Hatters midfielder Olly Lee is the Sky Bet League Two Goal of the Month winner for November, receiving 47% of the public vote for his near 70-yard strike in the 7-0 win over Cambridge United.
The Town were already a goal to the good when 26-year-old Lee won the ball deep inside his own half and let fly from well outside the centre circle for his third goal of the campaign on November 18th.
Visiting goalkeeper David Forde was helpless as the midfielder’s ping caught him well off his goal-line and sent the majority of the Kenilworth Road crowd into raptures.
The strike earned a mention in England cricketer Alastair Cook’s pre-Ashes press conference, when he avoided a sledging controversy after being asked about quotes from Aussie bowler Nathan Lyon by saying he only uses social media to check the Luton scores, adding: “They won 7-0 at the weekend, scored a brilliant wonder goal from the halfway line. You should check it out. Shame I wasn’t there to see it!”
The goal has even earned the midfielder a new song, with the Town faithful signing to the tune of the Beatles’ ‘Let It Be’: “Scoring from St Albans, Olly Lee!”
Lee beat off competition from Chesterfield’s Jak McCourt and Carlisle United’s Danny Grainger, and Lead Sky Bet EFL Goal of the Month judge and Sky Sports Pundit Don Goodman said: “Olly must have seen the keeper way off of his line before he even won possession well inside his own half, as there was only one thought on his mind.
“It’s one thing spotting an opportunity, but quite another to be able to hit a ball so well from that distance that the keeper was beaten all ends up and didn’t even get a chance to put a dive in.”
Lee said: “I’m delighted with it, it’s great to get a bit of personal recognition but the main thing is the team doing well and hopefully we can stay top of the league.
“I just nicked the ball in midfield and looked up and saw the keeper off his line and thought ‘Why not?’. It was just instinct, I looked up and the keeper seemed to be closer to me than the goal.
“I’ve scored a few good ones but that’s definitely the best. Rooney’s wasn’t bad but mine was a little bit further out so hopefully I can take that one.”