Luton held to draw by Stockport as attempt to make it 3 straight wins falls short

Luton Town’s attempts to pick up a third straight win fell short after a 1-1 draw with Stockport County.

Emilio Lawrence had put Jack Wilshere’s side in front, but an Oliver Norwood free-kick saw their guests swipe a share of the points.

Results elsewhere mean Luton would’ve moved to within 3 points of the play-offs had they held on, but as it is, Wilshere’s Hatters sit 5 points off the top 6 and 11th in a congested League One with just 7 games of the season to go.

In a meeting of the two sides who will face off in the upcoming EFL Trophy final next month, Luton arrived knowing that a third win in a week would strengthen their hand in the pursuit of a play-off spot.

Luton would make the brighter start, as Jordan Clark hit a volley wide, Kasey Palmer saw a strike hit the outside of the post and Corey Addai denied Hakeem Odoffin.

Against the run of play, Stockport nearly swiped the advantage when Josh Keeley kept out Ethan Pye, before Luton pushed forward and took the lead just before the half-hour mark.

A clearance fell the way of Lawrence, and the man on loan from Man City duly curled a fine strike home for his first senior goal.

Stockport would have more of the ball after the half-time whistle, but the best chance fell Luton’s way when Addai kept out a strike by Kal Naismith.

But an equaliser came Stockport’s way with just over 10 minutes to go, as Norwood’s free-kick deceived Keeley and found its way into the back of the net.

Neither side would ultimately find a way through to take the points, resulting in disappointment for the Hatters. Luton will look to go again when they return from the international break, with the Bedfordshire club hosting Peterborough on Good Friday.