After scoring on a professional debut to savour, Chris Powell pushed 18-year-old Benny Benagr forward to take the applause of the 900 travelling Luton fans at Gillingham, many of whom are already convinced after his summer showings that he’s a star in the making. Those calls will only grow louder now after the Lutonian’s performance in this dominant 3-0 Carabao Cup victory.
The Hatters have had a very encouraging pre-season on and off the pitch and they’re arguably only short of an answer to their lightness at left wing. Boss Jack Wilshere has said they’re not done in the transfer market, while fan hopes still springing eternal that Emilio Lawrence might be tempted back on loan from Manchester City. But maybe they already have a homegrown answer.
Benagr’s bow was one of a number of impactful first outings but, as his assistant manager no doubt recognised afterwards, with an encouraging shove, his was one that will keep his name on the tip of Town tongues.
Even if he hadn’t displayed a poacher’s instinct to convert after first goalscorer Nahki Wells’ shot was saved, the teenager was a positive breath of fresh air.
Gillingham’s Logan Dobbs and James Brophy will go to bed tonight with flashes of Benagr’s name and number on the back of his shirt disappearing past them into the distance, as he latched on to through-balls from an utterly superior Town. The goal, however, was thoroughly deserved.
“It’s been quite a few weeks for him,” Wilshere told the BBC, adding: “When I sat down with the academy staff, Benno [Paul Benson] and Al [Alex Lawless], at the end of last season and we spoke about which players are going to come with us in pre-season.
“We spoke about Benny and Benny had a tough year last year, so we wanted to give him the best chance to show his best self. So we gave him a few weeks with the under-21s. And Al and Benno kept knocking on my door saying, ‘you need to see Benny, you need to see Benny’.
“The opportunity came when we went to Spain and he’s taken it. He’s taken every chance. And that’s what you want from a young player, right? There’s things you can work on, and he’ll get better and better as time goes on and he works more.
“But whenever you get an opportunity, you want to show yourself and show who you really are. And every time we give him that opportunity, he’s done that. He keeps producing good performances. He arrives in [good] areas, so he’s always going to be a threat and, yeah, happy for him. We want to keep working with him.”
Prior to Benagr’s goal, another fellow academy graduate Jayden Luker, hoping to break into the first team, had provided a sublime assist for Wells, who didn’t need to break stride to get his goalscoring account open, just before half time. It should have been the moment he’ll remember for the rest of his career, but the memory will have to wrestle for space with a heartbreaking injury.
The midfielder pulled up when chasing a breakaway ball as his hamstring gave way. It was really the only downside of an impressive afternoon for Luton, but you couldn’t help feel for the youngster, given his opportunity, as he dropped despondently to the ground.
Elsewhere, Harrison Ashby came on as a second half substitute for his debut after joining on loan from West Ham and he too made an impression with a driving run into the box and a shot that, though it was blocked, squirmed into the path of Gideon Kodua who darted in front of the keeper to head home.
The two Hammers youth products combined again in injury time but Kodua couldn’t quite direct the cross on target as he stretched but hit the post.
And at the back, centre half George Johnston, had little defending to do on his debut, but he looks a calm and composed figure, while at the sharp end, the Hatters managed 11 shots on target.
Wilshere said of the victory: “It was everything we wanted. I thought the performance was really good. I thought we were relentless with how we wanted to attack. We had variation with how we wanted to attack.
“Probably could have maximised a few more of the opportunities in the first half, but it doesn’t always happen. And then what you have to keep doing is keep that spirit and keep that intent and purpose to attack, and we’ve done that. We got three goals for it as well.”
The manager added: “The boys have been excellent in pre-season. Everything we’ve asked from them to execute — if it was running, if it was this, if it was that — and that’s them and that’s the spirit we want.
“And it won’t always be perfect like this. But we’ve got a good group of lads that are going to give everything.”
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