown burst to the byline and dinked a cross of such perfection that Collins could hardly miss from six yards, his header cementing him further into Luton lore.
That saw confidence swell among the Hatters’ ranks, which took a knock when Jacob Butterfield – otherwise excellent as one of three changes to the starting line-up – allowed Lewis Travis space to unleash a rocket that Simon Sluga was powerless to stop.
But, rather than crumble, they instead uncovered a steely resolve that served them until half time and then well into six minutes of extra time in a frantic finale.
The prolonged period was due to a moment of high drama in the closing stages, when home striker Bradley Dack turned the ball in to level the contest at 2-2. But Luton were livid, claiming the Rover was offside and, with linesman Rob Smith’s flag left firmly by his side, it looked like their protestations would be in vain.
But, to his credit, the official had a protracted conversation with referee Gavin Ward, who eventually ruled in Town’s favour.
Blackburn would not come any closer to an equaliser, though they bombarded penalty box in the hunt for one. Time and again, however, orange shirts won the aerial battle, while Sluga showed the nous to slow the game down and frustrate the hosts.
Neither the goalkeeper or any of his team-mates in Luton’s match-day squad were even twinkles in their fathers’ eyes in 1981, the last time a Town side travelled to this part of Lancashire, but it was some good, old-fashioned grit and determination that saw them to their target.
And, particularly for those of a certain vintage among the 1,326 travelling Hatters, it was thoroughly worth the wait.
