Booty, Charles and Boyle net in extra time
Town progressed to the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup after beating a determined Luton Town in extra-time.
Following a 90 minutes of missed chances for both teams, the impressive Zane Banton put the visitors ahead with a well taken goal.
Town’s response was instant with Regan Booty levelling from the spot before Jake Charles scored twenty minutes from time.
Substitute Jack Boyle rounded off the scoring with a well taken goal from the edge of the area.
The Terriers should have gone in at the interval with a lead after dominating the first half.
Town’s best chance was from the penalty spot after Luton’s right-back Luke Trotman was penalised for hand balling Jake Charles’ delivery.
Danish midfielder Philip Billing stepped up confidently, but planted a powerful shot against Ben Barnes’ crossbar.
Trotman had earlier done superbly for the Youth Alliance South East Division side, flinging himself in front of Flo Bojaj’s effort to deny what looked like a certain goal.
Bojaj, who has netted 11 for Town this season, had Town’s best other chance when Charles did superbly to break free down the left and find the striker with a cross, but he could only poke over.
At the other end, Luton striker Zane Banton shot wide early on, while Jemale McKenzie-Lowe forced Sam Guthrie into his only save with a header.
The Hatters, who beat Gateshead 2-1 to reach this stage, started the second 45 brightly with left back Lucas Perry firing wide of Guthrie’s goal.
Goddard replied with an off target shot of his own for the Terriers before Barnes did superbly to thwart Charles with a slide tackle, after Bojaj had slipped the attacker free.
Zane Banton was arguably the visitor’s brightest spark in the final third and shot wide on 77 minutes as Luton began to take control of the game.
The last ten minutes belonged to Town, though, who again hit the bar when Will Boyle met Regan Booty’s cross before Ben Atkinson shot wide, having danced neatly into The Hatter’s box.
A goal for neither side had come by the final whistle, though, meaning the tie would head into extra time.
The Hatters flew out of the traps in extra time and had forced Guthrie into three saves by the 94th minute; the best of those was from the head of Ian Rees after the stopper had tipped over Arel Amu’s drive.
Bojaj should have made them rue the misses just a minute later when he raced clear on goal, but he failed to find a way past the impressive Barnes.
Both Charles and Goddard stung the fingertips of Barnes with drives as the tie slowly crept towards penalties.
Town looked destined not to score and that trend continued on the stroke of half-time in extra time when Bojaj failed to convert from three yards, Barnes blocked Booty’s rebound before Luton somehow kept out Boyle’s drive!
The Terriers’ inability to score came back to haunt them in the 17th minute when arguably the best player on the pitch, Banton, sliced through the Town defence and calmly slotted past Guthrie.
The lead was short-lived, though, when immediately from the kick-off Charles led the charge which resulted in Billing winning a penalty and Booty showed the composure Town had been craving to equalise.
Charles gave Town the lead ten minutes from time when he expertly slotted home through the legs of Barnes for his 12th of the season, before Jack Boyle sealed the win with a strike from 12 yards.
Town’s team (4-4-2):
Sam Guthrie; Danny Kane, Joe Wilkinson (c), Will Boyle, Bradley Carroll (Nat Pells, 70); Regan Booty, Kedesh Goddard, Philip Billing, Ben Atkinson (Jack Boyle, 94); Flo Bojaj, Jake Charles
Unused substitutes:
Chandler Hallwood, Fraser Horsfall, Jack Senior
