Luton scrape past Exeter to deliver back-to-back wins

Luton Town made it back-to-back league wins after a 3-2 victory of Exeter City at Kenilworth Road.

Kasey Palmer had put the Hatters in front, but an out-of-form Exeter side had equalised through Reece Cole.

The Hatters would have a 3-1 lead at the half-time break courtesy of goals by Jordan Clark and Hakeem Odoffin.

Exeter would grab another strike through Ilmari Niskanen just after the half-time break, but the Grecians couldn’t find an equaliser, allowing Luton to grind out the three points.

The result means that, with 8 games of the season remaining, Luton are sit 11th but are just 4 points off the play-offs in a congested League One table.

Arriving off the back of ending both a 6 game winless run and an even longer away win wait with victory at Wycombe last time out, Luton would take on Exeter aiming to win once more.

The Hatters would score the opener after 13 minutes, with Palmer scoring for the third game in a row as he headed home from Liam Walsh’s corner.

Despite arriving on a run of 11 League One games in a row without a win, Exeter reacted well to falling behind, and they found a way through when Reece Cole’s 25th minute shot found the back of the net.

Exeter were only level for 4 minutes, however. Jack Aitchinson was guilty of handball in the box, and from 12 yards, Clark scored the penalty to put Luton back in front.

Jack McMillan came very close to equalising for the visitors, with the Exeter man seeing his first effort kept out by Josh Keeley and his rebound bouncing off the post.

Luton would nearly make it 3-1 as Palmer saw a firm strike kept out by Joe Whitworth, but a third did come Luton’s way in first half stoppage time. It came from Odoffin, who grabbed his first Luton goal as he converted George Saville’s crossed free-kick.

Exeter continued to give Luton problems, with the Devonians making it 3-2 within 3 minutes of the start of the second half as Niskanen met Timur Tutierov’s cross and put the ball over the line.

The hosts came close to making it 4, however, with Devante Cole having a shot kept out by Whitworth before Jordan Clark hit the bar.

But despite a long second half, which included 7 added minutes, Luton were able to keep Exeter at bay and take the three points, with the result seeing them close the gap to the play-offs.

Luton will seek to make it 3 wins in a row next time out when they host Stockport County, in a dress rehearsal for the upcoming EFL Trophy final next month.