Town new-boy Matty Pearson certainly made an impact on his home debut against Sunderland after toe poking in from a corner to level things at Kenilworth Road.
The 25-year-old struggled to get a free header on Alan Sheehan's 68th-minute cross so improvised a fine effort, while falling back, which clipped the inside of the post on its way into the net.
There certainly isn’t any better way to make your mark at a new club than getting a goal in your first competitive game in front of your own fans, something that Pearson was delighted with after a well thought-out corner routine ensured the points were shared.
He said: “We got through them (corner routines in the game) like every team and luckily this one paid off and it fell to me. The way it fell was perfect to have a strike at goal and it went in thankfully. I’m just happy I could get the team level and we could try and push for the winner.
“There were a lot of bodies there. I think I was a bit lucky how it did fall to me, but you’ve got to be there, you’ve got to be in and amongst it to get chances. It was just perfect really.”
The ex-Barnsley man was pleased to level things in what was a closely contested game at Kenilworth Road. His leveller earned the Hatters their first Sky Bet League One point in more than a decade, a moment the centre-half was thrilled to be a part of in front of a packed-out stadium.
“It’s what you play football for," said Pearson. "You play for yourself and you play for the fans and that’s one of the best feelings when you score. When everyone else is happy as well, it’s a great feeling.”
Pearson was also quick to praise his new defensive partner, Sheehan, in what was a hard-fought draw against the Black Cats. The pair’s hard work prevented several dangerous attacks, with one effort even rattling Marek Stech’s bar, but the duo held firm to keep the scores at 1-1 in what was probably a fair result.
The centre-half wants to keep working hard to get a first clean sheet of the season, however.
He said: “I think we complement each other reasonably well. I think he’s good on the ball and aggressive whereas I’m more of a battler. It’s good to have a player like him next to me, he’s an experienced head and his deliveries are brilliant as well.
“I can say we played well, and I feel like we are doing alright, but we’ve conceded two goals in two games and you always strive for better. As a defender you want those clean sheets and that’s the next step.”
With two more stern tests around the corner, starting with West Brom in the Carabao Cup followed by Peterborough away, Pearson is happy with the team’s start to life in League One, despite not winning a match. Although the Hatters are yet to get their first win, the defender is confident that it will come.
He added: “It’s two tough teams to start with (Portsmouth and Sunderland), but I think we’ve held our own in both games. You just want to get the win and that’s the next step, to get that win.
“As a player you want these big games, you want to be playing every minute and every second. West Brom were in the Premier League last year and Peterborough are a good team, so you want to be playing against those sort of teams.”
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