Luton Town 1 York City 2: York clear their heads after early blow to claim their place back in Football League

Certainly, judging by the questions fired at those making their way to Wembley yesterday afternoon, that was the impression the preoccupied locals gave with some not even realising the richest game in non-League was even taking place.

To the good folk of York and Luton, however, there was nothing second rate about the showdown to decide whether their team would kick off next season in League Two.

And that is why this morning has to be one of the happiest in the lives of those who have stuck with the Minstermen during their eight-year exile from the Football League.

Goals from Ashley Chambers and Matty Blair mean York will kick off next season in League Two as a truly momentous week in the club’s history ended on the highest of highs.

Luton, who as recently as 2007 were playing in the Championship, had enjoyed a dream start as Andre Gray opened the scoring inside two minutes.

But York, playing the pleasing-on-the-eye brand of football that has so characterised their efforts this season, gradually wore down the Hatters and their huge army of fans to add play-off success to lifting the FA Trophy and being given the green light to build a new 6,000-capacity stadium.

Victory was not without its nervy moments as Luton laid siege to the York goal in the closing stages but Gary Mills’s men held on to make it four wins and a draw from the meetings between the two clubs this term.

Defeat came as a bitter blow to Luton, whose disappointment was tinged with anger at Blair being clearly offside when converting what turned out to be the winner.

That much was evident at the final whistle as Luton’s 29,000-strong travelling army of fans made a hasty exit while Mills and his overjoyed players celebrated on the field amid a spectacular pyrotechnic display.

Almost two hours earlier, the fireworks had come from Luton who took just 72 seconds to take the lead.

Sloppy marking by York was the cause as Robbie Willmott slipped the ball inside to the unmarked Andre Gray, who nevertheless deserves huge credit for a fine finish that saw his shot curl away from York goalkeeper Michael Ingham and in off a post.

Falling behind so early on clearly rocked York, but soon they were regaining a toehold in the game as Lanre Oyebanjo shot wide from Jason Walker’s cross and Alex Lawless diverted a goalbound shot from Dave Challinor narrowly over.

Walker, booed incessantly by the fans of his former club, was the next to go close with a looping header that needed an acrobatic save from Mark Tyler to tip the ball over the crossbar.

The moment York craved arrived on 27 minutes courtesy of a neat cutback from Daniel Parslow that Chambers thundered into the roof of the net.

It was no more than the Yorkshire side deserved and they almost went in ahead at the break after Matty Blair skipped past a lumbering challenge from Janos Kovacs only for Tyler to race from his line and claim possession.

Blair, though, would not be denied and 72 seconds into the second half he got his goal after latching on to Parslow’s flick-on to fire in from close range. Replays showed the York man was at least a yard offside at the time but the 8,000 visitors from Yorkshire cared little about that as the party began in earnest.

James Meredith should have made the game safe on 57 minutes after springing the offside trap only to flick his header on to the roof of the net.

Blair, too, could have done better after skipping clear down the left following neat skill. However, as Luton frantically tried to get back, he could only fire the ball across goal when a shot would surely have been the better option.

This failure to take advantage of promising situations meant a nervous final quarter for the Minstermen, who had three major let-offs as Luton poured forward in search of an equaliser.

First, Craig McAllister looked certain to head in a looping cross from Gray on 71 minutes only for Oyebanjo to launch himself at the ball and clear the danger.

The bravery of the York man was illustrated in McAllister having to leave the field with a bloodied nose.

An identical fate then befell substitute JP Kissock as he tried to reach Gray’s cross only for Oyebanjo to once again put his head where many footballers might think twice of putting their foot.

In between the Republic of Ireland Under-21 international’s heroics, York were relieved to see Gray twice fail to connect during a goalmouth scramble when the merest of touches would surely have brought a goal.

With that trio of chances went Luton’s hopes of ending their own three-year exile from the League and left York’s players, fans and officials dancing with joy after clinching a long overdue return to the Football League.