THE CAUL TO ARMS
Townsend: Late goal SO vital
1 1 ANDROS TOWNSEND reckoned Luton struck a huge psychological blow in the relegation scrap by grabbing a last-gasp equaliser at Crystal Palace.
Cauley Woodrow’s 97th-minute leveller always meant the Hatters would leave feeling like winners.
But the fact that a vital point also cut the gap between themselves and safety to just three points – even if just for
24 hours – was even more significant, according to Townsend (circle).
Few know better about battling at the basement than the Luton winger, whose fine cross carved out the late opportunity for fellow substitute Woodrow to head home.
Townsend has been something of a serial relegation fighter at club level.
The ex-everton, Newcastle and Palace star, 32, said: “I’ve been in relegation battles pretty much my whole career. It’s about staying in touch at this time of the season, staying within one game of the team above.
“We’re now potentially one good game and one win from being outside the drop zone, which is massive at this stage. We came here for three points but, with how everything worked out and a last-minute goal, we’ll take one, for sure. It could be so crucial.” Next for Rob Edwards’ outfit is a midweek trip to Bournemouth. Three days later they host fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest in a crunch showdown.
Townsend added: “We have a massive week. A week which can define our season. Hopefully, we win on Wednesday and go into the Forest game with the confidence flowing, knowing we could be out of the drop zone in the international week.” Ending four straight league defeats will lift confidence – but Townsend insists nobody at Kenilworth Road doubts their ability to stay up. “Even when I first joined and we were cut adrift at the bottom, there was a belief in the dressing room we were good enough to get out of it,” the ex-tottenham ace said. “The team has grown into one capable of going toe-to-toe with the best sides.”
Jean-philippe Mateta’s sublime backheel finish looked like opening the floodgates for Palace, but nobody epitomised Luton’s spirit more than free summer signing Ross Barkley, who defied a broken nose. Edwards said: It wasn’t his best game, but he was playing in a lot of pain.”
CRYSTAL PALACE (3-4-2-1): Johnstone 7; Ward 6, Andersen 6, Richards 7; Munoz 8, Wharton 7 (Hughes 81), 6 Lerma 7, Mitchell 6; Ayew 6 (Ahamada 70), Eze 7, Mateta 7 (Edouard 81)
LUTON TOWN (3-4-2-1): Kaminski 7; Burke 6, Osho 5 (Woodrow 81), Mendy 6 (Hashioka 62, 7); Kabore 6, Clark 6 (Berry 87), Barkley 6, Doughty 6; Ogbene 6 (Townsend 87), Chong 6 (Nelson 87), Morris 6