Callum McManaman netted his first goal for the club as the Hatters fought back from a goal down to take a point from a live TV game they dominated against Millwall tonight.
In a game controlled almost from start to finish by the Hatters, the Town went behind on the hour mark as Tom Bradshaw reacted first to fire home a rebound for the visitors, who were a place below the Hatters in 18th at kick-off, but level on ten points.
Substitute McManaman beat a resilient Bartosz Bialkowski with just four minutes left and despite trying to score a last-gasp winner, Luton had to settle with a point which saw them remain 17th in the table.
The Hatters enjoyed plenty of early possession and could have opened the scoring on a number of occasions during the first 20 minutes.
A clever corner routine nearly caught the Lions cold as Izzy Brown fired the ball low across the surface to Dan Potts, but his effort was blocked and cleared away.
The left-back was again involved in an attack, this time he provided a tantalising ball across the area that had too much pace on it for Cornick to get hold of and consequently divert towards goal.
From that same attack, Luton regained possession and won another corner. Brown delivered to the near post this time where James Collins was waiting but he was denied by Bialkowski - despite the keeper not knowing much about it - something that would continue for the rest of the evening.
Luton’s bombardment continued in the second half and during a ten-minute flurry, Collins could well have helped himself to a brace.
Brown was the creator of both chances for Town. First, he played a lovely pass down the line from a free-kick, which was blocked behind for a corner as Collins couldn’t quite latch onto it.
From the resulting set piece, Collins was brilliantly denied by Bialkowski with an acrobatic effort that seemed destined to ripple the back of the net.
But completely against the run of play, Millwall snatched the lead on the hour mark through Bradshaw.
After an onslaught of Luton attacks, Jed Wallace unleashed a left-footed shot inside the 18-yard box that Simon Sluga could only parry and Bradshaw reacted quickest to bundle the ball home.
Millwall looked to kill the game with a quick second and Matt Smith almost did exactly that. Wallace whipped a ball across from the right-hand-side but Smith’s diving header went inches wide of the post.
Luton – after a sustained period of pressure from the away side – again took control and forced the issue trying to get back into the game.
Substitute Kazenga LuaLua was lively as soon as he entered the fray and produced a dangerous ball across the box, which Collins got on the end of, but again Bialkowski stood firm to deny him.
The Hatters didn’t give up and eventually got their reward with an equaliser just four minutes from time.
Two of Luton’s substitutes combined to bring the game back level as Luke Bolton cut the ball back to McManaman inside the box and he prodded beyond the goalkeeper.
Luton continued to probe, but Millwall put plenty of bodies behind the ball to ensure they left with a point.
Despite the disappointment of not being able to secure all three points, Town have earned four points in the last two games at Blackburn and here tonight, to head to Derby on Saturday in good spirits.
TOWN: Sluga, Bree, Pearson, Bradley (C), Potts, Tunnicliffe, Butterfield (LuaLua 65), Mpanzu, Brown (Bolton 85), Cornick (McManaman 65), Collins. Subs not used: Berry, Lee, Jones, Shea
Goal: McManaman 86
MILLWALL: Bialkowski, Romeo, Hutchinson (C), Cooper, Wallace, Mahoney (Thompson 45), Leonard, Molumby, Wallace, Smith (O’Brien 81), Bradshaw. Subs not used: McCarthy, Williams, Steele, Pearce, Bodvarsson
Goal: Bradshaw 60
Yellows: Molumby, Wallace
Referee: Darren Bond
Attendance: 10,049 (1,032 away)