Akinbiyi treble hits Hatters
By Chris Stanton. Last Updated: January 1, 1970 1:00am
10-man Burnley beat Luton 3-2 at Kenilworth Road courtesy of a hat-trick from Ade Akinbiyi.
In what was a remarkable match The Clarets were forced to play more than half of the match with midfielder John Spicer in goal following the dismissal of Brian Jensen.
Despite The Hatters enjoying the better of the opening exchanges, it was the away side who claimed the 15th minute lead with a cool finish from Akinbiyi.
Luton succumbed to another sucker punch on the half hour mark when Akinbiyi doubled the visitors' lead with a powerful half volley.
Jensen then darted from his line to intercept a through ball but succeeded only in catching the ball two yards outside his area. Referee Paul Melin had no hesitation in producing a straight red card.
Spicer was handed the gloves in the absence of Steve Cotterill naming a substitute keeper but was powerless to prevent Steve Howard's header halving the arrears two minutes before the break.
Luton would have gone into the second half confident of claiming a point if not all three but instead Akinbiyi's run into the box was halted by an illegal challenge from Leon Barnett which gifted The Clarets the chance to regain their two-goal lead from the penalty spot.
Akinbiyi duly took that opportunity to claim his hat-trick and despite Feeney pulling a goal back just seven minutes later, Luton's late rally failed to bear fruit.
Matches
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npower Championship
Table
npower Championship
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiff City | 46 | 87 |
| 2 | Hull City | 46 | 79 |
| 3 | Watford | 46 | 77 |
| 4 | Brighton and Hove Albion | 46 | 75 |
| 5 | Crystal Palace | 46 | 72 |
| 6 | Leicester City | 46 | 68 |
| 7 | Bolton Wanderers | 46 | 68 |
| 8 | Nottingham Forest | 46 | 67 |
| 9 | Charlton Athletic | 46 | 65 |
| 10 | Derby County | 46 | 61 |
| 11 | Burnley | 46 | 61 |
| 12 | Birmingham City | 46 | 61 |
| 13 | Leeds United | 46 | 61 |
| 14 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 60 |
| 15 | Blackpool | 46 | 59 |
| 16 | Middlesbrough | 46 | 59 |
| 17 | Blackburn Rovers | 46 | 58 |
| 18 | Sheffield Wednesday | 46 | 58 |
| 19 | Huddersfield Town | 46 | 58 |
| 20 | Millwall | 46 | 56 |
| 21 | Barnsley | 46 | 55 |
| 22 | Peterborough United | 46 | 54 |
| 23 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 46 | 51 |
| 24 | Bristol City | 46 | 41 |
Brian Jensen
Steve Howard
Warren Feeney
Ade Akinbiyi
