Callum McManaman said he was confident he could make an impact, coming off the bench against Preston, but admitted scoring a late blockbuster didn’t feel as good without Luton fans to celebrate with.
The winger scored in the 87th minute to make it 1-1 with Town’s only shot on target to snatch a point in the first game back since football was suspended in March due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
But despite the dramatic finale, it was tempered by the fact that supporters are not allowed to attend games, due to social distancing measure to tackle the spread of Covid-19.
“It was strange, to be honest,” said McManaman, adding: “It didn’t feel as good when the ball hit the back of the net.
“I think it was a massive point in the end and I’m glad that I did that and came on to help the team.
“It felt a bit strange when I scored. I didn’t really know what to do, but it’s just a good point in the end and we’ll have to take it.
“I would’ve liked the fans to be in there to celebrate with us and spur us on a little bit. I feel like it’s a little disadvantage, at home for us, because it’s such a tough place to come.”
The goal was McManaman’s fourth for the club, with all of them either coming in the 86th or 87th minute. It was also the third to earn a vital point.
“I was confident before the game, to be honest, that I was going to come on and change the game. I’ve done it a few times this season,” the goalscorer said.
“It’s a bit frustrating, come off the bench and doing it and not doing it from the start but it’s kind of gone against me that I’ve done it a few times in my career.
“I’ve done it a lot and it kind of goes against you sometimes that you do well off the bench. You get see as an impact player. I’m just happy to get the goal.”
After just three weeks of full contact training, since testing measures allowed footballers to return to work, there was an inevitable sense of rustiness in Town’s play, particularly after Scott Sinclair opened the scoring on 52 minutes.
McManaman said: “I felt like the game was getting slower and slower. I knew we needed to get a shot on goal, and I was just thinking about getting a yard and trying to get a shot off.
“It felt like it was just going to finish 1-0. The tempo had slowed right down and I’m just glad I did that. We nearly won it in the end with Tunni’s (Ryan Tunnicliffe) effort.
“We would’ve been a bit lucky to win that, to be fair but we’ll take that in the end.”
