Luton Town 3 Blackpool 2

Last updated : 13 March 2004 By Footymad Previewer

Enoch Showunmi hit a stunning free-kick to give Luton Town a deserved 3-2 win over Blackpool in an entertaining game at Kenilworth Road.

The home side should have won by more, but in the end were left hanging on at the death as a spirited Blackpool side refused to give in.

The Tangerines even had a goal disallowed to make the scores level with 10 minutes left when Matthew Blinkhorn's shot was ruled out.

Luton were content early on to punt the ball forward for Showunmi to run on to. And after 11 minutes he could have had a penalty when a long ball was nodded on by Steven Howard and the big striker went down under a challenge from keeper Philip Barnes. The referee, though, was unmoved.

The home crowd were again shouting in vain for a spot-kick when Steve Davis looked to have tackled name sake Sol Davis without the ball.

It mattered little, though, because half way through the first period Luton went ahead.

Peter Holmes worked some space on the left and the Blackpool defence failed to deal with his cross. After a goal mouth scramble it was Emmerson Boyce that got the final touch.

Just after the break Showunmi went close with an audacious lob but it drifted just wide.

With more than an hour of the game gone Blackpool created their first real opening, but Tommy Jaszczun's shot sailed over the bar.

With 20 minutes to go Luton made it two when Simon Grayson dithered on the ball and Showunmi fed the ball to Peter Holmes whose left-footed strike beat Philip Barnes.

Blackpool were handed a scarcely deserved life line when Boyce brought down Richard Walker in the box and Tony Dinning slotted home the penalty.

But it was Showunmi who gave Luton breathing space again with a curling left-footed free-kick which beat Barnes at his near post.

Still Blackpool came back and Blinkhorn struck home after a Walker knock down, while the same player thought he had scored a dramatic equaliser with eight minutes left only for the linesman flag to intervene.

Luton Town boss Mike Newell said: "We should have won the game by half-time.

It was a good team performance but we failed to take our chances. At the end of the day we should have had a penalty but for some reason it wasn't given."