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League One side Luton led 3-0 after Fanne opener and Wells double Knowles pulls superb goal back for Robbie Savage's National League visitors, Mc Allister penalty makes it 3-2 and Dausch bags equaliser However, Kodua fires winner for Jack Wilshere's Hatters in stoppage time Opening game of 40 FA Cup first round fixtures Click on 'watch & listen' tab for local radio commentaries Get Involved: Use button at top of page, #bbcfacup on X, via Whats App on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply) Matthew Cresswell and Oliver Brindle Luton 2-0 Forest Green Rovers Don't forget, you can tune in to our live BBC Local Radio live commentaries from tonight's game via the 'watch and listen' tab. Luton 2-0 Forest Green Rovers Forest Green get their foot on the ball for the first time in a while and Jili Buyabu's shot is blocked by Nigel Lonwijk and the ball goes out for a corner. From it, the visitors pull off a beautifully worked short corner routine and Buyabu's goalbound shot is again blocked, this time by a terrific stop from Teden Menghi. Without Menghi, that would have been 2-1 and that has got Robbie Savage applauding. Luton 2-0 Forest Green Rovers Alfie Ryan BBC Radio Gloucestershire summariser There have been too many loose passes from Forest Green, the Luton defence have just closed down everything. Luton 2-0 Forest Green Another lovely centre from the marauding left-back Cohen Bramall almost finds the head of Nakhi Wells at the back post but the Bermudian is unable to meet it. Luton are really looking like they're starting to enjoy themselves in the rain now. Luton 2-0 Forest Green The first 20 minutes feel like a long time ago now and as soon as I said Forest Green were looking more than a match early on, Luton have hit them with a quick-fire double. Sorry Rovers fans! Luton 2-0 Forest Green Rovers Geoff Doyle BBC Three Counties Radio commentator It should be 3-0, and Nakhi Wells should have hit the target there. However, Luton are 2-0 up and in control, it couldn't be going any better for them. There has been no real pressure from Forest Green so far. Luton 2-0 Forest Green Oh, Nakhi Wells should have grabbed a second in as many minutes! A terrific ball finds him unmarked in the centre of the box and he volleys wide with his left foot six yards out. That would have been the match before half-time, I would have thought. Nakhi Wells (30 mins) A typical striker's goal from the veteran fox in the box! Nakhi Wells wins a free-kick after being kicked in the back. Luton full-back Cohen Bramall hits it over the wall, it's spilt by Forest Green keeper Fiachra Pagel and there was the Bermudian jogging on the spot to double Luton's lead tapping into an empty net. Could be a long way back now for Forest Green. Luton 1-0 Forest Green Rovers Alfie Ryan BBC Radio Gloucestershire summariser The opener here has given Luton a bit of extra confidence in their play. The experience and professionalism they have got is a bonus, but Forest Green can get back into this. Luton 1-0 Forest Green That has eased the home side's nerves. The big question now is will Forest Green's heads drop or will they be spurred on? They looked pretty comfortable for the first 20 minutes but now need a response. Luton 1-0 Forest Green Rovers Simon Oxley BBC Three Counties Radio commentator That was a really good finish by Lamine Fanne, and he was just off balance as he sort of slips as he goes to take the shot. It was all in the build up play. Lamine Fanne (23 mins) Now they have clicked into gear! A carbon copy of the move earlier sees Nakhi Wells get down the right-hand side and he expertly pulls the ball back to Lamine Fanne who, this time, sweeps the ball into the top corner from an identical spot from where he dragged his effort wide just 60 seconds earlier. Terrific goal. Luton 0-0 Forest Green Rovers Simon Oxley BBC Three Counties Radio commentator That was the move of the match from a Luton perspective. It was always just curling away from the net, but certainly the best move and play of the game by a country mile. Luton 0-0 Forest Green Rovers Chance, big chance for Luton. Lovely football from Luton down the right wing ends with Jake Richards poking the ball to Lamine Fanne but the Spaniard drags his effort slightly wide of Forest Green keeper Fiachra Pagel's left post. Better football from Jack Wilshere's side, however. Luton 0-0 Forest Green Rovers Luton have not got going with their passing and another ball from Nakhi Wells goes straight out of play. 19 minutes played and it's hard to tell that there are two divisions separating these two sides currently. Luton 0-0 Forest Green Rovers Bit of pinball in the Rovers box but the ball is eventually cleared. Down at the other end, Luton keeper Josh Keeley quite inexplicably comes rushing 40 yards out of his goal to deal with a ball but Teden Mengi takes charge and no harm is eventually done. In less surprising news, Robbie Savage has already had a talking to by the fourth official for some antics in the dugout. Luton 0-0 Forest Green Rovers Geoff Doyle BBC Three Counties Radio commentator Forest Green have found their rhythm in this game. They are doing well and have been great defensively, but neither keeper has been properly tested just yet. Luton 0-0 Forest Green Rovers Following a slightly iffy start, Rovers have really grown into this Cup tie. A long ball from the goalkeeper finds Jili Buyabu who looks like he is going to race clear in on goal but the linesman has his flag up and replays show that was the right deision. Just a quick reminder, and I'm sure music to the ears of many of you, that there is no VAR in place tonight. Old school. Luton 0-0 Forest Green Rovers The rain is coming down quite heavily at Kenilworth Road at the moment as a pass skids through for a goal kick to the home side. The surface is making this a little bit tricky for the players. No more trick or treat jokes from us tonight though. Promise. Luton 0-0 Forest Green Rovers Alfie Ryan BBC Radio Gloucestershire summariser Forest Green have got to be as defensively resolute as possible. They need to make sure they don't concede early on, and then they can build their way into the game. If they can get an early goal though that could be massive. Luton Town's Nahki Wells scored his second and third goals of the season in the FA Cup tie against Forest Green Rovers League One Luton Town survived a scare to beat National League side Forest Green Rovers 4-3 in the FA Cup first round. Gideon Kodua came off the bench to win it in stoppage time after the visitors came from 3-0 down in the second half to level the match. Lamine Fanne and Nahki Wells had put Jack Wilshere's side in control at the break, and Wells thought he had secured victory with his second goal of the game early in the second half. However, substitutes Tom Knowles, Kyle Mc Allister and Aidan Dausch pulled Rovers back into it before Kodua struck with a decisive finish on a night of high drama at Kenilworth Road. Both sides traded early chances before Fanne curled an effort just wide. Moments later, he found the net with a similar chance from the edge of the area after being fed by Wells, despite being off balance. Wells pounced to double the lead on the half-hour mark after Fiachra Pagel spilled Cohen Bramall's free-kick into his path. The striker should have added a second a minute later, but fired over after springing the offside trap. Jili Buyabu thought he had halved the deficit with half-time looming. A well worked corner kick found him in space but his attempt at goal was blocked by Teden Mengi. Wells made it 3-0 with another close-range finish as Fanne repaid the compliment from his earlier assist after Tre Pemberton was dispossessed high up the pitch. Knowles pulled Rovers back into the game with a curling effort from the edge of the Luton box on the hour, wrongfooting Josh Keeley after a deflection off Mengi, but few in the stadium could have foreseen what was to come. Mengi's night took a turn for the worse just seven minutes later when he brought down Harry Whitwell in the area to concede a penalty kick, and Mc Allister stepped up to make it 3-2. With 11 minutes remaining, the ball fell to debutant Dausch after Luton failed to clear and he levelled the scores, sending Forest Green boss Robbie Savage and the travelling fans wild. Kodua broke Rovers hearts in stoppage time when he smashed home from close range, but there was still time for Dausch to squander a wonderful chance with the goal gaping in the final seconds. After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users. Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser Manager: Jack Wilshere Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 Manager: Robbie Savage Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 Manager: Jack Wilshere Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 Manager: Robbie Savage Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 FA Cup All competitions All competitions All competitions Luton and Forest Green Rovers last faced in 2017-18 in League Two, with the Hatters winning both meetings (2-0 away, 3-1 home). They’ve never met in the FA Cup proper (first round onwards). Forest Green Rovers have been eliminated in 13 of their last 14 FA Cup ties against Football League opposition – the exception was a 2-1 win at AFC Wimbledon in 2015-16. This will be League One side Luton’s third consecutive FA Cup tie playing in a different division – they were a Premier League side in February 2024 (lost 6-2 to Man City) and a Championship side in January 2025 (lost 2-0 to Nottingham Forest). Bolton were the last EFL side to play three ties in a row in three different divisions (Championship, League One, League Two between 2018-19 and 2020-21). Luton manager Jack Wilshere is a two-time FA Cup winner as a player with Arsenal (2014 and 2015), with his last FA Cup appearance coming in March 2021 for Bournemouth; this is his first FA Cup game as manager. Forest Green manager Robbie Savage is also managing his first game in the competition proper, and his last game as a player was for Derby in a 2-1 defeat to non-league Crawley in 2011. Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.