A Liam Walsh red card three-peat and redemption for Shandon Baptiste with a fortuitous last-gasp winner – Luton don’t do things the easy way, but a stunning finale pushed the Hatters to within one win of a glorious great escape.
Hope, despair and back to season-saving hope once more, this Hatters side have discovered a never-say-die attitude just when it matters most, with more story arcs than a Netflix series.
“You couldn’t have written the script today. It was a crazy day,” said manager Matt Bloomfield, adding: “But for us to find that winner for lads to keep going, for Shandon, in particular, to find it, for the lads to support Thomas, for all of that it’s an an incredible day for us.
“We just have to make sure we strike that balance between euphoria and elation today, which obviously that threw up because it was so late. And we have to get ourselves back on the ground very, very quickly because we’ve got another big task ahead of us next Saturday.”
But here, first came hope. Former Hatters Academy product Jay Dasliva saw red for a 13th minute trip on goal-bound Milli Alli.
Town dominated against ten-men but could not break them down, with 23 shots, seven saved by Bradley Collins, and 18 corners all repelled by Coventry. And when Walsh and Alli hit the woodwork, it had the makings of a Blackburn Rovers repeat, the only L in their previous eight games.
Then despair, when the outstanding Walsh saw red in the 68th minute for the third time this term after Isaiah Jones had won a free-kick. The midfielder foolishly pushed Luis Binks in the chest, the defender dropped to the ground clutching his face and referee Oliver Langford reached for his back pocket. Kenilworth Road was stunned.
It wasn’t a red card offence, but Walsh had already been booked so the marching orders may still have come, but at least now Luton will appeal the decision. It will be a great shame if Walsh’s season is over, such has been his redemption story ion 2025.
But his departure from an outstanding quarterback-style performance turned the one-way tide and put Luton on the back foot for the first time in the game. The nerves inside Kenilworth Road were palpable, but the noise undiminished.
Then in the final minute Jones lobbed the ball into the box. The previously perfect Collins came off his line, made a mess of it and substitute Baptiste rolled one towards a partially empty net. But Binks was covering and somehow he put through his own net when a clearance – like 55 successful others from his side – looked the easier option. Karma? Perhaps.
Hope! In fact, much more than that – luck and the strongest of lifelines. Kenilworth Road went absolutely bonkers.
Baptiste, who has spent so long on the injury list as the subject of absentee derision among some Hatters fans, finally had his moment. His celebration took him past a bemused but deliriously grateful sea of limbs in the Kenilworth End and to the corner flag and a pile-on of orange-shirted bodies.
At the same time, Bloomfield was on his own solo run, two arms held aloft in triumph. Operation Great Escape one tantalising win away from being complete.
Despair again, as six agonising added on minutes turned to seven and each took an age to pass, but when they did, Mr Langford’s whistle confirmed a third Championship win on the spin for the first time this term and, crucially, lifted Luton above the relegation zone for the first time since Bloomfield arrived at the club in January.
With one final trip to West Bromwich Albion remaining, the mission now is to make sure they stay there. For Luton, a happy ever after awaits and next Saturday can’t come soon enough.
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