Pride and disappointment has been the measure a week where the Hatters have run the Premier League leaders and champions close and just come up short, but boss Rob Edwards believes the narrative is changing around Luton Town.
After a heartbreaking last touch defeat to Arsenal in midweek, the treble-winning Manchester City needed a Hatters mistake to win a febrile Kenilworth Road.
For 17 glorious minutes, after Elijah Adebayo had headed Town into an unlikely half time lead with the last action of the first period, the Hatters felt on top of the world.
For all their greedy possession, Pep Guardiola’s men could not find a way past the hosts. Thomas Kaminski did pull off a series of fine saves to but his side were not overawed. Before a ball had even been kicked this season, they were billed as the division’s whipping boys. Not even Manchester City -admittedly without the ruthrless Erling Haaland – could humble them.
The 9,896 home fan had already set the narrative that City had “bought it all” as a response to the 1,151 Manchester fans crowing about their clean sweet of the trophies, both domestic and European.
It’s hard for a fanbase that have felt the misery of sanctions from the game’s governing bodies, which dumped them out of the Football League in 2009/09, to ignore that the all-conquering City have 115 Premier League charges hanging over their heads for alleged breaches of financial rules.
So when Adebayo’s header hit the net, the noise in this famous old stadium was spine-tingling for a myriad of reasons. But for a community club living the dream and still writing chapters in a football fairytale, against a nation state-owed side of megastars that have 115 reasons to worry about their legacy, that goal was a brief victory for the underdog. Perhaps even for football itself.
It’s the hope that kills you though as City scored two goals in three minutes, through Bernardo Silva’s sumptuous strike and then a mistake laden passage of play that allowed Jack Grealish to tap in at the back post.
Ultimately, it meant another match with zero points to show for their tremendous effort, but that’s not the real story of this contest, or indeed Luton’s first ever campaign in the Premier League.
The table has them in the relegation zone and four points adrift from safety, but they’ve not looked out of place at Kenilworth Road against Tottenham, Liverpool, Arsenal and now Manchester City.
Boss Edwards said: “The thing that keeps me up at night is the performance of the team. If we continue to perform the way we have this week then we can achieve something really special this year.
“We know how tough this is going to be. We know the fight that we’re in, but I like the way the team’s going. I love the spirit of the team. I love how hard they’re working for the football club, for each other. But I love the quality they’re showing as well.
“I think, maybe we’re starting to change the narrative about Luton Town Football Club. That being said, I know we have to pick up points.
“In the cold light of day, the lads will be able to reflect, be proud of themselves and take confidence from it, but like they were in midweek against Arsenal, they’re flat in there (dressing room) and down.
“We challenge them and we really do go into each game believing we can get something from the game. We have to. If we don’t then we’re going to be struggling.”
There’s still a sense, from the home faithful at least, that their team are making them dream.
Edwards said: “I’m proud of them but I am disappointed as well today. It felt like it was there for us. I had a really good feeling going into the game. With all complete respect for Manchester City, what they are and who they are. Credit to them for winning the game.
“The timing of the goal just before half time, it felt like this could be our day, but we’re disappointed with the goals that we conceded.
“We’ll look at that and we’ve got to work on that and keep improving, but I thought we were so brave. I thought, without the ball, being as aggressive as we were against a top team like that, there was a lot of problems for them to solve, which they are capable of doing.
“But with the ball, we were really brave and showed a lot of quality as well. The goal was a really good example of that.
“We knew we just could not give the ball back to Manchester City otherwise you’ll die a slow death. Everything about my team, I really liked.”
That’s why Edwards still gets standing ovations and songs sung about him as he does his customary lap of the pitch at the end of games.
They believe. Now, perhaps, those on the outside looking in, do to.
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