Bedfordshire | Luton Town progress after a seven-goal thriller

Luton Town 4 - 3 Forest Green

A sensational football match to start the first round proper of this season's FA Cup

Author | Peter Jones

Stadium | Kenilworth Road

League One side Luton Town were given a major scare before edging past National League outfit Forest Green Rovers 4-3 in a thrilling FA Cup first-round encounter.

Gideon Kodua came off the bench to seal victory in stoppage time, moments after the visitors had staged a remarkable fightback from three goals down to draw level.

Lamine Fanne and Nahki Wells put Jack Wilshere’s side firmly in control by half-time, with Wells adding a second early in the second half that appeared to put the tie beyond doubt. 

Tom Knowles sparked Forest Green’s comeback with a curling strike from the edge of the box on the hour, his effort wrongfooting Josh Keeley after a deflection off Mengi. Few inside Kenilworth Road could have predicted what followed.

Mengi’s evening went from bad to worse seven minutes later when he brought down Harry Whitwell in the area, allowing McAllister to convert from the spot and make it 3-2.

With 11 minutes left, debutant Dausch capitalised on a defensive lapse to draw Rovers level, sending manager Robbie Savage and the travelling supporters into raptures.

Scenes in the away end when Forest Green equalised

The away side's joy was ultimately short-lived as Kodua struck in stoppage time from close range, before Dausch missed a glorious late chance to complete an astonishing turnaround.

Good value for money?

Forest Green produced an excellent second-half display, with all three of their goals coming from substitutes.

Luton managed to summon just enough quality to scrape through, securing the win despite a poor showing after the interval. Jack Wilshere will know his side were second best for large parts of the contest, as Forest Green dominated much of the play.

Despite this drama, not all Luton supporters were happy. One season ticket holder told us: “No one should be happy about us only beating a non-league side in the 90th minute after being three up. If anything, this shows how far we have fallen as a club. We were giving the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, and Liverpool a really good game a few seasons ago. Now, we can only scrape through against Forest Green despite being 3-0 up. What a shambles.”