Luton Town FC vs Stockport County (21st Mar 2026)

21/03/2026 LUTON TOWN 1-1 STOCKPORT COUNTY

Hatters held to frustrating home draw

Lawrence on target with first senior goal but Norwood free-kick earns visitors point

The Hatters’ hopes of gatecrashing the play-offs were dealt a blow as they were held to a draw with Stockport.

Emilio Lawrence’s fine first senior goal gave the Town a deserved half-time advantage, but it was a lead that lasted until 12 minutes from time when Ollie Norwood’s free-kick crept past Josh Keeley.

The point keeps the Hatters in 11th place in League One with seven games to go but there was a palpable air of frustration as the Town left the field knowing that may be two points dropped in the race for a place in the top six.

In truth the Town could have had more to show for their endeavours other than Lawrence’s goal following a dominant first-half.

Jordan Clark skewed a volley when well placed in the penalty area following Kasey Palmer’s peach of a cross on nine minutes and 11 minutes later Palmer’s crisp low strike kissed the outside of the post.

But the Town continued to press and they were rewarded with the lead on 28 minutes in fine style. Lawrence seized on the ball outside the penalty area and arrowed an unstoppable low shot into the bottom corner. It was a brilliant first ever goal in senior football for the 20-year-old.

With the Hatters in front and enjoying their football, they were inches away from doubling their lead on 38 minutes when an inventive set-play saw Clark’s cross evade both Devante Cole and Hakeem Odoffin inside the six-yard box.

In front at the break it would be a different story in a second half that Stockport dominated.

Yet despite the visitors’ control it was the Hatters that came closest to adding to the score when Kal Naismith’s looping header was tipped over the bar by visiting goalkeeper Corey Addai.

Jack Wilshere made a triple change in a bid to counteract the visitors’ dominance with Gideon Kodua, Ali Al-Hamadi and Davy van den Berg introduced with 20 minutes left.

And Kodua was immediately into the action by shooting straight at Addai but minutes later County were level when Norwood’s free-kick from the left caught Keeley by surprise.

The equaliser knocked the stuffing out of the Hatters who couldn’t force a winner despite seven additional minutes.

In fact the Town had Naismith to thank for a magnificent clearance to deny a certain goal when the visitors countered in the second of those minutes.

So frustration for the Hatters who must now wait until Good Friday before going again in League One.

We’ll see you then.

Town: Keeley, Jones, Lawrence (sub Kodua 71), Lonwijk, Odoffin, Naismith, Saville (sub Sandal 88), Richards (sub Morris 88), Clark, Palmer (sub van den Berg 72), Cole (sub Al-Hamadi 71).

Subs: Shea, Sandal, van den Berg, Al-Hamadi, Morris, Kodua, Johnson.

Attendance: 10,791, including 1,132 from Stockport

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvXjXATP1Lw – Jack Wilshere interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFK8KprCyng – match highlights

League One: Luton Town 1 Stockport County 1

Luton caught out by Norwood's free kick as Hatters have to settle for a point

Luton Town failed to make any serious headway on the League One play-offs after conceding late on to be held to a 1-1 draw by Stockport County this afternoon.

The Hatters went into the contest knowing a win was the only real available outcome if they were to extend their season into May, and gave themselves every chance of doing so thanks to Emilio Lawrence’s fantastic first senior goal. However, with 13 minutes to go, former Premier League midfielder Ollie Norwood’s free kick caught out Josh Keeley to level the scores and with Town unable to find a winner, plus the top half teams all playing each other this afternoon, it more or less yet again ended any lingering hopes of the play-offs.

Boss Jack Wilshere made two changes for the match, which was seen as a dress rehearsal for the Vertu Trophy final at Wembley next month, Izzy Jones and Jake Richards in for Gideon Kodua, who dropped to the bench and Liam Walsh, who missed out completely. Town made an enterprising start to proceedings, knitting some good moves together in the final third, Jones sending one shot over the bar from outside the box and Kasey Palmer’s wonderful cross picking out the unmarked Jordan Clark who volleyed badly wide from 10 yards out on nine minutes.

Experienced midfielder George Saville was having a real impact in the early stages, one crunching challenge getting the fans off their seats, while Nigel Lonwijk’s forward passing catching the eye, sending Jones away regularly, Lawrence winning another corner when his low drive was blocked away. Luton’s willingness to shoot on sight has been a theme in their recent play as Palmer cut across one from from 20 yards that flicked the post on its way behind for a corner.

Town’s set-piece prowess almost paid off again, Kal Naismith’s header blocked behind for another flag kick that saw Hakeem Odoffin’s volley fall into the keeper’s gloves and not into the net as some Town fans thought. County weren't without their moments though as on 23 minutes, Keeley had to spread himself well to make an important stop when Ethan Pye connected well with Norwood’s free kick at the back post.

Luton then took the lead on 28 minutes in quite magnificent fashion, as Naismith’s block tackle saw the ball rebound to Manchester City loanee Lawrence who found just enough space to whip a magnificent attempt from outside the box beyond the gigantic frame of Corey Addai and into the corner of the net for not only his maiden Hatters’ strike, but a first senior goal as well.

Town almost had a second on 39 minutes when Saville took over from Walsh in dinking a free kick over the top for Clark, who had escaped his man and volleyed across goal, just missed by the lunging Devante Cole and also Odoffin. County had a decent spell in the closing stages of the first half, Brad Hills rising impressively to head over the bar, while Jack Diamond, a Town target during the recent transfer window, seeing his shot deflected behind by the impressive Saville.

After the break, the visitors were forced into a change when Hills injured himself trying to prevent Lawrence from getting away, Joseph Olowu coming on. Frustratingly, Luton couldn’t maintain the same tempo as they had in the first period, Stockport beginning to enjoy far more possession and territory, leading to the hosts’ unable to get out of their half.

Midway through and they did though, Clark’s cross flicked on by Odoffin for Naismith whose looping header was tipped over by Addai. Luton made a triple substitution on 72 minutes, Gideon Kodua, Davy van den Berg and Ali Al-Hamadi replacing Lawrence, Palmer and Cole, as Kodua scuffed straight at Addai after getting away on the left.

Within five minutes and it was all square again, County winning a free kick on their left, with Norwood spotting Keeley wasn’t monitoring his near post and bending the ball past the despairing dive of the keeper, who couldn’t react in time. Wilshere introduced Sverre Sandal and Shayden Morris with time running out, but the hosts never looked like finding a winner in seven minutes of stoppage time, indebted to a brilliant intervention from Naismith who turned a visiting counter-attack behind at full stretch to ensure they even took a point in the end.

Hatters: Josh Keeley, Nigel Lonwijk, Hakeem Odoffin, Kal Naismith (C), Izzy Jones, George Saville (Sverre Sandal 88), Kasey Palmer (Davy van den Berg 71), Jordan Clark, Emilio Lawrence (Gideon Kodua 71), Jake Richards (Shayden Morris 88), Devante Cole (Al Al-Hamadi 72). Subs not used: James Shea, Joe Johnson.

County: Corey Addai, Josh Dacres-Cogley, Jack Diamond, Tanto Olaofe (Josh Stokes 84), Tayo Edun (Malik Mothersille 68), Ethan Pye, Kyle Wootton (Adama Sidibeh 46), Ben Osborn, Ollie Norwood (C), Odin Bailey (Lewis Bate 85), Brad Hills (Joseph Olowu 50). Subs not used: Ben Hinchcliffe, Owen Dodgson.

Booked: Osborn 45, Edun 62, Al-Hamadi 77. Referee: Robert Madley. Attendance: 10,791 (1,132 County).

Hatters boss expects Keeley to be 'frustrated' with Stockport equaliser

Luton stopper caught out by Norwood’s leveller

Hatters boss Jack Wilshere knows that keeper Josh Keeley will be left frustrated by the manner in which he was beaten by Ollie Norwood as Town could only take a point in a game they had to win, drawing 1-1 against fellow play-off hopefuls Stockport County this afternoon.

Luton looked to be on their way to a crucial three points in a bid to extend their campaign, taking a first half lead when Emilio Lawrence cracked home a superb first senior goal on 28 minutes, firing home from just outside the box, as the hosts were good value for their lead when the teao teams swapped ends. However, after the break, it was the visitors who began to dominate proceedings, but although having the majority of possession, still didn’t send anything meaningful at Keeley’s goal.

That was until former Northern Ireland international and Premier League midfielder Norwood stepped up with 13 minutes left to send a free from out on the touch-line, arrowing into the bottom corner, as he caught out Keeley, who had been called up to the Republic of Ireland national squad this week, to ensure the other Hatters left with a point and deliver what could be a potential body-blow to Town’s top six chances.

It means that Keeley, who had made a fine save from Ethan Pye in the first half, hasn’t kept a clean sheet in his last 10 league appearances, as speaking afterwards, Wilshere said: “I think he’ll be frustrated, I think he will. He made an excellent save in the first half as well and he’s been excellent for us. Everyone knows how much I think of Josh, but he’ll be frustrated with that. He’s (Norwood) got that quality, we knew that going into the game. We were happy with how defended around our box to keep them outside our structure, force them into wide areas, defending one v ones and we have to keep doing that.

"We know that we did a lot of good things today. I thought first half we were excellent, what we wanted to do, how we wanted to start, be on the front foot, be aggressive, attack, get the fans involved, which they did. Then we had to take one, maybe two of those opportunities we created. Second half we didn’t quite get going, we have to use the ball better, but I thought we defended really well.

"We spoke after the Exeter game to the group about when we can’t be aggressive, we can’t be in a high press, we have to be really compact, have to make it really difficult for teams and we did that. They had the ball a lot in the second half, but they didn’t really threaten us. I can think of one set-piece, so a lot of positives to take, a lot to like, but it’s frustrating that we didn’t get the three points.”