Chris Powell Calls for VAR After Luton’s Defeat to Stevenage
Chris Powell says Luton’s bruising defeat at Stevenage is “a case for VAR” in League One after two highly contentious goals left the Hatters seething and manager Jack Wilshere sent off.
Wilshere saw red on the touchline as he raged over Stevenage’s opener in their 2-1 win at Broadhall Way, insisting Liam Walsh had been fouled in the build-up before Dan Kemp swept the hosts in front.
Luton, now with two wins, two draws and two defeats from their opening six league games, were then hit again. Josh Magennis doubled Boro’s lead amid furious appeals from the visitors for what Powell called a “clear offside”.
“I get it, referees have a tough job. But surely there is an argument for VAR at this level,” the assistant boss told BBC Three Counties Radio. “It can cost teams points, it can cost people jobs.”
Fury over Stevenage opener
The flashpoint came early. As Luton tried to play out, Walsh went to ground under a challenge from Dan Phillips. Powell was adamant the Stevenage midfielder had committed a “blatant” foul.
Play continued. Luton stopped, expecting the whistle. It never came.
Stevenage pounced, Kemp finished, and the home crowd roared while the away bench erupted.
“Everyone in the stadium is expecting the referee to blow, I know you shouldn’t stop,” Powell said. “But it’s quite clear what happened, the replays just confirmed what we saw.”
That sense of injustice never really left Luton. It only deepened when Magennis struck for 2-0, with Powell convinced the forward had strayed beyond the last defender.
“Then the second goal is offside. They’ve scored two goals and won a game when actually they’ve had a helping hand,” he said. “It’s tough for officials, I get that. They get a split second, we have the advantage of seeing it again – they don’t.
“But you just hope that the way they work, there are four of them, with the assessor, that they make these decisions. It’s just a tough one to take.”
Luton rally but Stevenage hold firm
The controversy did not completely break Luton. Kasey Palmer dragged them back into the contest when his effort deflected in off Mads Andersen, giving the visitors a lifeline and shifting the mood.
Alex Revell’s side, though, refused to buckle. Stevenage dug in, saw out the pressure and banked the points that lift them to fourth in the early League One standings, while Luton sit eighth, their start neatly balanced at two wins, two draws, two defeats.
For Wilshere, the damage is not just on the table. His dismissal means he will be banned from the dugout when Bradford City visit Kenilworth Road on 19 September.
The debate he and Powell have ignited over VAR in the third tier, though, will echo far beyond that touchline.
