Drew sets them alight

So at last back to where it matters most, on the the pitch. The walking wounded of Luton lined up as follows:

Beresford

Foley Keane Heikkinen Emanuel

Bell Spring Robinson Morgan

Talbot Runstrom



A very reasonable contingent of Wednesday fans, including their equivalent of Jimmy Fivebellies, resplendent without his top.

Wednesday looked the livelier from the start, and in the first minute Jermaine Johnson burst fthrough the middle and outpaced Markus into the box but fortunately flicked wide.

Minutes later a similar move saw a point-blank save from Marlon.

But on 9 minutes the Town earned their first corner after a Runstrom flick on and pressure on the full back from Talbot, whose resemblance in all aspects of play to Rowan Vine is uncanny.

On 12 minutes a second corner on the right, which Morgan curled in. It was knocked straight back out to him, and as he brought it down he was challenged, whereupon he collapsed to the floor. He did not look happy as he was treated and took a while to recover, limping rather forlornly back to the dugout, but recover he did.

By this time it was mostly Luton, but on 24 minutes a deep Wednesday cross from the right to the far post saw Deon Burton soaring above allcomers – well except Marlon of course, nowhere to be seen – to head softly down and into the net. 0-1, against the run of play, but not undeserved.

Chants from Wednesday of “You`re going down with the Leeds scum”.

On 31 minutes the third Town corner after good work by Emanuel.Bell swung it deep, Keane climbed well and nodded it to the edge of the 6 yard-box, where a melee led by Runstrom leapt at it. Wednesday keeper Mark Crossley was in the melee and flapped a punch but only to Keane, who put the ball back in the danger zone, and Runstrom stabbed the rebound in.

So 1-1 at half time and the Town having had the better of the game without really threatening.

Unusually a change in the Town line-up for the second half, Langley replacing Morgan, but with Bell switching to left midfield and Langley taking position wide right.

On 53 minutes Talbot flicked a neat header over his marker left side on the half-way line and turned him a treat. He then really motored down the line, and for once Luton, yes that`s us, received a slice of luck as a defender slipped in his wake. He sped to the by line and fired in a beautiful low cross in the kill-zone in front of the keeper but behind the rapidly retreating centre half, Tommy Spurr. Between a rock and a hard place, with Runstrom waiting in the box for the cross, Spurr lunged for a touch on the cross. And touch it he did, slicing a cracking shot high into the net from 8 yards.

2-1 and chants of “Sheffield Wednesday f**cked it up again”. Oh joy. Two slices of luck within seconds. Surely not?

But six minutes later and a Wednesday corner was passed back to 25 yards out where a waiting Glenn Whelan tanked it like we haven’t seen in years, the ball flying past a startled Town defence like an Exocet.

KR started to crackle, with both sets of fans alive and loud.

And two minutes later, on 61, a Town corner was cleared to Spring on the edge of the box. He looped it back in, and Talbot jumped in a crowd with the keeper and flicked the ball neatly over them. The header wasn`t strong enough to score, but quick as a flash he turned and lunged at it on the deck, sliding the ball in.

3-2 and Talbot raced back to the half-way line like a man possessed, pointing proudly to the Town badge on his breast. He was clearly rather delighted.

Perhaps too delighted, for within 5 minutes he made his way to the dugout clutching his hamstring, and left to be replaced by Adam Boyd. The crowd were singing “Fatboy fatboy what`s the score?”, a rather cruel way to welcome the Town substitute.

Wednesday boss Brian Laws rang the changes, and the rest of the game was end-to end stuff, with excitement at both ends and keeper Mark Crossley in the Town area for most of the last five.

Funniest, but also saddest of all, was the sight of Boyd on the half way line for once getting a ball in space, with Runstrom tearing through the middle crying for the pass. Boyd weighed up the options and. like in one of your worst nightmares, suddenly found that his legs just couldn`t move quickly enough and fell over without even hitting the ball. I had just been saying that I didn`t think he looked too bad, and had to eat my words.

But it was a relatively comfortable finish. So 3-2 and three points at last!

Scores:

Beresford 6 not sure where he was for the first goal, but claimed a few crosses for a change
Foley 7 looked good
Keane 7 looks a much better player in the centre, and made the first goal
Heikkinen 7 how nice it is to have class at last
Emanuel 7 how on earth will Sol ever return?
Bell 6 great when he had the ball, but that wasn`t very often. He should be one of our middle two, alongside Spring.
Spring 6 solid but not startling
Robinson 6 nothing special but kept putting the yards in
Morgan 6 dilleyed and dallied, dallied and dilleyed
Runstrom 7 a classy performance – good target man
Talbot 8 MoM for effort and pace and making two goals, one for himself

Subs

Langley 6 quite a good game for him
Boyd 2 for bravery