Norwich City made it seven wins in a row as they comfortably dealt with the challenge of Luton Town by three goals to nil.
The previous two meetings between the sides this season, in the League Cup and in the league at Kenilworth Road had gone the way of Luton by 3-1 but this time it was different.
That League Cup game in early September was akin to a pre-season friendly with Norwich down to the bare bones and without Teemu Pukki and Tim Krul, amongst lots of others and the league game in December saw City without a senior recognised striker in their squad and a bench containing five youngsters.
This game and the players available to Daniel Farke was vastly different though with almost a fully fit set of players and a pretty settled match day squad from which to choose from. A first choice front three of Cantwell, Pukki and Buendia with Rupp in at number 10, was simply too much for the hard working Hatters.
Luton came to play though and they decided not to just park the bus but to take the game to Norwich and try to take them on. They hit the post early doors when James Collins really should’ve scored, with the score at 0-0 but that was about as good as it got for the visitors.
After that, Norwich scored their first with a well-worked move that was arguably against the run of play, finished with aplomb by Pukki who smashed Todd Cantwell’s pass into the top corner. On the stroke of half-time, Pukki grabbed a second when he slid in to slot home Emi Buendia’s deflected shot and that was his 20th goal of the season.
By the time Todd Cantwell had fired home a long range, low drive from twenty odd yards, Luton were well beaten and revenge was indeed a dish best served cold. Norwich had lost their three previous meetings with the Hatters, going back to that miserable 1-0 FA Cup defeat in 2013, when City were a Premier League team and Luton were non-league.
I remember that game in particular as it was the first and only time I have ever been invited into a corporate box, for lunch, free beers, etc and tickets to The Gunn Club afterwards. I took my wife and son with me, who was eight at the time and he wanted to go into The Gunn Club to meet the man of the match after the game and get his autograph, who happened to be Russell Martin.
If it had been down to me I’d have just slunk off home and forgotten about it. Anyway, my boy was insistent and so we went in and met Russell Martin. He signed my lad’s programme and I remember him apologising to us, personally, for losing the game. “I’m sorry” he said to me, “That should never have happened. It was unacceptable.” He wasn’t wrong but I can remember feeling so disarmed by that personal apology that I just shrugged and said “These things happen.”
Nice bloke, Russell Martin, a very nice bloke.
That defeat hurt all the more because a good mate of mine is a Luton fan and as you’d expect, he was unbearable. To be fair I imagine I’d have been the same in his position but I’ll never forget him saying to me “I promise not to mention this again” he paused, before adding “more than once a day for the rest of your life.”
The two defeats this season have been tough to take because of chippy Matt but our league position has balanced it out more than a little and the win today has lifted my spirits no end.
As soon as the final whistle blew, a cheeky WhatsApp message was winging it’s way to Matt.
Normal service has been resumed, you Hatters, thanks for coming…
OTBC