Luton 1 Forest 0: Jones hails ‘mammoth win’ in Premier League chase after Naismith spot-kick – Report and reaction

“Ooh Nathan do you know what he’s worth? Kal Naismith is the best on earth. A flying Scotsman is just what we need. He’ll take Luton to the Premier League.” This was one of the many, and most fitting, songs Luton fans bellowed out during a pulsating victory over play-off rivals Nottingham Forest, which rocket-boosted their Premier League dream.

The defender-turned-midfielder-turned-everyman rifled in a first half penalty, with the blessing of regular taker Elijah Adebayo after his miss in midweek at Huddersfield. That was enough to seal a first Championship victory in four. But there was so much more to it than that. 

Boss Nathan Jones said: “You’d be an absolute idiot if you didn’t describe that as a mammoth win. Forest hadn’t lost in ten, they’d won the last five and they have been annihilating teams with pace and power. Then they came up against a side who could match them today. 

“Tactically we had to be right. I felt, on the balance of play, it was a pretty even game, with two top teams. 

“I felt we should’ve had a pen. It was definitely not a sending off and some decisions have gone against us, but we’ve shown real quality, desire and adaptability because, apart from the stadium falling down, we’ve had to cope with everything.” 

Forest were the division’s form team, on a ten-game unbeaten streak that saw them one place immediately above the Hatters, who had started to falter, while suffering what boss Jones had previous called a “catastrophic” injury list.

But they took the game to the former two-times European champions in the first half, with Robert Snodgrass and star man Allan Campbell a dominant force in a severely depleted midfield. 

Amari’i Bell and Fred Onyedinma kept Brennan Johnson and Djed Spence in their respective pockets and Jones said: “It was phenomenal. We’ve asked them to do something different today, I thought tactically we were superb in terms of two of the outstanding young individuals in the league this year have been Brennan Johnson and Djed Spence.

“And we went Amari’i Bell and Onyedinma against them and I felt they were exceptional today, so tactically I thought we were brilliant, we went up against a top, top side and managed to get the win.”

And there was no more calmer person inside Kenilworth Road than Naismith after Jack Colback handled. His 37th minute spot-kick was ice-cool in a clash on a roasting afternoon that was anything but. 

Tempers flared and referee James Linington proved a walking advertisement for Hallmark, he dished out that many cards. 

Twelves times he reached into his pocket for a yellow and two of those were for Luton captain Sonny Bradley. The second one was a farce. Substitute Sam Surridge should’ve been flagged offside but he was allowed to collect the ball and run in front of the Town skipper where a tangle of legs earned a ridiculous decision. 

Then again, karma seemed to be on Luton’s side when Keinan Davis, who’d involved himself in a series of scuffles, clattered into the adverting hoarding and had to depart after Forest had used all their substitutes. 

And while linesman Daniel Leach didn’t spot Surridge straying significantly offside, he had been on hand to lift his flag just as Spence fired in, early in the second half.

And for all Luton’s quality in the first period, their catastrophic injury woes and a fixture schedule that gave them three days’ rest compared to Forest’s week, the second half was all about grit, determination and a never-say-die attitude.

There was a decent amount of good fortune as Philip Zinckernagel was thwarted by James Shea and the post. The former had also made a stunning first half save from Lewis Grabban when the scoreboard was blank. 

The keeper was laughably booked for time-wasting late on for a first infringement when so many opposition stoppers have come to Kenilworth Road and got away unpunished for worse misdemeanours.

But, with players dropping down with injuries and cramp there was an agonising eight minutes of time added on. Town stood firm, blocked everything and secured their 17th clean sheet – a Championship best – of a remarkable campaign.

The final whistle saw boss Jones keep his relative cool and shrewdly gathered his men in a huddle so not to over-celebrate what could be an incredibly crucial victory, particularly if these two teams have to do battle in the play-offs.

But not the fans. They exploded into cacophonous levels of noise, and so they should. Songs now mention the Premier League, not least that one about match-winner Naismith. There’s never been a more realistic reason to sing them. 

Good Fridays simply don’t get any, er, gooder than this. 

Eight years ago to this day, Luton Town secured the Conference title to return to the Football League. 

If, this season, they complete a fourth promotion inside a decade, back to a top-flight that they departed 30 years ago, it will be one of the most remarkable stories in football. 

Not just in England, not just in the so-called Premier League era, but any division, at any time, anywhere in the world.