James Collins fired an opening day hat-trick for the second time his Hatters career to dump Norwich City out of the Carabao Cup and kickstart the Hatters’ season where the last one left off – with victory.
Four years ago, the then newly-signed marksman opened his Town account with a treble in a fourth tier 8-2 drubbing of Yeovil and we all know how that season ended.
It’s a little pie-in-the-sky to suggest this result will precise a tilt on the Premier League, but the omens are good against a strong Norwich side, regardless of this talk about their 15 players away on international duty.
The goals didn’t start flowing until the 79th minute and then three came in four quickfire minutes, with two either side of Keiran Dowell’s long range equaliser.
That was the only moment that home keeper James Shea couldn’t command because his side’s passage through to the second round of the competition owed every bit as much to his acrobatics as it did the Hatters’ goalscoring hero.
The keeper, given a start in place of Simon Sluga, who was on international duty with Croatia, saw him take his chance with a string of fine saves, ranging from fingertip spectaculars to unsighted goal-line blocks and everything in-between.
New signing Jordan Clark also put his name forward for selection when the Championship campaign gets underway next week at Barnsley. The former Accrington Stanley winger was introduced on 72 minutes and he and Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu had a hand in all of Collins’ goals.
It was Clark’s cross that found Mpanzu who was upended in the box for Collins to fire down the middle from the penalty spot.
Dowell’s strike got City back on terms for two minutes before the midfielders combined again for the forward to volley in through a crowded area.
Then the substitute got in behind Norwich, thanks to a Mpanzu’s through-ball, but he unselfishly laid it on a plate for the goalscorer to stroke in his third.
The only shame was that it contributed to a victory in the Carabao Cup and not in league competition – as is customary for the campaign curtain-raiser – but it bodes very well indeed.
