Bradley keeps Luton dream alive
WHaT a shame we must wait three days for these two to go at it again. What an occasion to say goodbye to Kenilworth road for another season. Come the end, luton’s fanciful ambition of bringing premier league football to these parts was still alive after this semi-final first leg ended all square. They and Huddersfield shared a mass brawl during a recent meeting. last night saw a brilliant scrap of a different kind as Huddersfield drew first blood through danel Sinani before Sonny Bradley levelled. That is how it stayed, meaning Monday’s return game is brilliantly poised. after defying the Championship’s money table, one of these two are 90 minutes from a shot at the premier league. Huddersfield have flirted with league one since relegation in 2019. luton, a non-league outfit inside the last decade, were last in the top flight in 1992. No wonder, then, that the early pace was punishing and neither side relented for a while. pity poor
referee robert Jones, who looked like he needed a chance to breathe — and consult a video assistant. alas Var comes in only for the final. and so twice during the first half, Jones turned down penalty shouts. Twice, replays suggested he had erred. The only consolation? Both teams could feel equally hard done by. Huddersfield were up in arms inside 10 seconds after Harry Toffolo was shoved over at the back post by James Bree. and 10 minutes before half-time, Naby Sarr was caught in a tangle with Cameron Jerome. in between, these teams shared decent goals, too. Sinani fired low inside the near post before Bradley volleyed in Kal Naismith’s free-kick. There could have been more. danny Ward saw a header saved before Henri lansbury was denied by a block. a draw suited the away side more and that was evident in how they took some sting out of this game after the break. The second half stuttered, with luton pressing for more and Huddersfield content to counter. Neither buckled and so on we go.