Luton Town secured a dramatic point and a penalty shootout victory over Colchester United in the EFL Trophy after a chaotic finish at the JobServe Community Stadium. Devante Cole scored twice from the spot in added time to force a 1-1 draw before the Hatters triumphed 4-3 on penalties.
Cole gave Luton an 87th-minute lead, finishing from close range after a cross from Emilio Lawrence. "I gave Luton an 87th-minute lead at the JobServe Community Stadium," Cole said. The advantage was short-lived as Colchester substitute Bradley Ihionvien levelled from the penalty spot in the 90th minute. "I came off the bench to strike a stoppage-time equaliser for Colchester United," Ihionvien stated.
Shootout drama
That set the stage for a shootout where Luton showed greater composure. Jordan Clark, Cole, Jake Richards and Mads Juel Andersen all converted their penalties for the visitors. Colchester missed three of their five attempts, with Frankie Terry, Dan Gore and Kien Connelly all failing to score, handing Luton a 4-3 win.
Both managers used the group stage fixture to rotate their squads. Luton made four changes at the break, introducing Andersen and George Johnston, while Colchester made a triple substitution on the hour mark. The hosts were more ill-disciplined, picking up four yellow cards to Luton's none.
The result provides a positive distraction from league form, with Luton sitting 16th in League One on eight points. They now turn their focus back to the league campaign and a trip to face Wycombe Wanderers on 10 October.
