Joe Taylor says he couldn’t get any lower than having Hatters hero status stripped from him by VAR, but that he refocused on scoring in the penalty shootout.
The 20-year-old came off the bench at the midway point of extra-time and three minutes from the end he rattled in what looked to be a Wembley with his first-ever Luton goal, sending them to the Premier League.
But though the celebrations were wild Taylor was then confronted by a replay by the video assistant which showed the ball had hit his hand in the build-up.
The goal was ruled out, leaving Luton facing the prospect of a penalty shootout at the national stadium for the second visit in a row.
But the 20-year-old stepped up to take take the second spot-kick as Town scored all of theirs and Fankaty Dabo missed his in sudden death to seal a history-making return to the top-flight after 31 years.
Taylor said: “I think I’ve had a bit of everything, scoring the goal that I thought had sealed the win, thought I’d sent us to the Premier League and then turn around and see the referee had obviously disallowed it.
“At that time I thought, Jesus Christ, you can’t get any lower than that, but I just put it all behind me for the penalties, stepped up and then just forgot about it all and really focused on scoring the penalty, as I know if I score my penalty, it’s going to help out in the penalty shootout.”
Luton will now have to contend with VAR in the Premier League, but their experience of it at Wembley was heartbreaking.
Taylor said: “I knew it hit my hand, but I still to this moment, think it’s a little bit harsh.
“There’s nothing I can do about it, it’s ricocheted off my foot and hit my hand, but I understand that it’s eventually put me through on goal, but I celebrated anyway, just in case there’s some stupid rule that says ricochets don’t matter.
“Something like, but celebrate anyway, it was a very high and low day for me, but eventually I’m so happy that I ended it on a high.”
Taylor only made his full debut in the final game of the regular season at Hull after joining them from Peterborough on transfer deadline day in January.
But, though his big moment was ruled out, his was still a spot-kick hero.
“I sort of knew that if it was going to go to penalties, I’d get a little bit of a run-out, because I’m so confident when I’m taking my penalties that I knew if it came down to that, I would get a little run-out.
“And, to be honest, although it’s my first time playing in front if such a crowd, I didn’t really get nervous, I was more excited for the occasion.
“I’m not one to get nervous, to be honest, I just thought I’d come on and run my backside off, just see what I could do.
“I let the gaffer know and I let the coaching staff know that if it came down to it, I’m more than happy to be in the top five.
“I said preferably four, but when I got the news I thought, oh, but I’m confident from 12 yards, I always believe that if I put it where I want to do, with the amount of power I’m going to get on it, nine times out of 10 I’m going to score. You have to be some keeper to save that.
“I’ve got the slow run-up, I sort of just wait for the keeper, but he wasn’t giving me anything, so I thought I’d go to my default, and I just put as much power on it, as much precision as I can and hopefully I can score.”
The shootout was taken in front of the Luton end, after Dan Potts won the coin toss and Taylor said of the 36,000 Hatters: “I just blocked them out, I tried my best, I had a deep breath before I ran up and I just thought, block them out and just do what I do and thankfully I scored.”
On the celebrations that greeted Dabo’s miss, confirming Luton’s promotion, Taylor said: “I don’t know whether you saw but I dropped to my knees and I just started crying and then I got up and I went and saw the Coventry lads that were on the halfway line.
“Commiserations to them, but I feel like the run we entered the play-offs in, it was only going to end one way and I think we thoroughly deserved it on the day.
“It’s not fully sunk in yet, but I’m sure when it does, I’ll be over the moon.”
