Emblen's last throw saves Wolves
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Your support makes all the difference.BY MIKE ROWBOTTOM
Luton Town 3
Wolverhampton Wanderers 3
An unlikely goal with virtually the last kick of the match from Neil Emblen secured a point for Wolves last night which edged them a little closer to the First Division leaders, Middlesbrough.
The midfielder cut in doggedly from the right and produced a low cross- shot which trickled in off the far post after appearing to make contact with the outstretched foot of Luton's Scott Oakes.
It was a rousing finish to a revival begun by the visitors' second-half substitute, David Kelly, who scored twice in 10 minutes.
Until Kelly's inspirational arrival, Wolves were completely bogged down on a pitch that had been drenched by the ground staff beforehand. Not a drop of water had fallen from the Bedfordshire sky, but it soon began raining goals for the home side.
Paul Telfer scored the first after seven minutes, rounding the oncoming keeper and rolling the ball inside the near post after being given a clear run down the left by Gary Waddock's early pass. Four minutes later, Telfer had a second, whacking in a loose ball after two Wolves defenders had neglected to clear a weak cross from Dwight Marshall.
Steve Bull, leading Wolves from the front, shot wide on the half hour with only the keeper to beat. That appeared to sum up Wolves' night - but then Kelly made his imprint. Three minutes into the second half, after Dean Richards had headed back Gordon Cowans' corner, Kelly's forehead got the decisive touch in a packed six-yard box.
John Taylor, in his second appearance since a £200,000 move from Bradford City, restored Luton's lead within four minutes, but Kelly struck again on the hour with a shot on the turn from Emblen's cut-back.
Graham Taylor, Wolves' manager, confirmed afterwards that Kelly had been dropped for reasons of motivation. "Every now and again, one or two of my players have to come out to start again, if you know what I mean. There are certain things David has not been doing recently. But there is your response."
The fluctuating events of the night had clearly taken their toll on Taylor. "I've had nearly a season with this lot now," he said with a baffled grin. "Sometimes you don't know what to make of it."
"Lots of good things, lots of good things," David Pleat, his Luton counterpart, said as he made for the door, looking as if he was thinking about lots of bad things, including the five minutes' injury time which had lost his side a win that seemed theirs for the taking.
Luton Town (4-4-2): Davis; James, Peake, Johnson, Harvey; Telfer, Waddock, Oakes, Preece; Marshall, Taylor. Substitutes not used: Matthews, Woodsford, Sommer (gk).
Wolverhampton Wanderers (4-4-2): Stowell; Blades, Richards, Law, Masters (Dennison, 35 min); Birch (D Kelly, h-t), Emblen, Cowans, Venus; Goodman, Bull. Substitutes not used:James (gk).
Referee: G R Pooley (Bishop's Stortford).
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