Chris Powell Calls for VAR After Luton Town's Defeat to Stevenage
Chris Powell says Luton Town’s bruising defeat at Stevenage should be “a case for VAR” in League One, after two controversial goals and a red card for boss Jack Wilshere lit up a bad-tempered afternoon at Broadhall Way.
Stevenage edged a 2-1 win, but the scoreline told only half the story. Luton felt both home goals should have been chalked off, and their anger eventually boiled over as Wilshere was dismissed for his protests over the opener.
A case for VAR
Dan Kemp’s first-half strike set Stevenage on their way, yet Luton were adamant it should never have stood. Liam Walsh went to ground under a challenge from Dan Phillips in the build-up, and Powell was in no doubt.
Speaking to BBC Three Counties Radio, the Hatters’ assistant manager called it a “blatant” foul and said the incident underlined why technology should be introduced in the third tier.
“I get it, referees have a tough job. But surely there is an argument for VAR at this level,” Powell said. “It can cost teams points, it can cost people jobs.”
The sense of injustice grew. As Luton chased a way back into the game, Josh Magennis doubled Stevenage’s lead, only for Powell to insist that too should have been ruled out.
He described it as a “clear offside” and pointed to the replays as confirmation of what the Luton bench felt in real time.
“Everyone in the stadium is expecting the referee to blow, I know you shouldn’t stop,” he said. “But it’s quite clear what happened, the replays just confirmed what we saw, and then the second goal is offside. They’ve scored two goals and won a game when actually they’ve had a helping hand.”
Luton rally, but Stevenage hold firm
To their credit, Luton refused to fold. Kasey Palmer dragged them back into the contest when his effort deflected in off Mads Andersen, giving the visitors a lifeline and turning the final stages into a siege.
Alex Revell’s side dug in. Stevenage absorbed the pressure, protected their lead and saw the game out to climb to fourth in the early League One table. Luton, with two wins, two draws and two defeats from their opening six matches, sit eighth and nursing a sense of grievance.
Powell did not hide his frustration, but he stopped short of turning the spotlight solely on the officials.
“It’s tough for officials, I get that. They get a split second, we have the advantage of seeing it again – they don’t,” he said. “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.”
Wilshere banned from the dugout
The flashpoint that finally tipped the afternoon over the edge came with Wilshere’s dismissal. The Luton manager’s protests over the first goal earned him a red card, and with it a ban from the touchline for the Hatters’ next League One outing.
He will be absent from the dugout when Bradford City visit Kenilworth Road on 19 September, leaving Powell and the rest of the staff to marshal things from the technical area.
Six games in, Luton already have a performance ledger that reads win, draw, defeat in equal measure. Now they must decide what to do with the anger from Broadhall Way: let it fester, or turn it into fuel for a season that is threatening to become defined by the margins.
