Kal Naismith to the rescue. Take a bow, son, take, a, bow! After lifting the Vertu Trophy on Sunday, what a week he’s having.
With Luton’s play-off hopes dwindling in a frustrating post Wembley winners performance, the player dubbed Kaldini in his first successful spell with the Hatters, pulled a late wonder strike out of the hat to keep their dreams alive and relegate Northampton.
The defender has endured a campaign where his quality has been questioned as some high profile mistakes have cost his side. But the a defeat-from-the-jaw-of-victory gaffe in dying stages against promotion rivals Reading was the last of them. In the five weeks since, Naismith has been immense.
Prior to his dream Wembley debut he revealed that his favourite ever song was Bob Marley’s ‘Three Little Birds – he might have to revise that to ‘Redemption Song’.
That’s what this supreme watch-it-on-repeat strike could have confirmed for Naismith.
“Yeah, [it’s a] special, special moment when we needed it. We needed it. We had to find a way tonight,” boss Jack Wilshere said of the strike that won it.
“It just felt like we’re going to need something here and Kal delivered that.
“At times of season, when I’ve tried to support Kal as much as I have, there has been question marks and I think Kal’s the first one that will say, at times this season, he could have performed better.
“But why I love him is because of that, because of his leadership, because of his ability to deal with adversity, his resilience. His leadership qualities are some of the best I’ve seen. And I played with some really, really good captains.
“We need that. This team needs that and he certainly has that and he came up with a really important goal tonight.”
It ensured Town have won three league games in row for the first time since April 2025. They have hit form just when it counts and they’re now one place and four points outside the play-offs.
But for long periods, until Naismtih’s 85th minute magic moment, this was quite the comedown from the highs of Wembley.
The Hatters’ all too frequent predilection for shooting themselves in the foot returned as they conceded first against the 11-without-a-win Cobblers.
Wilshere insisted the goal was “quite far offside” as a route one goal-kick was flicked on by Tom Eaves and Sam Hoskins ran through and lobbed Josh Keeley. Kenilworth Road was stunned.
But just before the break, Liam Walsh levelled, scoring a cracker for the second successive game against Northampton after Kasey Palmer had hit the post with a free-kick.
Luton improved after the break, but for large parts they just could not force a winner. Shayden Morris and Nahki Wells got in each other’s way and Jordan Clark had two golden second half chances but blasted both over the bar when well-placed.
The first left him punching the ground in frustration and it was a feeling shared by 9,266 Hatters fans as they feared the realisation of the phrase after the Lord Mayor’s Show. Their inability to convert chances threatened to derail their ultimate ambitions.
Clark’s second squandered shot came moments after substitute Ali Al-Hamadi had wrapped a shot off the upright. It just would not go in and it felt like their fortune had not boarded the bus back from the national stadium.
“It was frustrating,” Wilshere said, adding: “. “It’s obviously positive that when we watch it back, the chances we create. We want to do that. But I think when you get to this point where you know that you just have to get it over the line, and the more times you miss the target or it doesn’t quite fall for you, it starts to feel like that.
“But yeah, frustrating that we missed the opportunities, but happy that we were creating them.”
But then, from a free-kick, the skipper stepped up and found the top corner from 30 yards. Kenilworth Road erupted and Naismith made a celebratory beeline to Wilshere, chest bouncing Wells enthusiastically unceremoniously out of the way and into the turf, to jump into the arms of his manager, who got booked for his celebration that entered the field of play. Who cares? It was pure emotion. Pure unfiltered joy, with a side order of sheer and utter relief.
Naismith then made a timely defensive intervention as Town saw out the game, but as soon as the final whistle blew the entire team ran to their leader, surrounding him. The release of an emotional scream into the dark Luton night air was palpable.
For what it could mean for the Hatters’ future, this strike is even more important that his legendary late goal against Bournemouth in 2022. Iconic. The great Kaldini returns!
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