Simply Marvelous! Nakamba inspires Luton Town to Premier League promotion

By Sports Reporter

WARRIORS star Marvelous Nakamba etched his name in the history books at Luton Town after playing a key role for the Championship side as they secured promotion to the Premier League for the first time in the club’s history on Saturday.

Nakamba, who joined the club on a loan deal from Aston Villa in January, played the entire match as Luton Town beat Coventry City in the Championship play-off final at Wembley 6-5 on penalties.

The two sides could not be separated for 120 minutes of action after Gustavo Hamer equalised for Coventry to cancel out a first-half strike from Jordan Clark as the game finished in a 1-1 draw.

Luton keeper Ethan Horvath saved the crucial 12th penalty from Fankaty Dabo to take the happy Hatters to the Premier League for the first time.

Having last been in English football’s top flight in 1992, the year the Premier League began, Luton have waited 31 years to take their place at the top table.

And Zimbabwe international Nakamba has been a key figure in the club’s success story.

During Saturday’s final, Nakamba was impressive at the heart of the Luton Town midfield before he went on to score a crucial penalty during the penalty shootout, calmly slotting the ball past Ben Wilson in the Coventry goal with no mistake.

Nakamba’s display in the playoff final at Wembley capped off what has been a memorable stint at the club, which is also home to fellow Zimbabwe international Admiral Muskwe, who was not part of the matchday squad on Saturday.

Since arriving at Luton, Nakamba played 17 regular season games, inspiring his team to nine wins, seven draws, and one defeat before going on to also play a key role during the three promotional playoff matches.

Luton’s promotion could see Nakamba opting to stay at Kenilworth Road, turning his loan spell into a permanent move, having won the trust of manager Rob Edwards, who recently described him as his favourite player in the world.