Luton bounced back from their Barnsley nightmare with a Jerry Yates winner against Huddersfield with a performance of heart and determination, led by Lamine Fanne.
Boss Jack Wilshere talked afterwards about being “punched in the face” at Oakwell on Saturday with a bruising five-goal barrage, but back on home soil against another side from Yorkshire his side dominated for all but the 20 minutes after half time.
That period was when Leo Castledine pinged a peach of a top corner equaliser, punishing Yates for conceding a clumsy free-kick, though the striker would have the last laugh.
That postage stamp free-kick cancelled out 18-year-old Jake Richards’ first home league goal for the Hatters, with a superbly struck volley from distance on 33 minutes that was helped into the net by a wicked deflection off Ryan Ledson.
It was reward for a front-footed Luton display from the first whistle, abandoning the ponderous passing around the back that punctuated their stalemate against Rotherham, the last time out at Kenilworth Road.
Their directness, matched with purpose, benefitted a whole host of Hatters, not least Fanne, who drove through the centre of the park, and Cohen Bramall, who marauded down the flank, flinging in dangerous crosses.
But once Castledine cracked into the top corner Luton’s lowest league crowd for more than two-and-a-half years (9,971) could’ve been forgiven for expecting a capitulation, given the context of Saturday’s drubbing.
They stepped up, raising the decibels and Fanne responded, driving the Hatters forward, wrestling back the control that they had enjoyed for much of the game, just when it threatened to run away from them. It was perhaps the most impressive aspect of this eventual victory, as it showed a team unbowed by the battering in Barnsley.
“We got punched in the face Saturday, punched and it was tough,” said Wilshere of their previous game, adding: ”Sunday, the boys were in, we sat down, we looked at the game, we gave them our opinions, they gave us their opinions and the most important thing tonight was that was that we got up, we showed character, we showed passion.
“It wasn’t a tactical thing. It was about desire to win duels, to play forward, to attack with a purpose. And yeah, I thought we’d done that, and I’m really proud of them for that.”
Fanne’s was a display that screamed loud and clear that he should no longer droppable, as he was in Barnsley three days ago.
And he was instrumental in the winner. Town’s press nearly caught keeper Owen Goodman out, but the keeper got the ball away briefly only for it to be recycled.
Fanne forced the stopper into a low save but he followed up his own rebound to poke goalwards. And it would’ve gone in if it hadn’t been for Yates who, in true poacher fashion, hunted after the ball destined for the bottom corner and supplied the finishing touch.
Perhaps Fanne deserved it, but that could do the forward the world of good because though that was his fifth of the season, making him Town’s top scorer, only one has come in the league and he’s had to play second fiddle to Nahki Wells of late.
But the Bermudan’s injury has left the door open for Yates and he took the opportunity, as did Hakeem Odoffin on his first league start and Nigel Lonwijk on his first appearance in the division for a month.
There were many others too because this was a real term performance and the perfect riposte to Saturday’s punch in the face.
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