Lockyer hopes dubious penalty conceded at Sunderland doesn't cost the Hatters in their bid to go up

Defender Tom Lockyer hopes that the dubious penalty given against his side in their 1-1 draw at Sunderland on Saturday doesn’t end up costing the Hatters dearly in their bid for promotion this term.

The visitors were leading 1-0 at the Stadium of Light with four minutes to play, when substitute Amad Diallo went over theatrically inside the box under the most minimal pressure from centre half Amari’i Bell.

It was enough to fool referee Scott Oldham into awarding a spot-kick that Diallo himself went on to bury past Ethan Horvath, earning the Black Cats a point and end Town’s run of three consecutive 1-0 wins.

Although Luton are still in the hunt to go up automatically, now six points behind second-placed Sheffield United, and seven ahead of Norwich in seventh, with eight games to go, Lockyer felt they could and should be in an even better position, saying: “We’ve been in good form and it would have been amazing to win all these 1-0, that’d have been nice, wouldn’t it.

“It wasn’t to be and it should have been three points, but let’s hope it doesn’t cost us come the end of the season, because that would be hugely disappointing.

“Let’s hope it’s a good point in the end and not two dropped because it’s a tough place to come and there was a few leggy boys today.”

Despite the game being the third in the week, and following a trip to Sheffield United last weekend, Lockyer and his team-mates were still cheered on by over 1,000 Hatters supporters on Wearside.

He was eager to thank the fans for making the trip, including one in particular, adding: “Sometimes you don’t always get what you deserve in football, so after they scored we were never going to go up the other end and score again.

“It was just about seeing it out for the draw then and thanking our fans for coming down, because it’s a long old way.

"Even my old man came to this one – it’s five-and-a-half hours from Cardiff – so shout out to Big Steve for doing that! Dad, well done!

“He’s got to stay up here for work, so not just for football, he’s tying it in with work, but everyone who travelled was fantastic and seeing them up there in the heavens, it was quite far away, but we could still hear them.

"Come the end when their fans were right on us, we could hear them getting right behind us as well, albeit a little bit nervous at times.

"So massive thanks to them because it’s a long old journey isn’t it.”