No changes for City at the interval, though Norwegian striker Lasse Nordås was introduced for Yates after he picked up a caution in stoppage time. There was no fast start to this half from the Imps, though we did have the first big opportunity of the second period. Reach sent a long diagonal to the edge of the penalty area from a free-kick, and a combination of Jackson and Sonny Bradley knocked down for Bayliss to whip a beautiful delivery to the bad post. Running in was House, but he couldn’t add his second of the afternoon, sending a powerful header into the away end.
It feels nice to know that our changes aren’t necessarily dictated by the clock, and the strength of the bench meant every single substitution wouldn’t feel like a downgrade. On came Tom Hamer on 66 minutes for Street, and he would create the chance that should’ve killed off the game. With his typical long throw, the clearance fell back to Hamer who sent an equally long header into the area. That fell straight onto the chest of Sonny Bradley, setting himself in front of goal, only to somehow skew his effort over the bar.
It wouldn’t be fair to call it a centre-halves finish, given he had two goals in as many games, but he will have felt aggrieved not to have netted against his former employers. And that emotion will have been multiplied tenfold when Luton equalised immediately after. There was a miscommunication at the back which resulted in a dead ball scenario for the Hatters, then they won a free-kick. Ex-Imp Cohen Bramall had come off the bench and was stationed over this set-piece, but George Saville caught City out by playing it to Alli on the edge of the box. He quickly found Clark, who poked the ball goalwards. It seemed to take an age to find the far corner, but it did and Luton, out of nothing, were level.
For the third home league game in succession, it appeared we were heading for a stalemate after leading. Michael Skubala looked to his bench, and on came Okoronkwo and Justin Obikwu, replacing the leggy Draper and ex-Luton striker Collins.
Alli almost turned the game on its head, but it was at the opposing end where the deciding moment arrived. Wickens punted long downfield, Hamer headed on towards Obikwu. His pressure forced Christ Makosso to head into the Imps substitute, and suddenly Obikwu was away. Two touches later, he was on the cusp of the penalty area and with his third, he swept home and gave City a late lead with an impressive finish.
But he wasn’t done there, as the two goalscorers combined to make the points safe. House and Obikwu played a quick one-two down the left side, and the former raced away with possession. Approaching the edge of the area, he looked to find his fellow forward once more but opted to go alone. After cutting inside and beyond Makosso, House curled the ball into the far corner, which left Keeley scampering across his goal.
With that, the result was certain, and House got his standing ovation in stoppage time after being replaced by Erik Ring for the final few movements.
It was a monumental effort from those in red and white to get over the line at the start of a huge week for the club. Nineteen years have passed since we last picked up three points away at Peterborough United, as we travel to London Road next Saturday looking to put that record right. Before that, there is the small matter of a first meeting in 114 years with Chelsea in the Carabao Cup 3rd Round on Tuesday evening, in front of a sell-out Sincil Bank.
A special mention must go to McGrandles who was absolutely magnificent yesterday, while Draper and House also put in arguably their best showings in an Imps shirt. In truth, it was difficult to find a player who didn’t excel in red and white.
A quick word on Luton, who, let’s not forget, were playing Premier League football as recently as May 2024. Two quick relegations have them back in League One, but with a squad full of quality players at this level, they were very poor in this early kick-off. Whether that is on Matt Bloomfield, our performance or issues that run deeper is something that will become apparent in the coming weeks. Their afternoon was epitomised when Andersen put the ball straight out of play late in the game, one of several passes from the away side that went astray.
Our afternoon’s work can be best summed up by the tireless work of House, who was still fighting for possession even when on the floor. And by Tom Shaw, whose sliding celebration in front of the GBM Stand raised plenty of eyebrows!
It was also good to see barriers installed over the infamous yellow hatchings, after the inconsistencies in the treatment of home and away fans. There were 1433 travelling supporters yesterday, so the jury is still out until a sell out away end (excluding Chelsea) fills the whole Stacey West Stand.
After the 3pm games, we find ourselves in third place after nine fixtures. It makes for great reading as we welcome the Champions of the World to our fortress on Tuesday evening.
Up the Imps!
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