Coventry City 1 - 1 Luton Town

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Coventry City 1 - 1 Luton Town

Postby dutchman » Sat May 27, 2023 8:39 pm

Dabo heartbreak as Sky Blues cruelly miss out on promotion

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Coventry City lost the Championship play-off final in the cruellest way possible, losing 6-5 in a dramatic penalty shootout to Luton Town at Wembley Stadium.

All five penalty takers from each side scored to send the verdict into sudden death. Dan Potts scored Town’s sixth but Fankaty Dabo lifted his over the bar to leave Sky Blue hearts broken after a determined second half fight-back from Mark Robins’ men who went agonisingly close to a return to the Premier League.

Luton took a deserved lead from Jordan Clark in a disappointing first half from the Sky Blues who struggled to get going, managing just one attempt on goal to Town’s ten, including three on target.

But Gus Hamer got Coventry back on level terms midway through the second half with a sublime finish from a Viktor Gyokeres pull-back to set up a thrilling climax to the game which ventured into extra-time when Luton thought they’d won it four minutes from time, only to have their goal disallowed by VAR for handball.

The Hatters started the game with plenty of attacking intent and pressing City back towards their own goal, but the Sky Blues kept calm and played the ball about nicely amongst themselves when they had the ball.

But Coventry had their first set-piece scare from Town’s first corner of the game which saw centre-back Gabriel Osho bundle over the line, only for the goal to be ruled out for off-side with just five minutes on the clock. The Hatters then suffered a serious blow with inspirational skipper Tom Lockyer went down injured despite no-one being around him. He was treated on the pitch for about five minutes before being stretchered off and replaced by Reece Burke.

City then found themselves a goal down as Luton’s direct play finally paid off, with Adebayo getting the better of Kyle McFadzean on the left flank and pulling the ball back to Jordan Clark who gave Luke McNally the slip and picked his spot past Ben Wilson at his near post.

Robins’ men failed to register a single attempt on goal by the 40 minute mark when Town had the ball in the back of the net again, albeit ruled out for handball after Adebayo used his arm to block a Callum Doyle hooked clearance.

Coventry’s first attempt came in the 43rd minute when Hamer got on the end of a Jake Bidwell cross but sent it over the bar as the Sky Blues grew in confidence towards the break, which included eight minutes for stoppages.

Striker Matty Godden replaced Jamie Allen for the second half as City’s box midfield proved ineffective and, kicking towards the Sky Blue Army, the players gave a better account of themselves. And City finally got the goal their efforts deserved when Callum Doyle played a sublime ball down the left for Gyokeres to run onto and pull it back for Hamer to slot home from the edge of the box. The 66th minute goal in front of a sea of sky blue saw the stadium erupt as City were back in the game.

City’s star man, however, went down with an ankle injury shortly after and limped off in the 80th minute, replaced by Kasey Palmer before the game drifted into eight frantic minutes of end to end added time for stoppages with both sides going at it to win in regular time.

But 30 minutes of extra-time ensued with Palmer having to go off, replaced by Eccles, but with City enjoying the momentum. Doyle had to go off injured, replaced by Jonathan Panzo in the second half of extra-time and the defender lost possession to Joe Taylor who put the ball in the back of the net, believing he’d scored the winner. But VAR ruled it out seconds later for handball and the game was decided on a penalty shootout.

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Re: Coventry City 1 - 1 Luton Town

Postby dutchman » Sat May 27, 2023 9:09 pm

Luton win shootout to reach Premier League

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Luton Town completed their journey from non-league to Premier League as they beat Coventry City 6-5 on penalties to win the Championship play-off final at Wembley.

Gustavo Hamer equalised for Coventry to cancel out a first-half strike from Jordan Clark as the game finished in a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes.

Both goals came after Luton lost captain Tom Lockyer early on after he collapsed on the pitch but the defender was taken to hospital where the club have confirmed that he is "responsive and talking" to his family, who are with him.

Coventry's Fankaty Dabo blasted the 12th penalty kick in the shootout over the crossbar to send the happy Hatters to the Premier League for the first time.

Having last been in English football's top flight in 1992, the year the Premier League began, Luton have waited 31 years to take their place at the top table.

But they were still in the fifth tier only nine years ago after a decade of financial hardship.

And, in becoming the first side to go all the way from the top tier to non-league and back, it completed a remarkable achievement for Luton boss Rob Edwards, who began this season as manager of the Hatters' fierce local rivals Watford.

Just a year on from managing Forest Green to the League Two title, Edwards won his second successive promotion.

He left Forest Green to take on the Watford job at the end of last season, but was then sacked in late September.

He then returned to management in November when Nathan Jones walked out on Luton for a second time - and Edwards has now masterminded the completion of one of football's great journeys.

Away from the tightly packed, raucous atmosphere of Kenilworth Road, there was a slight concern that Luton might struggle in the more vast open spaces of Wembley.

But Luton were way the more dominant side before the break.

Aside from the one goal they did score, they had two more disallowed - and a string of other dangerous moments too.

Not even the early loss of defensive linchpin Lockyer could halt their flow.

Within eight minutes of the Wales international collapsing and being stretchered off, the Hatters were ahead when bustling striker Elijah Adebayo caused havoc, carving out the opening for Clark to run on down the inside-left channel and smash home a stunning left-foot screamer just inside the left upright.

But towards the break, and especially into the eight minutes of injury-time because of the Lockyer situation, Coventry began to threaten.

Hamer powered a volley just over after the ball had come at an awkward height and then loan-signing Brooke Norton-Cuffy almost weaved a way through with one mesmeric run.

It was the same flow pattern at the start of the second half as Coventry restarted well, with an extra striker on in Matty Godden.

And, 21 minutes after the restart, at a similar time to the Luton first-half opener, Coventry were level with a not dissimilarly constructed goal.

Top scorer Viktor Gyokeres was played into space down the left, he held the ball up and turned it back into the path of Hamer, who put enough bend on his measured side-foot finish to find the bottom-right corner.

Godden then fired just over - and the 90 minutes, extended by another eight minutes of time added on, ended with both sides still desperately searching for a winner.

Gyokeres' low right-foot shot tested Horvath at his near post at the start of extra time.

Then Luton thought they had it won in the second period of extra time when substitute Joseph Taylor pounced on a mistake by Jonathan Panzo and ran on to fire the ball past City keeper Ben Wilson, but the goal was disallowed for a handball.

Instead, it was on to penalties - and all went to plan with the first 10 regulation spot-kicks.

Carlton Morris, Taylor, Marvelous Nakamba, Clark and Luke Berry all netted superbly for Luton, cancelled out by similarly well-struck efforts from Coventry's chosen quintet, Godden, Gyokeres, Ben Sheaf, Josh Eccles and skipper Liam Kelly.

But, when it went to sudden death, Luton sub Dan Potts converted - before the luckless Dabo hit his effort high and wide.

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