At full time the Kenilworth Road pitch filled with incredulous fans, one of them claiming a shirt from the striker Elijah Adebayo and a few others setting off orange flares. Should any minor repairs be needed, Luton Town can add them to the £10m bill that would be required for ground renovations upon promotion and it is unlikely they will mind. One match lies between them and the top flight: for a club that was clawing its way out of the National League nine years ago it is a staggering achievement and, as the revellers eventually acceded to requests they return to the stands, the possibility of further celebrations on 27 May felt tantalisingly real.
It will be a wonder if, upon waking up on Wednesday, any of the 9,000 raucous home supporters will have the capacity to vocalise exactly how this felt. Many of them waited for Rob Edwards’s players to emerge from the dressing room one last time to soak in the adulation, the manager greeting them with fist pumps and a thumbs-up. If the team had produced then their faithful had too, combining to create a blistering atmosphere inside this eccentric old venue and an environment Sunderland simply could not handle. Coventry or Middlesbrough will have to deal with the awesome energy and power of this Luton side at Wembley if this season is to be denied its greatest story.
