Jack Wilshere turned things around from his opening-game defeat to Mansfield Town to win against Northampton Town on Saturday, his first victory in senior management with Luton Town.
Jack Wilshere’s Luton Town side lost their first game against Mansfield Town 2-0 last week, but the match swung on fine margins. If Nahki Wells hadn’t seen his penalty saved before giving away possession for Mansfield’s opening goal, things could have turned out very differently.
Wilshere might have been concerned things were going to play out similarly away to Northampton Town on Saturday, with Wells missing a sitter in the first half and failing to convert a rebound off the crossbar in the second. It certainly hasn’t been the best week for the experienced Luton striker.
Yet the team finally got a deserved first goal under new management as Lamine Fanne turned home a low cross by Isaiah Jones in the 77th minute.
Luton had certainly had the better of the chances to that point, but they had to hold onto their lead in the final 10 minutes as Northampton finally had a few good opportunities of their own.
Fortunately for Wilshere, his team held on for a 1-0 win, with Hakeem Odoffin’s last-minute goalline clearance securing victory.
“I’m so happy,” Wilshere said afterwards. “I’m so happy for the players because honestly, I’ve said it since I’ve been here, they’ve been excellent. Their attitude, their energy.
“Last week was disappointing but we probably deserved something out of the game. It’s hard when you come away from it with nothing. It felt tough.
“So to come here, against a good team, they make it so difficult, they play direct, and I thought every single time we were up for the fight. I’m just so happy for the players.”
Luton are up to 10th after their latest win, seven points behind league leaders Cardiff City. There’s a long way to go before the team can start thinking about promotion, but a play-off place has to be the minimum target for this season.
For now, attentions turn to the cups. Luton face the Brighton u21s in the EFL Trophy group stage on Tuesday, then Forest Green Rovers in the first round of the FA Cup on Friday.