With just over 83 minutes on the clock, the Big Bank terrace was a motion picture. Supporters piled to the front of the stand to mob Demetri Mitchell after the winger, who was sent off five minutes later after picking up a second yellow card, blasted Exeter City into the Carabao Cup fourth round, dumping out Luton Town of the Premier League.
The defenders Will Aimson and Pierce Sweeney glanced at each other on halfway and then elected to join a party that, frankly, was only just getting started. At least Luton’s team coach, parked on St James Road, directly behind the away terrace, was primed for a quick getaway.
For Luton, a trip to Devon provided a reminder of just how far they have come in the past six years. On their last visit here, in October 2017, Luton won 4-1 to reach the top of League Two, months before clinching promotion and continuing their incredible ascent through the divisions. Luke Berry, who anchored the Luton midfield alongside Tahith Chong and Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu, was in the then manager Nathan Jones’s starting lineup that day and Mpanzu a late substitute. At the time Rob Edwards, who led Luton back to the top flight via Wembley in May, was in his first post as a manager at AFC Telford.
Edwards made 10 changes from the Luton team that drew at home against Wolves with the wing-back Alfie Doughty the only survivor. And to think this competition was supposed to provide some respite.
“I felt like we needed to make the changes we did but it’s on me, it hasn’t worked,” the Luton manager said. “We’re going to have to pick ourselves up quickly because we’ve got a big game away at Everton on Saturday.
“I’ve just said to the lads: ‘We stick together, we believe in what we do.’ I’m going to have to bounce in and so will all of the staff. We’re going to have to go again and show people what we’re made of.”
Cauley Woodrow cracked a shot against a post in the first half after latching on to Doughty’s long throw and Elijah Adebayo and the substitutes Jacob Brown and Carlton Morris squandered chances.
Exeter’s appetite to repel Luton was typified when Alex Hartridge, a graduate of their revered academy, and Vincent Harper inadvertently collided to prevent Chong from jinking infield after collecting Adebayo’s pass. From a corner Berry saw an effort blocked by Tom Carroll, once of Tottenham, who was a classy performer in midfield. Viljami Sinisalo, on loan from Aston Villa, then denied Adebayo.
Exeter should have opened the scoring just after the hour. The 17-year-old Joe Johnson dawdled on the ball and Mitchell seized possession and stormed into the box. Tim Krul saved Mitchell’s shot with his legs and Kyle Taylor sent the rebound thudding against the advertising hoardings. But with penalties looming, Exeter struck. Issa Kaboré, on as a substitute, did not deal with Yanic Wildschut’s cross at the back post and Mitchell was on hand to smack in the winner.
“We needed everyone to be bang at it to beat a Premier League team and we turned up in every moment,” the Exeter manager, Gary Caldwell, said. “You can enjoy it for 15 minutes and then your mind goes to [facing] Northampton [on Saturday].”
