'Surreal' experience for Gawel as young Hatter nets first Town goal

Young Hatters forward Dawid Gawel described it as a ‘surreal’ experience when scoring his first professional goal for Luton during last week’s Jersey Mike’s Trophy victory over Ipswich Town U21s.

The 17-year-old is no stranger to finding the net in a Town shirt, having done so over 40 times for the club’s various age-groups last season, as managing more than 50 goal contributions in total, he was named SoLYD Young Player of the Season at the Luton Town Supporters' Trust awards evening. He also made his senior debut in January, coming off the bench in the Vertu Trophy clash with Swindon Town, earning his second outing when brought on by boss Jack Wilshere for the final 11 minutes of Tuesday night’s encounter with the young Tractor Boys.

He looked lively from the word go, and quickly showed just what all the hype is about, taking Joe Johnson’s neat pass on his right foot and then drawing back his left to slide an expert finish into the bottom corner for the Hatters' sixth and final goal of the evening. Asked just what it was like to see his shot hit the back of the net, Gawel told the club’s official website: “Surreal really and kind of a relief as I had a couple of balls that went into me, I found a lot of space to run in behind, so I had two or three (chances).

"The first two my touch wasn't great, and the third one, I got my touch right and finished. It was tidy, so I’m happy with it. All they say to me is go on there and score. Everyone believes in me to make an impact, I just had a feeling I was going to get the chance to score and I did.”

Gawel was one of four academy graduates on the field at the time, with the assist coming from Johnson, who has made his way through the ranks at Kenilworth Road, the pair joined by Harry Fox and Jack Lorentzen-Jones, both second half substitutes. Town used five players who have begun their careers with the club in total, defender Zach Ioannides getting an hour before making way, as the striker praised the staff’s help and the support from boss Jack Wilshere himself, as he and his young team-mate know that chances will be there if they put the work in.

The striker added: “Getting that experience helps from last season, pre-season too, so I was just comfortable when I came on and happy I’ve got support from the academy and all the coaches. I’m just delighted really. It just shows the pathway that the academy gives and the first team manager, he really believes in us. It just shows all the academy boys that we can go on there and play in this club and play in this competition.”

Meanwhile, Gawel was back in action for the Hatters U18s at the weekend as they won their Youth Alliance Cup tie against Cheltenham on penalties, thanks to the heroics of goalkeeper Riley Flynn.

Town made the ideal start to the fixture, when after three minutes, a ball forward from the defence found Ty Lesser outside the box. The midfielder worked it on to his right foot and saw his shot parried by the keeper, winger Tatenda Takawira able to pounce from the rebound, lifting his shot into the net from a tight angle.

The Hatters went on to create a host of chances to kill the match off but couldn't take any of them, as Takawira had an excellent game, giving his full back a torrid time, while attacking midfielders Ty Lesser and Nassim El Gourja worked tirelessly to create opportunities. After the break, Cheltenham began to claw back some control, as Flynn made several excellent saves, but he was eventually beaten in the last minute as the game finished 1-1.

During the shootout, the young goalkeeper, who has been with the academy since the U13s, continued his fine record from 12 yards, as having saved two penalties in the previous group stage game against Oxford United, did the same once more. Once Cheltenham’s fourth attempt was blazed over, it saw Luton triumph 3-1 thanks to successful efforts from Jerome Passley-James, Takawira and Nassim El Gourja.