Luton Town FC vs Exeter City (7th May 2016)

PUBLISHED 18:00 7th May 2016 The Hatters end the season in style with a fine victory over Exeter at Kenilworth Road

LUTON TOWN 4-1 EXETER CITY

A ten-minute three-goal sucker-punch gave the Hatters a flourishing finish as their season culminated in a 4-1 victory against Exeter at Kenilworth Road.

Jack Marriott netted twice to end the campaign with 16 goals, following up a first-half header with a pin-point left-foot drive to seal the resounding win.

Cameron McGeehan opened the scoring with a deflected free-kick, while Joe Pigott’s excellent long-range strike gave the Hatters three goals in the first half for the first time since January 2015.

Ex-Hatter Jayden Stockley threatened a comeback for the visitors just inside the second half, but Marriott’s second ensured it was all smiles to end the year.

Nathan Jones made three changes from the Northampton defeat, bringing in Jake Howells for his first start since March 1, while Alex Lawless and Marriott also began the game.

And it was a bright start for the Town, twice coming close through Marriott and McGeehan with just minutes on the clock.

There were nervy moments for the hosts too when Elliot Justham fumbled on the edge of the area, allowing Stockley to prod past him only for Alan Sheehan to clear off the line.

Aside from that, the Hatters were in control. Alex Nicholls threatened some shooting opportunities, while Pigott also boasted chances of his own to open the game.

Pigott was often the beneficiary of some delicious crosses from Howells, and it was he who was instrumental in the Town’s opener after 25 minutes.

Hauled down by Jordan Tillson on the edge of the area, Howells allowed the better-suited right-footer from McGeehan to take, earning a nick off an Exeter defender and fly into the corner.

The Hatters kept pushing, Stephen O’Donnell galloping forward impressively, as he has for most of the latter part of the season, cutting inside and forcing a smart stop from James Hamon.

But then the Hatters did have their second. After missing a golden chance earlier on, Pigott was there this time to head goalwards, forcing a brilliant block on the line from an Exeter defender. But it wasn’t enough to stop the lurking Marriott from nodding in to claim his 15th goal of the campaign.

And the ten-minute supremacy was completed with another goal just two minutes later. Marriott was set scampering through the middle, and while he was beaten to the ball by the keeper, the rebound pinged his way to Pigott. He took a touch, set himself, and curled the ball from at least 30 yards past the stranded Hamon to give the Hatters a three-goal lead at half-time.

It was the third time the Hatters had scored three at home in the league this season, although the other two unfortunately ended in defeats.

And Stockley threatened to put in some jitters once more when he got on the end of a deflected cross, diving in to head past Justham just minutes into the half.

The Hatters kept pushing however, with Howells and Dan Potts linking up to good effect down the left as the former operated a new position in the inside centre of a diamond.

Howells found Marriott, in turn stinging the palms of the ‘keeper, but he wasn’t to be denied just after the hour mark. The youngster was gifted space to run, an opportunity he needed no second invitation for, driving on before firing left-footed into the bottom corner.

And Marriott should have had his first hat-trick in Luton colours. Pelly Ruddock fed McGeehan, and is neat flick set the striker through on goal, beating the shot-stopper, but unfortunately not the post as the scored stayed at 4-1.

Nathan Jones gave two new Hatters debuts in Tyreeq Bakinson and James Justin, while Frankie Musonda also came on, performing solidly after Exeter’s own substitute Brad Taylor headed straight at Justham.

A yard either side and the visitors would have had a second goal, but Marriott himself was determined to get his third when firing high and wide.

He wasn’t to be without his selfless moments, however, through on goal once again, this time feeding Pigott who looked certain to get a second of his own, only for the striker to lose his balance and scuff the shot wide. Certainly not one he would want to see again.

No matter for the Town though, scoring four goals for the only time in the league this season, sending the Hatters fans home happy following a lap of appreciation at the full-time whistle.

Hatters: Justham, O’Donnell (sub Justin 83), Sheehan, Rea, Potts, Howells (sub Musonda 89), Lawless, McGeehan, Ruddock (sub Bakinson 76), Pigott, Marriott

Subs not used: King, Smith, McQuoid, Banton.

Attendance: 8,427, with 310 following Exeter. Thank you for your excellent support this season.

http://www.lutontown.co.uk/news/article/gallery-luton-town-4-1-exeter-city-3100657.aspx

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0RuH_tifzQ

League Two: Luton Town 4 Exeter City 1

Luton saved the best until the very last as they ended a disappointing season in real style with a supreme performance against Exeter City this afternoon.

The hosts gave a glimpse of the sort of fluid display that manager Nathan Jones has been craving, particularly at home, as they ran the Grecians ragged at times, with some truly wonderful football.

But for some better finishing, they could easily have racked up more than they finished with too, hitting four at home for the first time since returning to the Football League.

Meanwhile, looking to the future, by the time the final whistle arrived, Hatters had three of the successful U18s side on the field with with Tyreeq Bakinson and James Justin handed their debuts in the second half, youth team skipper Frankie Musonda on for the final moments too.

Boss Jones made three changes to his side as Jake Howells, Alex Lawless and Jack Marriott came back in for Olly Lee, Jonathan Smith and Danny Green.

Town started brightly as Marriott did superbly on the by-line, his pull back was smothered away from Cameron McGeehan for a corner, taken by Howells, that was deflected narrowly behind.

With Howells and Lawless looking good in the midfield areas early on, busily starting a number of attacking moves between them, Town had a good balance about them, with Marriott eager to add to his tally, firing straight at James Hamon.

However, Town were thankful to Glen Rea for staying on level terms as Elliot Justham fumbled a ball over the top, dropping it at the feet of ex-Town forward Jayden Stockley, who rounded the custodian and saw his low shot take a crucial nick off Rea’s toe and go behind.

With 14 minutes gone, Hatters wasted a glorious chance with Pigott making a fine run to reach Stephen O’Donnell’s inviting cross but couldn’t direct his header on target.

However, Luton did break the deadlock on 27 minutes though when Howells won a free kick after a poor challenge by Jordan Tillson and from the dead ball, McGeehan took aim, his effort taking a crucial defection off a covering defender to beat Hamon.

Hatters looked for a second as Sheehan’s raking pass found O’Donnell steaming forward and his left-footer was tipped over.

Town then then took the game by the scruff of the neck, adding a quickfire double to blow Exeter out of the water,

First, Howells’ deep cross was met by Pigott whose looping header clipped the underside of the bar, only for the lurking Marriott to nod home his 15th of the campaign from a yard out.

Before Luton’s fans could get their breath back, a third arrived too, as Hamon came out to clear, but cleaned out his own defender Christian Ribeiro in the process.

The ball fell kindly to Pigott, who he still had plenty to do though, and boy did he do it, curling a superb effort back over the head of the retreating Jamon and into the net, as Luton had three inside the opening 45 minutes at home this season.

Town then really started to turn on the style, Pigott inches away from a second after a superb passing move, with Hamon parrying McGeehan’s drive too.

A re-invigorated home side started shooting from all angles, Lawless’ low side-footer parried away by an over-worked Hamon and then Sheehan’s thunderbolt blocked by Emmanuel Oyeleke.

City couldn’t ever really test Justham after his earlier error, the keeper easily falling on to Jamie Reid’s acrobatic attempt.

In the second period, Exeter appeared to have given themselves an immediate lifeline as Luton’s costly habit of conceding goals immediately after half time reared its ugly head once more, Stockley’s clinical diving header from Tom McReady’s deflected cross making it 3-1.

City now had their tails up, with Aarron Davies firing at Justham, but Luton remained a threat too, with Marriott denied a second of the afternoon by a sharp Hamon stop low down and then Tillson’s block.

McGeehan tested the keeper’s handling once more, which had improved from the first half, but Luton weren’t to be kept out much longer.

Just after the hour mark, Marriott raced forward again and as the visiting defence stood off, swept into the bottom corner with his left foot to retake the top scorer’s honour with his 16th of the season.

He almost had the perfect hat-trick when set free by McGeehan’s excellent vision, as after a heavy first touch he steadied himself, only to put his right-footer against the outside of the post.

Exeter continued to fire the occasional warning shot, Jake Taylor sending a header that Justham reacted well to save, while the keeper also kept out the sub again as the game wore on.

With 14 minutes to go, youngster Bakinson was the first to come off the bench for what was his Luton and Football League debut.

The teenager was quick to show his glowing reputation at U18 level, as he settled in straight away, winning an early header and then keeping possession with some neat and tidy passing.

Town almost brought the house down with a lovely move involving some nifty footwork from Howells and McGeehan that teed up Lawless for a shot that was blocked and then Marriott volleyed the rebound over.

Still they looked for a fifth though as McGeehan drilled inches wide from range, while Marriott forced Hamon to repel another blast.

It really should have arrived in stoppage time as Marriott unselfishly squared for Pigott, who somehow stumbled and nutmegged himself with the goal gaping for a true head in hands moment.

However, the final whistle brought the curtain down on what has been an ultimately frustrating season for all concerned at Kenilworth Road, but if this is the standard set by Jones for next term, a far more entertaining campaign should be on the cards.

Hatters: Elliot Justham, Stephen O’Donnell (James Justin 83), Dan Potts, Alan Sheehan, Glen Rea, Jake Howells (Frankie Musonda 89), Alex Lawless, Cameron McGeehan, Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu (Tyreeq Bakinson 74), Joe Pigott, Jack Marriott.

Subs not used: Craig King, Zane Banton, Jonathan Smith, Josh McQuoid.

Cobblers: James Hamon, David Noble (C), Jamie McAllister, Christian Ribeiro, Arron Davies, Alex Nicholls, Jamie Reid (Ollie Watkins 63), Emmanuel Oyeleke (Jake Taylor 63), Tom McCready, Jordan Tillson, Jayden Stockley (Lee Holmes 68).

Subs not used: Danny Butterfield, Jordan Moore-Taylor, Christy Pym, Troy Brown.

Attendance: 8,427 (310 Exeter).

Booked: Stockley 57.

Referee: Carl Boyeson.

Boss Nathan Jones believes Luton have everything in place to succeed next season despite missing out on the play-offs this term. The Hatters manager saw his side save their best home performance till last as they routed Exeter City 4-1 and could have scored more.

Jack Marriott netted twice to confirm his place as Town's top scorer with 16, while Cameron McGeehan added his 14th and Joe Pigott his fourth in the last game of his loan spell from Charlton.

With the League Two play-off picture already decided, neither team had anything to play for but Town gave their fans an exhilarating send-off and provided a statement of intent for next season, where they will expect to be challenging at the business end of the division.

Jones, who took over in January, said: "Fans have to understand that things are not built overnight but I thought we were excellent in how we went about our work. We've laid certain foundations here and it has been a really valuable four months.

"We tried to do something special, in sneaking in the play-offs, but it was always going to be difficult because you're always playing catch-up. So when you have a bad result and someone else does well, it takes you further away.

"But I think we've been excellent, I really do. I feel we've put in place a structure a way of discipline, a way of training, our attitude and everything we do, we've put in place and I'm really pleased with that, because it has been a valuable four months.

"Now we have to make sure we have a good summer. We'll recruit well, come back fit, come back hungry and hit the ground running."

Luton had not scored more than two goals before half time at Kenilworth Road since the final day of last season, so to hit three before the break created a party atmosphere in the stadium for supporters to take into the summer.

"I'm very pleased, we spoke all week and with the intensity in our training, as we didn't want it to be an end-of-season game," said Jones.

"We felt we've needed to give the fans something and I felt we did, I felt we were excellent from start to finish, apart from a five minute period after half time where they [Exeter] looked like they could get back into it.

"Even then, we'd had chances before that and we thoroughly deserved it as we had lots and lots and lots of chances.

"We had a clinical edge to us and we looked like we were going to score, we hit the post, the keeper made some good saves, so I'm very, very pleased how we've gone about our work and the manner of the win as well, I thought we were excellent."

Luton Town 4 Exeter City 1

If Luton are so inclined they could do some roaring summer business if they quickly get some t-shirts printed up with the words: 'I was there when Luton scored three in in the first half at home'.

They waited until the final game of a wretched season to net more than once in the first 45 minutes at home. They saved the best till last.

So bad had their record been at Kenilworth Road that until a month ago they'd even gone nine straight games without registering before the break - and then this.

Cameron McGeehan, Jack Marriott (twice) and Joe Pigott all struck and they could have had more.

This may have been a League Two dead rubber but Town should mark this date in their diaries as their start-as-you-mean-to-go-on moment.

Freedom, style and swagger, it was all here.

Even when former Luton loan striker Jayden Stockley scored two minutes into the restart, Marriott restored the three-goal buffer, slotting superbly into the bottom corner for his 16th of a personally impressive campaign. He should have had a hat-trick, maybe even two, but hitting the post was as close as he came to the match ball.

Still, it was the first time Town had fired four in the Football League since their return in 2014. Another marker to take into next term. And that, plus a new approach, is where attentions must be firmly focused.

Let's first put aside this notion of Luton being a big club. They are, of that there's no doubt, I mean more the sense of privilege that comes with all such claims, for teams at all levels.

There's still history, a large fanbase and now tantalisingly impressive off-field ambitions, courtesy of new stadium plans, but that doesn't ensure glory.

It may once have done but, in winning the Premier League title, Leicester have taken the rulebook and, not so much ripped it up and thrown it out of the window, as atomised it. Rulebook? What rulebook?

For now, 'impossible' is a myth, a legend we used to tell ourselves. The big fish aren't guaranteed the big prize and David beats Goliath. In League Two, Luton have been testament to that. It will do no good to assume they are entitled anything. That will only come with graft and craft.

Here they had both and this dismantling of Exeter, albeit in a dead rubber, shows that the Hatters, under boss Nathan Jones, can shoot for the stars next season.

Yet current thinking dictates that it won't be done with the chequebook, even with an initial £500,000 extra in the bank, from Andre Gray's promotion to the Premier League with Burnley.

For now though, football doesn't belong to the money men, it has been reclaimed by the romantics and the dreamers.

That's what Luton must try to harness next term because up and down the land, none of the old arguments, assumptions and rhetoric for failure will wash anymore. They can't. And that, for Town, means going back to the drawing board, though perhaps, on this evidence, not as far back to basics as once thought, earlier in the season.

The process has already begun and Jones has been saying all the right things since he arrived in January while, five months later against Exeter, his team finally excelled themselves to provide a big send-off.

So it's with a sense of relief that this campaign comes to end, but hope springs eternal and, in saving their best home performance until last, Town will keep the anticipation bubbling over the summer.

It will be a separation eased by Euro 2016 and, even though some will swear blind that they've always been into rowing and rhythmic gymnastics, when the Rio Olympics rolls around in August, it'll be the start of next season that everyone really wants.

Expect, in France and Brazil, more tales of triumph in the face of adversity, more impossible dreams made possible, all of which must be taken as inspiration.

And if, a year from now, there's an open top bus parade through Luton, it'll be this game and this performance that kick-started it.

Luton Town: Justham, O'Donnell (Justin, 83), Potts, Rea, Lawless, McGeehan, Marriott, Ruddock Mpanzu (Bakinson, 76), Howells, Sheehan, Pigott Unused subs: Smith, McQuoid, King, Banton, Musonda

Exeter City: Hamon, Noble, McAllister, Ribeiro, Davies, Nicholls, Reid (Watkins, 63), Oyeleke (Taylor, 63), McCready, Tillson, Stockley (Holmes, 68) Unused subs: Butterfield, Moore-Taylor, Pym, Brown

Referee: Carl Boyeson

Attendance: 8,427 (310)