National League to Premier League in eight years may sound like a fanciful journey but Luton Town look increasingly capable of completing such a meteoric rise.
A sixth win in the last eight matches elevated Nathan Jones’ side to third in the Sky Bet Championship table and while the top-two might be beyond them, it would be brave or foolhardy to bet against them returning to the top flight for the first time since 1992 via the play-offs.
When Luton last won here 20 months ago, it was a result which went a significant way to securing Championship status on their return to the second tier. This victory underlined their impressive progress since then as they took the latest step towards earning a place back among the elite of English football following a five-season spell in non-league which ended in 2014.
They still have play-off rivals Millwall, Huddersfield Town and Nottingham Forest to face after the international break as they seek to extend the four-point advantage on seventh place. As he approaches the two-year anniversary of his second spell in charge at a club with one of the more modest playing budgets at this level, Welshman Jones is looking up at Bournemouth in second rather than over his shoulder.
He said: “If we end up in the Premier League, it won’t be a shock. It’s a tough ask but we’re up there on merit. Our resources are bottom three but we don’t work to resources. We’re a good side and our numbers back that up. Bournemouth are a wonderful side and if we’re anywhere near them in May we’ll be in a great position.”
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The visitors made the most of some ponderous Hull defending to exploit the gaps down the sides of the hosts’ narrow back three. The outcome rarely looked in doubt once Amari’i Bell’s ninth-minute pass put Elijah Adebayo in from a narrow angle to find the bottom corner off goalkeeper Matt Ingram’s ankle.
Adebayo turned provider to double the advantage just before the hour. Luton’s 15-goal top scorer dispossessed defender Sean McLoughlin on the edge of the Hull area to square for Harry Cornick to roll the ball into an empty net. James Bree added a third with 18 minutes remaining courtesy of a sublime 20-yard free-kick which went in off the underside of the bar.
To have 41 points at this stage of the season normally puts a side in relegation peril, but the penalty deductions imposed on Derby County and Reading have helped usher Hull into a comfort zone their showing for much of the campaign perhaps does not deserve.
Tom Eaves slid home a stoppage-time cross from substitute Marcus Forss to end a near nine-hour wait for a goal in front of their own fans, but it failed to prevent a fifth successive home defeat. Shota Arveladze, the Hull head coach, admitted: “We made too many mistakes and couldn’t stay in the game.”
Star man James Bree (Luton Town).
Hull City (3-4-2-1) M Ingram 4 — A Jones 4, S McLoughlin 3, J Greaves 3 — R Longman 4 (M Forss 75min), G Docherty 4 (T Huddlestone 66, 4), R Smallwood 4 (Allahyar 66, 4), C Elder 4 — G Honeyman 5, K Lewis-Potter 5 — T Eaves 7. Booked Huddlestone, Honeyman.
Luton Town (3-4-1-2) J Shea 8 — P Kioso 7 (T Lockyer 52, 7), F Onyedinma 8, D Potts 7 — J Bree 8, A Campbell 7, J Clark 7, A Bell 8 — L Berry 7 (P Ruddock-Mpanzu 51, 7) — H Cornick 8 (C Jerome 75), E Adebayo 9. Booked Kioso, Clark.
Referee T Harrington. Attendance 16,555.
