Nahki Wells’ first open play goal of the season was worth the wait as Luton came from 2-0 down against high-flying Lincoln to take a point that should’ve been three when Mads Andersen’s winner was chalked off – incorrectly as far as manager Jack Wilshere was concerned.
Despite the early head-start inside 22 minutes, Town were level by the break with goals from red-hot Gideon Kodua and a collector’s item from Wells.
Even at 0-2 down, the Hatters were the better side and they turned up the pressure in the second half. For longer than it took to realise, Kenilworth Road thought Mads Andersen had bagged the winner with a point-blank back stick header from a corner on 72 minutes. The celebrations continued until the penny dropped that referee Scott Oldham – who proved another pantomime villain for the Kenilworth Road faithful to rally against – had ruled it out.
“It’s not a foul,” said Wilshere, adding: “It’s definitely not a foul, and I need to speak to the ref to get his opinion on it because you see they’ve done it to us, how much in set pieces now, teams are trying to create chaos.
“They’re trying to get around the goalie. And I think if you make that decision, you have to be really, really clear and consistent with both teams, and I’m not sure it was a foul.”
Despite that point of contention, this was one of Town’s most entertaining performances of the season against League One’s most in-form side, with the only other regret being the basic nature of the goals they conceded.
There is no masking how easy it was for the Imps to take a lead, albeit against the run of play, at the back post from two simple crosses, with Freddie Draper and Rob Street supplying the final touches.
But Luton were undeterred and top scorer Kodua halved the deficit in the most surprising of circumstances ten minutes before the break.
City were giant in comparison to Luton’s attacking players, but the West Ham loan ace snuck in to head home at the back post, with his fifth goal in four games taking his tally for the season into double figures.
But the best was yet to come in the third minute of time added on. Kal Naismith – back in the side after four league games out injured – played through to Wells and he turned on goal and unleashed a rocket from 25 yards. It was his first goal since the FA Cup win over Forest Green Rovers on October 31 and only his second in the league. And as his first came from the penalty spot, the relief here was multi-faceted.
But it was no more than Luton deserved, as Kodua had a very presentable chance but skied over, as did Wells in the second half. Bar the last 10 minutes, Town were direct, pacey, aggressive and second-placed Lincoln struggled to keep tabs on the likes of Cohen Bramall, Liam Walsh, Jordan Clark – on his 200th appearance – and Kodua, whose new new deployment in a central role behind striker Wells is proving to be a masterstroke.
In contrast, Lincoln were more route one – no surprise given their size, so it was a real clash of styles. And theirs piled on the pressure at the finale, but right across the backline of Nigel Lonwijk, Naismith, Joe Johnson and Andersen they stood tall against that bombardment, and on the one occasion City bullied their way through, keeper Josh Keeley was on hand to produce an instinctive fingertip save to deny Ryley Towler.
“I said that to the players, that if we play like that more often than not we’ll win games,” said Wilshere.
“However, this league, you’ve heard me say it so many times, it’s about moments and they have two moments and that’s it and we allowed them to score two goals.
“OK, they had the moment at the end where Josh made a top save, and you need your goalie in those moments, but in terms of how we play, the intent we played with, the aggression we played with, really proud of the players.
“You have to respect them a little bit as well, credit to them, that’s what they do, that’s what they’re good at, they don’t have any interest really in possession or trying to create chances any other way but they are really good at playing direct, landing on seconds, creating chaos around there.
“But we have to do better in that moment, I thought the second one, Kal was probably fouled before he then gave the foul away, but still, we have to deal with the moment.
“I think back at it and I think we had two players in the wall and sometimes maybe you want to defend that moment like a corner, but also you have to try and put someone in front so he can’t put it in the near post, but we’ll review it and I know the players feel that disappointment in there as if you take away those goals there’s only one team that will win that game, so we’ll review those moments.”
So, while it wasn’t perfect, on account of the goals that gave Lincoln a head-start that they hardly had to work for, there was more than enough to give cause for optimism for the remainder of the season, in Luton at least.
Slowly, Kenilworth Road is starting to feel like home again.
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