Luton made it hard for themselves but they saw off Exeter as a first-half three-goal set-piece blitz and Hakeem Odoffin’s first Hatters goal eventually proved decisive.
Town were the better team, and though they gifted two the Grecians both goals, which will be a concern, they saw out the game on the front foot and were unlucky not to add to their tally in a dominant second half.
“Credit to the players. We work on it a lot,” said Jack Wilshere on his side’s emerging strength from set-pieces, adding to the two goals scored from corners at the weekend.
“There were some frustrations earlier in the season when we weren’t quite getting there, or we weren’t quite getting the detail of the block right.
“Credit to the players, but credit to Pilks [Kevin Pilkington, goalkeeper coach]. I’ve given him credit before, but he’s the guy who studies the opposition. He’s the guy who comes up with where we’re going to put the ball and how we’re going to attack it. He’s relentless with it.”
Kasey Palmer’s third in three games was almost the carbon copy header from a corner that he scored at the weekend. It put Luton on a good footing, which they wasted by conceding from City’s first shot on target, with Reece Cole punishing a poor clearance from Nigel Lonwijk.
But the hosts won a debatable quick-fire penalty that Jordan Clark despatched to restore the lead before Odoffin pounced from a free-kick with virtually the last kick of the half. As was the case on Saturday, George Saville and Liam Walsh both bagged assists.
But four minutes after the break, Odoffin and Lonwijk conspired to allow Timur Tutierov to run from deep all the way to the byline where he picked out Ilmari Niskanen for a tap-in.
With Kenilworth Road fearing a third successive home capitulation, Luton did not shrink or retreat. Though the nets bulged no more, the Hatters won this contest by attacking.
Wilshere said: “At half time we changed a few things, gave the players a little bit more clarity and asked them to be a little bit more aggressive, which I thought we were in the second half.
“They hit us on the counter at the start, but apart from that, if any team was going to score it was going to be us.
“We contained their build-up play which was excellent, we won a lot of duels, a lot of aerial duels, and then as the game goes on it gets a little bit nervy but I thought we saw it out really well and happy with the result.”
Clark was at the heart of everything positive, pulling the strings and coming close with a stunning scissor kick and a deflected shot that clipped the woodwork.
Naismith almost connected with that audacious volley and should have scored from another corner but somehow steered a close range effort wide.
But he was needed for a point preserving intervention late on when Exeter’s substitute top scorer Jordan Wareham smelt blood. The skipper stretched out a last-ditch boot to snuff out the chance.
Save for some late shenanigans from referee Alex Chilowicz – and a booking for Saville after he suffered a head injury, went down, got up and went down again – Luton saw out the game for a second successive victory that moved them to within four points of the play-offs.
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