Premier League newcomers Luton Town (still sounds strange) came to SJP last night looking for their 2nd win of the season (the other coming against Gillingham in Round One of the Carabao Cup).

While Luton rotated some of their usual starting 11, they still fielded a strong team and slightly stronger than I was expecting. Boasting the likes of Tahith Chong & Teden Mengi (summer arrivals from Man Utd), ex Holland goalkeeper Tim Krul between the sticks and experienced EFL pros such as Cauley Woodrow & Luke Berry. Carlton Morris & Cheidoze Ogbene also entered the fray when Luton were searching for an opener later in the game.

Even with some of the rotations that Luton made last night, it should also be considered that City were without Sweeney (rotation), our influential midfielder Ryan Trevitt, both our injured right wing backs in Dion Rankine & Ilmari Niskinen and 2 of our frontmen in Admiral Muskwe & Jack Aitchison. This was a fact that seemed to be lost on the 5 Live reporter after the game who only seemed interested in the fact that Luton rested players.

Indeed, to get this result against Premier League opposition is even more outstanding when you consider those absentees and huge praise to the coaching staff and the players should be given.

Gary Caldwell and his coaching staff appear to have created a special team spirit among this group of players. When you consider that we have 14 new arrivals at the club over the summer, that is even more impressive.

The recent City posts on social media is also giving us an insight into the characters of these players and they are all coming across like really great guys. On the pitch, the players are prepared to work hard and run for each other and it really does feel like they are putting everything into performances at the moment.

It’s fair to say that Luton dominated the early exchanges and City struggled to get any foothold in the game within the first 15-20 minutes. Rob Edwards must have been delighted as Luton kept possession of the ball and killed the early enthusiasm of the SJP faithful. Other than getting a goal, it was a perfect start from Luton, a classic away display, quietening the boisterous crowd.

Luton did come close on a couple of occasions, with Cauley Woodrow hitting the post from close range after some hesitancy from Alex Hartridge. The City defender had a shaky opening to the game in possession, but as the game wore on, he was again outstanding in the back three.

Luton again came close which needed a point blank save from Vil Sinisalo, although I think it’s fair he didn’t know too much about it. The Finnish international had another confident performance in goal and has quickly become a fans favourite.

As the first half went on, City gradually started to edge their way into the game, with Tom Carroll starting to influence proceedings. The ex-Spurs man oozes class out on the pitch and makes everything he does look effortless.

James Scott was not too far away when he unleashed a howitzer from 30 yards, which seemed to jolt the SJP crowd back into voice. From this point on, City were more comfortable. Sometimes all it takes is an effort on goal, chasing a lost cause, or a crunching tackle to get the crowd fired up.

City suffered another injury set back when Caleb Watts departed around the 40 minute mark to be replaced by Reece Cole. Hopefully Caleb will be ok and able to feature again soon. Bodies are at a premium at the moment for City. While on the pitch, Watts chased and pressed with intensity and ran his socks off. Cole picked up the mantle when he came on and gave another impressive performance. Kyle Taylor and Vincent Harper’s pressing and energy were also vital for City.

There were numerous strong displays (Carroll, Hartridge, Aimson, Jules to name a few), but the star of the show was undoubtedly Demetri Mitchell. Deme is enjoying a purple patch this season and has added consistency to his performances. The talent is clearly there and he is now showing it regularly, with a smile on his face as well. His electric speed caused Luton all sorts of problems in the 2nd half, from both sides of the pitch. He is most definitely our biggest attacking threat in recent weeks.

It was Mitchell who got the goal in the 83rd minute after some good work from Yanic Wildschut on the right hand side. He twisted and turned and managed to hang a ball up at the back post. Luton’s Issa Kabore thought he had more time than he did to take the ball down and Mitchell nipped in to hit the ball off the underside of the bar and into the net. Cue jubilant scenes on the Big Bank and indeed around the ground.

The only sour note of the night was Mitchell’s sending off for 2 bookable offences. Both bookings seemed harsh at the time. On reflection, the first one could be seen as a booking, even though it was hist first foul of the night, but the second booking was extremely harsh. The 2 players collided at speed and it seemed like a genuine coming together. Mitchell was visibly angry when leaving the pitch, but his anger was short lived. I have tried to establish whether this red card means Deme will miss the next League match, or the next round of the Cup. While I have not seen anything concrete, I believe he will miss Saturday’s match against Northampton.

City had to hold on for the final 10 minutes with 10 men, but were resilient in defence and saw the game through without too many scares.

The final whistle blew and Mitchell had the moment he deserved, running up to the Big Bank to celebrate his match winning goal. Despite his red card, Mitchell was rightly announced as the Man Of The Match which certainly went down well with the crowd.

The familiar scenes at the Big Bank end were again a joy to be a part of, it always feels extra special under the lights as well. City are now into Round 4 for the first time since 1989 and will be hoping for a plum draw this evening. While it would be lovely to draw a big Premier League club away from home, the fact that this competition is played midweek would make it difficult for some to attend. For that reason, I am hoping for a home draw. Who knows what could be achieved under the lights at SJP with the Big Bank in full voice. An SJP reunion with Ollie Watkins appeals, although at time of writing Villa are 0-2 down to Everton, so that looks very unlikely.

A word on the gaffer. It’s fair to say that when Gary Caldwell was appointed as City manager following the departure of Matt Taylor, it was not greeted with overwhelming enthusiasm, owing to his recent difficult managerial spells.

It needs to be said what a fantastic job he is doing. The team has gone through a major overhaul this summer with key players departing and 14 new arrivals. He has managed to blend together a squad capable of playing different formations, players that are adaptable and able to play multiple positions and created a special team spirit that shines through every time we see them play.

The staff and players all appear to be together as one, as shown with the end of match celebrations.

I eagerly await Caldwell’s interviews after each match. They are always honest and always insightful. It was interesting to hear that he came up with Tuesday nights game plan while at home on Sunday afternoon, with his wife and kids in his ear while he was busy watching clips of Luton and how they like to play 5 players on the back line.

The City boss then studied clips of Man Utd deploying these tactics against Chelsea when Jose Mourinho was in charge of Utd. He identified the key principles needed to have success with the formation and then spoke with his staff, Perks & Kev Miller early on Monday morning, before spending 20 minutes on the training pitch with the players and giving them the information they needed. Caldwell is clearly a student of the game and is always analysing and looking for ways to improve. The selection panel certainly appear to have made a very good choice, for which they should be commended.

I was also going to analyse the Reading (Papa Johns) and Oxford games, but what the hell, let’s just enjoy last night and look forward to Saturday against the Cobblers at SJP. Northampton have invariably been a bit of a bogey side for City, but this is a much different team and hopefully the Northampton curse won’t strike us again. If we are serious about trying to challenge the upper end of the table, this is a game we need to be winning. Jack Aitchison was out warming up with the rest of the squad last night, so hopefully he will be able to pay some part in the match.

One last thought to ponder over. The last time City reached Round 4 of the League Cup, we won the League Title in the same season, with our now goalkeeping coach Kevin Miller between the sticks for City. Is it an omen or just coincidence? You decide.

Disclaimer – as much as I would love it, I do not think we will win the League.