Seven goals for Wanderers in an outstanding performance which claimed glory for Julian Darby's men at the Toughsheet Community Stadium.
The treble winning U18s have had an incredible season winning the EFL Youth Alliance League North, LFA Senior Cup and now EFL Youth Alliance League National!
A fast start from Wanderers earned Julian Darby’s side an early lead after just four minutes. David Abimbola was fouled on the left wing level with the Luton Town box which resulted in a Whites free-kick. Conor Lewis swung the ball into the area and a headed effort from Oliver Smith went straight into the top corner.
The Hatters responded on nine minutes with their first effort of the game on nine minutes. The ball was half cleared away from the Wanderers area and fell to Charlie Trustram. He fired a strike towards goal but it fell well wide of the target.
The Whites doubled their lead on 21 minutes through Conor Lewis. Harrison Rice’s ball delivered from the left towards Smith. His effort finds Lewis who heads the ball past Luton keeper Charlie Booth.
Only four minutes later Wanderers had a third. Rice again was giving Luton problems as he fired another ball into the area. Jamie Grayson arrived in the area and produced a thumping header to put the Whites 3-0 up.
Daeshon Lawrence nearly made it four soon after. Smith does well to get onto the end of a through ball on the right flank and delivered a cross towards Lawrence at the back post but his header went over the bar.
On the half hour mark Harry Leigh made it four. Abimbola played the ball off to Leigh who had a shot from the edge of the area. His powerful strike was too much for Booth in goal who couldn’t hang on to the ball as it squirmed underneath him and over the line to give Wanderers a commanding 4-0 lead at the break.
The Whites continued to push for more goals in the second-half. Excellent pressing from the hosts as Luton looked to play out from the back led to Lawrence winning possession in the Hatters penalty area. The forward’s effort was low and hard but kept out by Booth.
Wanderers came close to a fifth on 51 minutes. Leigh picked up the ball 25-yards-out with bodies in front of him and hammered a shot towards goal. His strike deflected off Harley Irwin which took the ball closer to the target but it fell wide of the far post.
The deserved fifth goal eventually came on 57 minutes. Rice threw the ball down the line for Abimbola who was simply too strong for his man to push him away and slide the ball across for Lawrence to make it five.
Luton were still looking for their first effort on target in the game. Tate Xavier-Jones tried to change that on 65 minutes following a corner. The ball sat up nicely for the overhead kick but the Luton man could not direct it on goal.
Wanderers grabbed their sixth on 70 minutes. Smith came so close to the goal of the game with a strike from distance that was pushed on to the post by Booth. The ball bounced into the air towards a Luton Town defender but he could only manage to head the ball into his own net from close range.
Luton found two consolation goals at the end both through substitute Matthew Takawira who found the net from close range twice. But even those two goals could not put a dampener on a totally dominant afternoon for Julian Darby’s men.
That was proven by Lawrence’s second of the game and Wanderers’ seventh in the last minute of the game. Abimbola played the ball across from the left in to Lawrence’s feet who took it round his man and placed it into the bottom corner.
Wanderers | Dallimore (81’ Barlow), Smith, Oliver (71’ O’Neill), Grayson, Rice, Hogan (79’ Thomas), Irwin ©, Leigh (81’ Mawditt), Lewis (81’ Ritchie), Abimbola, Lawrence
Luton Town | Booth, Roberts-Edema, Fox, Trustram, Chigozie, Kwame Anson, Asamoah Junior, Stitt, Xavier-Jones, Shepard, Benagr
Substitutes | Ioannides, Thomas, Hincapie-Alfonso, Gawel, Takawira
