In the end, it looks like it will be Luton’s deflating addiction to coughing up cheap goals that will cost them the success they crave this season. Ollie Norwood’s leveller for Stockport was just the latest in the catalogue, but no less frustrating.
Emilio Lawrence’s stunning first strike in senior football, worthy of winning any football match, put Town on course for victory in a positive first period.
There’s no question they were second best after the break, but for all County’s dominance of the ball, Town restricted them to zero real chances. Still they conceded.
“I’m frustrated because we haven’t had a clean sheet for a while,” said boss Jack Wilshere adding: “We have to improve that.”
From an acute angled free-kick, designed more for a cross than a shot, Norwood punished the keeper for leaving too much space and just a two-man wall to defend it.
By any measure, it was a cheeky finish. But for Luton, it was another game where they waved goodbye to a clean sheet and yet another chance of clawing themselves closer to the top six. Mathematically, reaching the play-offs is still possible but, not for the first time this term, when presented with an opportunity, that mission has been just so frustratingly out of reach.
“I said to the players after, ‘of course, be frustrated, but there’s a lot of positives we can take out of that,’” Wilshere admitted afterwards, still not giving up the hunt.
“We’ll keep fighting. For us it’s the next game. The next game’s Peterborough and we’ll try to get maximum points out of that.
“Before that, teams will have to play today and next week, so let’s see. We can just focus on ourselves, try to keep improving, try to get maximum points every single game to try and get ourselves and close as possible [to the play-offs].”
Stockport only managed two shots on target all game. The defending was resolute, but still that was not enough to keep Stockport out.
Kal Naismith’s determination to deny the visitors a breakaway winner at the end was testament to Town’s desire to defend despite the equaliser, as was countless interventions by George Saville, in his most impressive outing in orange.
Scoring enough goals is also a problem, but it was not for the want of trying. And in that regard, they offered more than County.
But Kasey Palmer clipped the post, Devante Cole and Hakeem Odoffin but couldn’t supply the killer touch on the goal-line from a teasing Jordan Clark cross and Naismith saw a header tipped over the bar
Before all that, Keeley kept out Ethan Pye – the visitors’ only other effort on target – but the stopper had very little to do until he was left with egg on his face in the 78th minute.
“I think he’ll be frustrated,” Wilshere said of the Irishman fresh from a cal-up to his national side, adding: “He made an excellent save in the first half and he’s been excellent for us.
“Everyone knows how much I think of Josh, but he’ll be frustrated with that.”
The equaliser came six minutes after a triple substitution in which Palmer was again withdrawn to a smattering of boos from a small number of fans.
While the Jamaican international’s contribution was diminished after a good first half, Luton offered nothing going forward in his absence bar a tame shot from Gideon Kodua and the contest fizzled out for a point apiece that will greatly favour a Stockport side long ensconced int the top six, more than Town in the race for the play-offs.
It’s 11 months since the Bedfordshire Hatters have won three successive league games. This latest failed attempt puts them closer to the realistic and reluctant acceptance that, in 11 months from now, they may still be a League One team.
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