A moment of Benny Benagr brilliance launched the Hatters into the 18s PDL Semi-Final following a 1-0 win over Grimsby Town at Blundell Park.

Benagr, a prominent figure in the academy set-up, took a Dawid Gawel cross on his chest before faking a shot with excellent trickery to beat his man before calmly finishing into the bottom corner with a right footed effort.

In a difficult encounter with even tougher conditions, the U18s fought valiantly to protect their one goal lead against a Grimsby side that had only tasted defeat once in a run stretching back to August.

It could have been a difficult start for Town as a 25 yarder from a Grimsby player rattled the outside of the post in the opening five minutes, whilst Charlie Booth performed heroically to deny an opposition winger in a one-on-one to keep parity.

That save proved to be even more important in the context of the game as just seconds before half-time, smart play down the left side of midfield by Harry Fox found in-form striker Gawel, with the forward producing a cross for Benagr to cooly convert after neat trickery to score the only goal of the game.

The second half proved tricky for both sides as torrential wind and rain disrupted any momentum and quality, though the Hatters proved defensively sound at dealing with initial contacts and did well to land on second balls to falter the Grimsby attacks.

Despite a late onslaught and a multitude of corners in the final minutes of the game, Town held on to secure their place in the next round of the PDL, where they’ll play Swansea City.

Report by: Liam Wilmot