Cameron Lissimore Media

In the wake of Peterborough United’s achievement of becoming the first team to win the EFL Trophy in back-to-back seasons, we can expect to see a new name on the Vertu Trophy this campaign, as Luton Town and Stockport County face off under the arch.

County will be looking to lift the trophy for the first time in the club’s history, following successive final defeats under Danny Bergara in 1992 and 1993. While Luton Town have not been eligible to compete for the previous six seasons, they booked their trip to Wembley at the first time of asking and will be looking to repeat the fortunes of 2008/09, when they defeated Scunthorpe United in extra time to claim silverware in this very competition.

Both clubs’ most recent march to the arch came in May 2023 for their respective play-off finals, which concluded in contrasting outcomes at opposite ends of the Football League. Luton Town were able to complete their rise from the Conference and secure an elusive spot in the Premier League after defeating Coventry City in a penalty shootout, while Dave Challinor’s side suffered defeat against Carlisle United in the League Two play-off final just 24 hours later.

Despite losing their round-of-16 tie, Luton Town progressed through to the final. Ian Holloway’s fielding of an ineligible player sent them into the next stage of the competition despite a 2–1 loss to Swindon Town. Wins against Plymouth Argyle and Northampton Town then secured their trip to Wembley. As for County, their first two knockout games required them to squeeze past League Two opposition, beating Crewe on penalties and Harrogate with a 94th-minute match-winner from Josh Stokes, before convincingly dismissing Port Vale and Doncaster Rovers to book their place in the final.

Both sides will see their strong prospects of a return to the capital this May, with Stockport sitting in the play-off places in the current League One table, while Luton Town sit only 6 points adrift of the top six following Saturday’s fixtures.

The two sides last locked horns on the 21st March, when Oliver Norwood’s 78th-minute free kick cancelled out Emilio Lawrence’s first-half goal to keep honours even ahead of their clash on the biggest stage. Both teams are currently unbeaten in their last five matches and come to the home of football in good form, with this cup final potentially serving as a distraction from league action.

MATCH REPORT

Luton Town made just one alteration from the side that triumphed 3-0 over AFC Wimbledon in midweek. James Shea replaced Josh Keeley between the posts. Having featured in every game in the lead up to Wembley, he kept his spot as the only Luton player to play every minute of the competition so far.

Dave Challinor also made two changes to his side that clinched a point at neighbours Bolton last weekend. Josh Dacres-Cogley and Lewis Bate were replaced by Tayo Edun and Josh Stokes, whose brace saw his side past Harrogate Town to get to this stage. Louie Barry featured on the bench despite a 94th-minute red card in their last league match.

There were only 90 seconds on the clock when the game had its first contentious moment. Liam Walsh picked up the ball in the middle and sprayed a lovely ball through to Isaiah Jones, who had Ben Osborn on his tail. The pair looked to have come together inside the 18-yard box, however referee Martin Coy was quick to dismiss any early penalty protests.

The game began at a fast-paced tempo. Liam Walsh looked to play another cute pass into the penalty area which was cut out by Kyle Wootton. The County talisman then looked to send Adama Sidibeh on his way forward, and although the Gambian international looked to be one on one with James Shea, the Luton backline did just enough to deter any threat on goal.

However, it would not take long for Sidibeh to find his way in behind the opposing backline once again. Odin Bailey lofted the ball forward to send the striker into a footrace with Mads Andersen. This time Sidibeh was able to strike on goal, and his effort was struck into the ground and looped over James Shea to put the Greater Manchester side ahead in the final, as Sidibeh grabbed his fourth goal in as many matches. 11’ 0-1

Luton Town set out in search of a swift response to bring proceedings level again. Isaiah Jones caught Ben Osborn off guard on the edge of the Stockport penalty area. He picked up the ball and was able to tee up Liam Walsh, whose effort was unable to cause Corey Addai any problems. However, not long after, Stockport almost gifted Town an elusive equaliser. Captain Kal Naismith’s dangerous delivery was searching for Nakhi Wells at the back post, but instead was sent goalbound by County defender Ethan Pye. The 23-year-old was relieved to see his effort ricochet off the post after beating Addai, causing a heart-in-mouth moment for Challinor’s side.

Luton’s upkeep of pressure was eventually rewarded not long after, as Jordan Clark was able to pounce on some more lacklustre play from County inside their own half. The Luton midfielder picked up the ball and arrowed his pass to the left side to Emilio Lawrence. The youngster was able to charge into the penalty area and drive his effort hard and low across goal, beating Corey Addai and bringing Luton back on level terms. That was the left-wing back’s second goal in a Luton Town shirt, with his first coming when the two sides met in the league less than a month ago. 22’ 1-1

After a frantic opening to the encounter, the game began to settle down. Both sides were playing positive football, maintaining an end-to-end nature, however neither side was able to get a clear-cut chance on goal. The referee also awarded his first booking of the afternoon. Ethan Pye was taking a huge risk battling with Nakhi Wells as the last man; however, when the Bermudan international went down the referee did not feel it was enough to dismiss Ethan Pye, who was shown a yellow card. The resulting free kick provided Luton with a golden chance to go in front. Walsh’s delivery was met by the head of Hakeem Odoffin, whose header travelled all the way across the box. Kal Naismith was arriving at the far post but the outstretched Luton captain was unable to turn it home.

The Luton dominance was rewarded once more, as they punished another poor passing pattern from County. Tayo Edun’s ball to Kyle Wootton down the line was seized upon by Kal Naismith, who used all his space on the left flank to his advantage. His cross found Nakhi Wells, whose touch left him all alone in the box and he was able to slam his effort past Corey Addai to give Luton the advantage for the first time in the final. Nakhi Wells’ goalscoring ability played a key part in the semi-final and he took his opportunity to deliver on the biggest stage in emphatic fashion. 39’ 2-1

In all honesty, Stockport were in need of a final whistle, as Luton were unlocking the County backline time and time again. Luton’s next opportunity came from a cleared Stockport corner which made its way to Ben Osborn on the halfway line. Isaiah Jones was able to dispossess Osborn and bear down on goal, only for the County defender to put in a perfectly timed last-ditch challenge and prevent Luton from doubling their advantage. After Challinor’s side were able to ride the wave of Luton pressure, the referee drew a close to the first period with the Bedfordshire side the happier of the two going into the break.

HALF TIME : Luton Town 2-1 Stockport County

County knew if they wanted to create a memorable occasion in the capital, they would need to start the second half on the front foot. Josh Stokes was able to meet Ben Osborn’s cross, however he couldn’t keep his header down and it resulted in a goal kick. However, Luton were also looking to maintain their onslaught of attacks at the Stockport goal, and moments later Jordan Clark teed up an effort from the edge of the box. His strike was searching for the far corner, however it curled inches past the far post. Hakeem Odoffin also tried his luck from outside the box, but his effort sailed well over the bar.

Challinor was first to roll the dice, as Tanto Olaofe and Malik Mothersille entered the fray. The latter was looking to become the first player to win this competition in three successive seasons, having been at Peterborough for the previous two campaigns. The product of Chelsea’s academy started brightly on the left-hand side and was able to carve out a chance for Josh Stokes, who was adjudged to have been brought down in the penalty area. Nevertheless, the ball fell kindly to Oliver Norwood, whose effort deflected off Jordan Clark and was steered over the bar and out for a corner.

For the first time in the game, the pendulum was fully in favour of Stockport County. Some brilliant work by Jack Diamond on the right-hand side allowed him to thread through Josh Stokes, who flashed his effort inches past the far post. Ollie Norwood had the chance to provide another moment of magic from a dead-ball routine, however this effort sailed high and wide, failing to repeat his strike when the two teams faced off in March.

The best chance of the second half fell to County’s Josh Stokes. Oliver Norwood swung a ball in which was met by the leaping Stokes; his header looked destined for the back of the net, only for James Shea to clamber the ball onto the crossbar. The ball fell back down to the feet of Tanto Olaofe who was not able to get a clean connection to turn the ball past a stranded James Shea in the Luton net. These chances led Luton to make two defensive-minded changes as Nigel Lonwijk and Shayden Morris replaced Isaiah Jones and Jake Richards, whilst moments before Louie Barry replaced Odin Bailey to give County the legs going forward.

But it was Luton’s substitutions who paid dividends as the clock ticked past the 90th minute. Nigel Lonwijk and Shayden Morris combined on the right-hand side, leaving Morris to drive at Ben Osborn. The right winger delivered a sublime ball to the feet of Nakhi Wells, who in similar style to his first of the game took his touch away from the defenders and struck past Corey Addai to double Town’s advantage at a crucial moment. Nakhi Wells now joins the likes of Harrison Burrows and Aiden McGeady, scoring braces in this final in recent years. 90+1’ 3-1

Luton did not want to stop there though. Second-half substitute Gideon Kodua was given space to run through the middle of the park towards goal, following a pass from brace scorer Nakhi Wells. His curling effort looked destined for the far corner, only for Corey Addai to get a strong hand on the ball and deny Luton a fourth of the contest. This would be Wells’ last action of the contest, as he left the field to a standing ovation from the Luton faithful, as the clock ticked closer to the full-time whistle.

After maintaining possession and running the clock down, the referee drew the encounter to a close, and it would be Luton Town’s name on the trophy after their dominant display won them their first silverware since their play-off final here a few years ago. Meanwhile, Stockport County’s search for a win at the New Wembley continues, although both sides will fancy their chances of returning here in May for the League One Play-off Final.

FULL TIME : Luton Town 3-1 Stockport County

LUTON TOWN ARE THE 2026 VERTU TROPHY CHAMPIONS

Following his first trophy in his managerial career, Jack Wilshere was quick to credit his players for their fantastic performance under the arch. “It’s a great feeling, but I’m just really happy for the players. Players like Nakhi Wells and Kal Naismith have had this in their careers, and it really helps players like Emilio Lawrence and Jake Richards.”

Wilshere emphasised the rewards and importance of celebrating this victory and mentioned the sacrifice he and his players have had to make to get to this stage of their careers. “I think it is important that the players and staff spend time with each other and spend time with their families. Being a footballer is a 24/7 thing, you always have to be ready and commit yourself and make sacrifices. So when you win you always have to spend time with family, because they deserve it as well.”

Luton sit only six points adrift from the play-off positions, however the Luton Town gaffer wants to take it one step at a time as he looks ahead to the visit of Northampton Town to Kenilworth Road on Wednesday night. “For me it’s the next game and we have always been like that. It would be stupid for me to sit here and talk about the play-offs because the next challenge is Northampton. Twice we have played them now, one of my first away games which was a tough game and in the semi-final which was a tough game with slightly different context.”

Stockport County boss Dave Challinor seemed happy with the overall performance of his players in the game. “I think we started the game brilliantly, when you come to a place like this and players are here for the first time there are thoughts around how they cope, but I thought we did well to get ourselves in front. We did become a little bit passive and I was happy that when we were 2-1 down we got in at 2-1.” Challinor then addressed the multitude of chances his side created after the break. “I think when you come into these big games and there is that added pressure, you need to take these moments and we didn’t. Had we got ourselves back in the game we could have carried momentum, that wasn’t to be, and it just wasn’t our day.”

Challinor said he and his players should not and did not feel too defeated following the loss at the final hurdle. “There’ll be some disappointment, and I get that. This week for us was about trying to win a trophy first and foremost, but after that pick up enough points to consolidate a play-off position. One has not happened for us today, but we still have plenty in front of us, and we need to use any disappointment from today as motivation to produce performances on Wednesday and Saturday that give us a chance of coming back here in May.”

Match Details :

Luton Town XI : Shea (GK), Naismith ©, Andersen, Walsh, Odoffin, Clark, Wells (Cole 90+7′), Jones (Morris 87′), Richards (Lonwijk 88′), Lawrence (Kodua 77′), Palmer (Saville 90+7′).

Unused Subs : Keeley, Al Hamadi.

Goals : Lawrence 22′, Wells 39′ 90+1′.

Yellow Cards : Richards 76′, Jones 78′, Wells 90+2′.

Stockport County XI : Addai (GK), Olowu (Mothersille 65′), Diamond (Dodgson 90+3′), Edun, Pye, Wootton, Osborn, Norwood ©, Bailey (Barry 85′), Stokes (Bate 85′), Sidibeh (Olaofe 65′).

Unused Subs : Hinchliffe, Gardner.

Goals : Sidibeh 11′.
Yellow Cards : Pye 37′.

ATTENDANCE : 49,517