by Luton Town fans would not have wanted this victory to come in such difficult circumstances, but an outpouring of love and support for their captain Tom Lockyer combined to make for a special and unforgettable day at Kenilworth Road .
Lockyer is recovering at home after suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch during last week’s game against Bournemouth and his side responded to a difficult week with a performance he would be proud to have been a part of.
Luton players wore Lockyer t-shirts in their pre-match warm-up as the stands chanted their leader’s name in the run-up to the game. Newcastle fans also showed their support for the 29-year-old Brit, unfurling a ‘Get Well Soon, Tom’ banner and joining in the applause.
This was followed by a minute’s applause at the four minute mark, Lockyer’s shirt number, as his name echoed around the stadium and the names of all the medics who helped him at Bournemouth last week appeared on the indoor digital screen of the ground, a touching moment for those who helped save his life.
Luton boss Rob Edwards called on his players to put in a performance befitting of Lockyer against Newcastle, and it was certainly this battle that gave his side’s survival hopes a major boost.
Lockyer would have no doubt been proud if he had been watching from afar. This was a display that perfectly reflected what he is all about on the pitch – grit, determination and a willingness to do the ugly side of the game.
And the Hatters had the result to match the performance thanks to Andros Townsend’s back-post header after Ross Barkley had pushed Alfie Doughty’s corner into his path.
Townsend went straight to the substitutes’ bench after putting his side in front, grabbing the Lockyer No 4 shirt hanging near the home dugout before raising it above his head towards the crowd responded with more chants of his hero.
Edwards, who appeared emotional on the full-time whistle as he and his team took a lap of honor around the pitch, said: “I’m an emotional wreck at the moment, my kids are going to hammer me for crying again!
“I have to be honest, it was hard to focus on a football game this week with everything that happened. My focus is on Tom and his family, and then there’s a job to do in an important Premier League game.
“I think the performance was probably our most complete performance so far this season. I think we played very well and I don’t think it’s because of what happened that we won the game today and we kept a clean sheet but we talked about it. We wanted to do it for Tom.
“I thought today we embodied everything that Tom Lockyer is about and everyone that went out there, even the ones that didn’t support each other, fought for each other and were so brave.
“He (Lockyer) texted me earlier saying he thought the three points were there for us today and reminded me it’s okay, he said stop worrying about it. He said he’s already bored sitting at home, and I think they (Lockyer and his family) were going to be watching the game.”
Luton’s push for survival would normally have been the focus of a massive three points, but the focus was understandably elsewhere on what was an emotional evening at Kenilworth Road.
On the pitch, the defensive unit was up to the task of protecting Newcastle in their absence. As expected, the home side came under plenty of pressure at times but threw their bodies time after time and when the ball did break through, the impressive Thomas Kaminski was there to keep it out of the net.
It was Luton’s first clean sheet of the Premier League season and one richly deserved given the effort they put in. Due to all the attacking pressure they had, the visitors were way ahead of the goal and were made to pay for the chances they missed.
Callum Wilson saw a good header by Kaminski in the first half for Newcastle’s best chance but the Hatters could have had a hat-trick, hitting the woodwork twice with Ross Barkley’s swung effort from distance before crashing off the bar found Jacob Brown. the bar as well early in the second half.
It was a lackluster performance from the Magpies, whose poor away form continues as they push to re-qualify for the Champions League and boss Eddie Howe said his side did not handle the emotion of the evening well.
“I’m very disappointed with the performance today, especially in the first half. We knew this was going to be a very difficult game, we knew the whole day would be hard, of course the game and how Luton play, but also the emotions of the game and I don’t think we handled we are that good,” he said.
