Townsend seals an emotional win as Luton do it for Lockyer

‘DO IT FOR LOCKS’ has been the message after an emotional week for all connected with Luton.

And they honoured their recovering captain Tom Lockyer in the best way possible against Newcastle.

Lockyer is back at home after a cardiac arrest and having an ICD device fitted this week to prevent a repeat.

He is in good spirits based on a pre-match message sent to manager Rob Edwards.

‘He texted me earlier on, saying he felt the three points were there for us today,’ Edwards revealed. ‘He reminded me he was OK so stop worrying about him, and said he is bored already stuck at home.’

Lockyer, though, was not far from the thoughts of anyone at Kenilworth Road. His kit and armband were laid out in their usual dressing room spot while his teammates ran out with shirts bearing the message ‘4 Locks.’

His image was on the cover of the programme, name sung throughout and there was applause for him in the fourth minute, while the names of the medics who saved Lockyer’s life were projected onto the hoardings. There were banners from both sets of supporters too.

But what would have further lifted Lockyer as much as anything was his team-mates’ performance in his absence.

Determined, defiant, dogged and with some dashes of attacking quality mixed in, Luton secured a victory that was thoroughly deserved.

Andros Townsend’s first-half goal against his former club was the winner, celebrated fittingly when he held up a shirt bearing Lockyer’s name.

Luton could have won by more, hitting the bar twice, though their failure to score a second left the door open for Newcastle.

But in the end there was only more misery on the road for Newcastle who suffered a sixth away league defeat, this one prompting Eddie Howe to express his disappointment for the travelling fans. Regardless of