The Hatters Under-18s bowed out of the FA Youth Cup at the first round stage following a penalty shoot-out defeat at Barnet after a 1-1 draw at The Hive.
Joe Deeney’s lads were the better side over 90 minutes, and deservedly led through Archie Shepherd’s superb strike into the top corner midway through the second half.
But after spurning several gilt-edged chances to kill the game off, the Town youngsters were hit with a sucker punch as the Bees levelled two minutes into six added on at the end of normal time, with substitute Pablo Kalamaras sweeping in the equaliser.
An extra half-an-hour did not produce any further goals, and it was left to a penalty shoot-out to settle matters, with the north Londoners progressing with a sudden death 6-5 shoot-out victory.
Despite Barnet finding the back of the net five minutes before the break, Kyrell Greaves’ effort correctly ruled out by an offside flag, Town had dominated the opening half.
With attacking midfielder Shepherd and strikers Dawid Gawel and Samuel Hincapie-Alfonso a constant threat, it was the latter who came closest to breaking the deadlock with a piledriver that rattled the crossbar on 42 minutes.
Barnet started the second half well, with Josiah Anning and Garry Gibbs going close in the first five minutes before Shepherd saw a shot blocked on the line, before home keeper Anthony Haralambous blocked Nassim El Gourja’s follow-up attempt.
The impressive Hincapie-Alfonso fired a shot across the face of goal before Lloyd Asamoah Junior pounced on a loose pass from Haralambous and crossed for Hincapie-Alfonso to tee up Shepherd for a fine left-footed finish on 64 minutes.
The goalscorer was too high with another attempt before Gawel was put clean through by substitute Excel Ed-Okungbowa, only to see his finish diverted over the cross bar by Haralambous’ foot as the Town looked to seal victory.
That chance came with 90 minutes on the clock, and there was still time for sub Darren Frimpong-Kwakye to send a left-footed curler straight into the keeper’s arms before Kalamaras broke Hatters hearts in the 92nd minute.
Gawel saw another shot saved by Bees player-of-the-match Haralambous before the final whistle, then Ed-Okungbowa and fellow sub Alvin Isufi had good chances go begging in an end-to-end extra period.
Town had needed to call upon Charlie Booth to make important saves from Santiago Correa and, brilliantly, from Kalamaras after Correa had danced his way into the Town box, before the Town keeper was replaced by Lucas Thomas in the 120th minute for penalties.
Thomas pulled off one superb save to push Micah McCarthy’s third Barnet penalty over the crossbar, but unfortunately for Town, his opposite number produced an equally stunning save to deny Frimpong-Kwakye as Barnet won the sudden death shoot-out to progress to Round Two.
TOWN: Booth (Thomas 120), Richards, Barnes (c), Kwame Anson, Asamoah-Junior, Passley-James (Isufi 52), El Gourja, Takawira (Frimpong-Kwakye 75), Shepherd (Lesser 93), Gawel, Hincapie-Alfonso (Ed-Okungbowa 83).
Subs not used: Norford, Norton.
Goal: Shepherd 64
