LUTON TOWN 1 WREXHAM 0
Blue Square Premier
Kenilworth Road
Saturday March 13, 2010
3pm
Tom Craddock hits Luton's winner against Wrexham
Tom Craddock's fifth goal in six games made sure Hatters had something to show for their pretty football after another tense finish at Kenilworth Road.
A brilliant first half performance should have yielded more goals than Craddock's 14th of the season, instead Wrexham piled on the pressure late on and only the woodwork denied them going back to north Wales with a point.
In the week boss Richard Money questioned when the last time Luton were in a promotion race, Wrexham's visit couldn't have been more timely. Hatters fans are well aware of the trip to north Wales in April 2005 where a 1-0 win wrapped up the League One championship.
There's been precious few afternoons like that one at the Racecourse Ground – this was the first time Town had won at home on a Saturday since October – but the first 45 minutes certainly promised much.
Manager Money described it as “the best we've played since I've been here” even if it did give way to a second half where Wrexham almost levelled through Andrew Fleming's long range effort that came off the underside of the bar.
New boy Simon Heslop, signed from Barnsley on-loan went straight into the side for his first competitive game of 2010. The 22-year old last ran out for Kettering Town on loan at the end of December but was preferred to Asa Hall and Rossi Jarvis in midfield.
Matthew Barnes-Homer was taken out of the firing line for veteran Kevin Gallen as Hatters looked for the goals that would close the gap on leaders Stevenage.
The early exchanges showed promising signs that Luton wouldn't have to rely on a last minute strike as they did against Forest Green mid-week. Keith Keane warmed Sam Russell's gloves in the Dragons' net with an accurate long range shot and Gnakpa whipped in a teasing low cross from the by-line that Wrexham were grateful to hack away.
Unlike the boggy pitch, chances were beginning to dry up mid way through the first half – though it was not for the want of trying. Luton – Keane inparticular – chased everything and played some tidy football in-spite of the rubbish surface.
The full backs supported every single attack and Heslop showed with his eye for a pass, exactly why he's been bought to the club. The visitors barely had a sniff as with promotion to play for, Hatters looked more eager for the points than Wrexham for whom mid-table mediocrity will have to do for this season.
Winger Wes Baynes gave Mark Tyler something to do on the half hour mark, but shot straight at the Luton stopper.
That effort aside, there was only one side likely to break the deadlock – and Hatters did just that on 36 minutes. There appeared to be little on as Craddock took the ball towards goal and Wrexham defender Mansour Assoumani. The Frenchman clearly hadn't heard of Craddock's recent rich vein of form as rather than put in a tackle he urged him to shoot from a tight angle just inside the box. The Teesider didn't need a second invitation and duly despatched a rising effort that was palmed onto the post by Russell before bobbling over the line.
The applause that came as Money's men went off at half time was not just out of loyalty as the crowd saluted as impressive a 45 minutes as they've seen all season. However quiet Wrexham were in the first half, you still felt more goals would be needed to keep the Welsh side at bay.
On 52 minutes Keane had the ground chanting his name once again – although not in a way he'd have wanted. The midfielder's virtuoso display kept smiles on Luton fans all afternoon but this time it was for a different reason. The Irish U21 international went to take a short corner but kicked the flag instead, much to the amusement of the crowd.
In Andy Mangan Wrexham have the conference top scorer from last season, yet it took until the hour mark for him to register a shot at goal that Tyler dealt with easily. It did signal there was still a bit of fire in the Dragons and Town were put under a spell of pressure.
Wrexham spent a bit of cash for conference standards in the summer and Dean Saunders' side were beginning to show why Money had rated them as one of the division's better sides. That was underlined on 69 minutes when Andrew Fleming saw his screamer from the edge of the box cannon off the bar as Town's lead remained intact.
Understandably the nerves began to creep in as the slender lead became more fragile thanks to a series of bizarre refereeing decisions and a much more composed Wrexham.
Kenilworth Road fell deadly silent – all the earlier optimism and cheer replaced by the much more familiar clock watching and teeth grinding as the game entered the final ten minutes.
If Gallen had connected with substitute Jarvis's cross on 85 minutes, it would have made for a more comfortable ending. He didn't, although sprits were lifted when the stadium announcer rightly confirmed Keane as man of the match.
Five minutes were added on and Saunders was gesticulating wildly on the touchline for Wrexham to push for the equaliser. But Hatters held on and the dream of automatic promotion continues.
LUTON: Tyler; Asafu-Adaye, Kovacs, Pilkington, Murray; Gnakpa (Jarvis 64), Keane, Heslop, Howells; Gallen, Craddock (Nwokeji 88). Subs: Gore, Blackett, Nelthorpe
Attendance: 6, 528
Referee: S Creighton