Jack Wilshere has said he has been baffled by many of the officials’ decisions during Luton Town‘s crucial 2-1 win over Peterborough United.
The Hatters kept their slim playoff hopes alive with victory over Posh, with sixth-placed Reading‘s draw against Huddersfield Town cutting the deficit to four points, with a game in hand in favour of the Bedfordshire side.
Wilshere Vents At Refereeing Performance
Despite victory at Kenilworth Road for the hosts, Wilshere focused on the performance of debutant referee Isaac Searle, who oversaw his first-ever third-tier match on Good Friday.
Much of the post-match discussion came from the penalty awarded to Peterborough, which Josh Keeley saved, with the referee blowing to the spot after deeming the Irish keeper fouled Harry Leonard.
In addition, the former Norwich City caretaker focused on the incident which led to Peterborough’s consolation goal which Davy van den Berg believed had left the field of play beforehand, and a failed appeal for a penalty for Kasey Palmer in the final moments.
The latter, which then saw the Town boss booked for his appeals, means that Wilshere will now be out of action for their Easter Monday away trip to AFC Wimbledon after receiving his third yellow card of the campaign.
When discussing the flashpoints in the game with Luton Today, the 34-year-old said:
“(Asked if Posh should have been given a penalty) No, I think the reaction of the players, both sets of players, if they’re not appealing for it and our players are not kind of giving the ref a sneaky look, I think that tells you everything, but a bad decision in my opinion.
“I think it was an important moment in the game as you could feel in the crowd, the crowd didn’t think it was a penalty as well.
“There were so many decisions that weren’t the right ones. Honestly, I haven’t see that one back (the Peterborough goal) so I’m not talking about that one, I think about a few offsides that the linesman gave that weren’t offside as well, so disappointing, but Davy has to keep going.
“(On the penalty appeal) Again a bad decision. I don’t understand how it’s not a penalty? Again you look at the reaction of the players and he’s actually pulled Kasey down and interrupted his finish. He was going to score, so I don’t understand how that’s not a penalty.
“I need to speak to the staff and we need to come up with a process for Monday that works for us. It’s frustrating because it was a penalty and then if the penalty happens, I don’t get booked, but it is what it is.”
Odd Game For Decisions
It was a solid and much-needed performance from Luton Town against a resurgent Peterborough United side on Good Friday, but unfortunately, the post-match discourse has instead focused on the officiating team.
The awarded penalty for Peterborough was certainly an odd one, with Harry Leonard already getting his shot away and there being insufficient contact prior to Hakeem Odoffin’s goalline clearance.
A moment of brilliance. 🧤✨ pic.twitter.com/vtkO9Hj67Y
— Luton Town FC (@LutonTown) April 3, 2026
While there may have been chagrin at the way Posh eventually found the net, in that case the linesman’s verdict must be respected, and equally, some blame must be put at Davy van den Berg’s feet for not playing to the whistle, allowing Kyreece Lisbie the space needed to create the goal for Jimmy-Jay Morgan.
Finally, Kasey Palmer and Luton should feel aggrieved that they were not awarded a late penalty from Archie Collins’ shirt pull, with that decision only adding fuel to the fire that Town were being unlucky with the calls made by the referees.
Nevertheless, as much as these incidents had some impact on Luton’s game, they still came out with a crucial win against a solid team, and with many of the playoff-chasing pack playing each other in the next few weeks, it is a vital result in keeping their top-six chances alive.