Luton Town

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Luton Town's Corey Bramall was left to rue one that got away following their 2-2 draw against Port Vale.

Bramall curled in a brilliant free-kick to put the Hatters 1-0 up - his third dead-ball goal of the season - but was off target with a second opportunity which could have won the game for his side.

"I practice them two or three times a week. As soon as I kicked the ball, I knew (it was going in) - it's a great feeling," he said of his goal.

"I needed it [the second free-kick] to dip a bit earlier, I back myself to score from there. If that's on target it goes straight in the top corner."

Boss Jack Wilshere said Bramall's goal came as no surprise to him.

"When you see him practice, if he takes 10, nine of them are doing that," the former Arsenal and England midfielder told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"It's good for the (other) players to see that he practises something and it comes off."

However, Wilshere was disappointed at the loss of two points at Kenilworth Road.

"I think we have more than enough to get out of this league - we have some good players that probably should be playing at a higher level, but at the moment we're lacking a bit of belief," he added.

Luton's next game is on Thursday evening away to Reading (KO 20:00 GMT).

Midfielder Jordan Clark was delighted by the reception he received from Luton Town's travelling fans after making his comeback from injury in their 1-1 draw at Leyton Orient.

Clark had not played since suffering a calf injury against Northampton Town on 25 October but returned to action in east London as a 70th-minute substitute.

"The reception was great. It was humbling and means a lot to me," said the 32-year-old, who has made 193 appearances for the club in all competitions.

Luton were heading for defeat until Gideon Kodua's added-time goal rescued a point and kept them seventh in League One.

"That wasn't us in the first half, the fight was there but we didn't have that calmness; sometimes when you come away from home you've got to take a bit of pressure off and make an extra pass, but it was like a hot potato at times, and that's not us," Clark told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"It wasn't a classic. They had a bad result in the FA Cup so we knew there was going to be a reaction, they've got a really good manager and good staff, but we matched their fight, we defended our box and didn't give too many chances away.

"The goal was sloppy, Kal (Naismith) knows that and held his hand up because he's a true leader, but the subs came on and made a real impact and that's what we're going to need from now to the end of the season.

"It was a positive reaction at the end to get a point, and a point away from home is never to be shied from. Hopefully we can back it up at the weekend - turn it into four points from this week, and then it's been a good week."

Luton are at home to bottom club Port Vale on Saturday.

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Luton Town boss Jack Wilshere has rejected criticism of centre-back and captain Kal Naismith from some supporters.

"I can hear the fans, and have read some stuff as well, and I just don't agree," he said.

The 33-year-old is set to play his 100th game for the Hatters, having rejoined them in the summer, in Saturday's FA Cup tie against Fleetwood Town.

"He's been outstanding. He stands up in tough moments, he's faced adversity himself at times, but I know how much he's respected by the staff and the players," Wilshere told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"Omario (Cozier-Duberry of Bolton) is arguably the best player in the league and for someone to control him and be aggressive from the first minute, he killed Omario's spirit - he's a top defender and also really good with the ball.

"Number one, he cares about his team-mates, but he also really cares about the club and bringing the club back to where it belongs, getting promoted out of this division, he has a real big ambition.... and we love him."

League Two club Fleetwood have home advantage for the second-round tie - only the third meeting between the two clubs, and first since 2019.

"They can hurt you and have a certain way of playing that they're good at and we have to be ready for that, and match their fight and their spirit, and try to be good with the ball and try to hurt them in the spaces that we see," WIlshere added.

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Former Luton Town midfielder Kingsley Black says the sale of their 1988 Littlewoods Cup trophy for £320,000 is "incredible".

The trophy was auctioned off on Tuesday and fetched more than 10 times the sum that was expected.

"It was broken by some form of high jinks - obviously the repair was successfully done to achieve such an amazing price at auction," Black told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"The irony is that for previous games at Wembley, you were given small medals but the actual medal itself that the players were given were replica trophies that were about eight inches tall and beautifully made - the detail was exceptional.

"I'm fortunate to have a couple of these because we also reached the final the following year against Nottingham Forest when unfortunately they beat us, so I've got two of these replica trophies - one says winners and one says finalists. I wonder what they're worth."

After taking an early lead in the final 37 years ago, Luton came from 2-1 down with goals by Danny Wilson and the second of the game from Brian Stein to win 3-2.

"To be involved in a major part of their history is a wonderful memory for me," said Luton-born Black, who played more than 150 games for the club.

"The biggest memory was the feeling that the game was slipping away until the fabulous Andy Dibble penalty save. That gave us a massive boost and enabled us to get the equaliser and then go on for Brian Stein to score the winner.

"It was a wonderful occasion, a hot day, it was end to end, good to watch and certainly good to play in."

Luton Town head coach Jack Wilshere praised his team's ruthlessness after they demolished Exeter City 4-0 to progress to the last 16 of the EFL Vertu Trophy.

The Hatters, who won the competition under Mick Harford in 2009, took control after scoring three times in the first half despite making 11 changes.

"You always hope that when you change players, as a coach you want the same behaviours, the same energy and the same attitude and they delivered on that," Wilshere told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"We need everyone. I just have to make decisions on where certain players are at, do we need centre-half cover? Do we need right-back cover?

"We have players that are ready to step in and the next time a game (in this competition) comes around, there'll again be players that haven't played (for a while) and I'll have to find a way to get them to deliver and be ready for league games."

Wilshere gave teenager Joe Johnson his first game of the season at left-back, with former Arsenal youngster Reuell Walters returning for his first appearance since August on the other flank.

"Reuell is someone I know well - you could see he was ready to step in against a team that can be aggressive and can hurt you, you have to be ready to step in and win duels," Wilshere said.

"JJ is someone I've only really seen for the last two weeks in training. He worked out when to use the inside space and sometimes the outside, and technically he was clean as well.

"They are two interesting profiles that can help us, and I'm really happy that they're back and healthy, and had a good performance."

Luton are next in action away to League Two side Fleetwood Town in the FA Cup second round on Saturday.

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Luton Town striker Jerry Yates believes "massive competition" in the squad will help them push on positively in the weeks ahead.

The Hatters bounced back from a 5-0 defeat at Barnsley - described by Yates as a "minor blip" - with a 2-1 win over Huddersfield on Tuesday in which the former Swansea striker scored the winning goal.

It was his first in League One since mid-September and the three points put Luton seventh in the table.

"We were humbled by it [losing at Barnsley], so we needed to dig deep and work hard," Yates told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"I had a concussion which set me back a couple of games when I felt I was getting into my rhythm, but it's part and parcel of the season, it's a rollercoaster - you're going to have ups and downs.

"I've got to go out there and help the lads as much as possible even if it's just occupying the two centre-halves.

"The competition within the group is massive, people pushing each other every single day in every single position, it's healthy competition."

Luton are at home to sixth-placed Bolton Wanderers on Saturday and will move above them if they win.