It was nervy, it was tense, it was scrappy, at times ugly and hardly one of those classic nights under the lights at Kenilworth Road, but the spoils of this 1-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday were all the more beautiful for it.
James Collins’ tenth of the season settled it and moved his side off the foot of the Championship table, but it should have been done and dusted by the half hour mark with the Hatters squandering the golden, shiny chances galore.
It should have been 4-0 at half time, but five minutes into time added on at the end of the evening, fingernails were still being shredded by jittery Town teeth.
That’s because 13 seconds into the contest the hosts had a penalty when Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu was tripped. Collins cracked the spot-kick off the bar and the nerves set it.
The Owls bossed it for the next ten minutes, but Luton fought, and Izzy Brown somehow hit the upright from eight yards.
Collins, immense all night, picked the pocket of Dominic Iorfa, waited for Harry Cornick to round keeper Cameron Dawson and tee him up and he slid the ball home.
It should have been even better straight after the restart but the goalscorer fired over from close range.
Yet, at the other end Matty Pearson was a rock and having emerged from the dressing room at half time with just one goal the defender threw himself in harm’s way to protect the lead, blocking a blast as Wednesday tried to hit the Hatters where they’ve so often been hurt, straight after a positive half of football.
The visitors had one wonderful opportunity, but Julian Borner powered his header wide.
With substitute Kadeem Harris thrown on at the break, James Bree put in one of his best performances in an orange shirt to nullify the threat from the former Cardiff man.
And on the one occasion the winger found space, Simon Sluga was equal to the task, beating away the blast as he grabbed a first clean sheet in English football – and only Town’s second in the league since their last on October 19. It was a deserved prize for a goalkeeper that has visibly grown in confidence since his return to the side in December.
The same could be said for Glen Rea, who scrapped for his life. He’s made such a difference to Town’s slim but not now dead-and-buried prospects of clawing their way to a miracle Championship escape, the deficit now cut to seven points.
And, having been jeered off the pitch at the weekend, Ryan Tunnicliffe registered some ‘I’ll show them’ resolve, which, had it not been for the Herculean efforts of Collins and, most principally, Pearson, would’ve have seen him come away with a man-of-the-match gong.
But still, when Dan Potts saw a goal chalked off for a foul on Dawson – soft as they always appear – there were more nerves, and the closer the clock ticked to the finale, the more anxieties reached fever pitch.
Thankfully there was no sting in this tale and, now, the confidence they have drawn from this night must act as a springboard for, first of all, rectifying 12 miserable, potless away days on the spin.
If they can get something at Middlesbrough on Saturday, you never know.
“They’re fine, the lads. They obviously don’t want to lose football matches but from a mental point of view, they’ve recovered, they’ve healed, they’re ready to go again.
“It’s tough for everybody. You start with the staff. They work their backsides off and don’t get rewarded. Players have worked their backsides off on Saturday and don’t get rewarded.
“You have to assess performance and it was good enough to win the football match.
“I’ve spoken to them about why, asked them for the same level and try to have an understanding in certain periods of the game, what we have to do better.
“Gary was our captain when we won the League One title. Me and him have got a brilliant relationship. Two men who were always straight with one anothers. We had one or two problems, fights in the dressing room but we’ve remained incredibly close friends.
“He text me last night and I text him back, but Gary knows the game and I want to beat him tomorrow, 100 per cent. But, I’m looking forward to seeing him because he’s someone I respect.
“He was a leader in our dressing room. The whole world is looking for leaders but no-one wants to step up to the plate. Gary did it. He did it at Swansea, Leeds, Birmingham, Middlesbrough and now at Sheffield Wednesday. They’re big football club but, as a character, he’s more than capable.
“We won two games and now everything’s a mess, nothing’s right, so the Championship brings up strange results sometimes. It tests you every week, it test your resources.
“You see strange results sometimes because teams can’t rotate, they’ve got to play the same players. I’m sure that had a huge bearing on us at Brentford.
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