Luton Town FC vs Cambridge United (4th Sep 2012)

Hatters edge five-goal thriller

TOWN 3-2 CAMBRIDGE

A scintillating display saw the Town come from behind to beat Cambridge at Kenilworth Road.

The visitors went ahead through Ricky Wellard's impressive half-volley into the top corner, but Luton hit back through a diving Janos Kovacs header to make it level at the break.

Andre Gray slotted home shortly after the restart with JJ O'Donnell threading him clean through on goal to put the Hatters ahead for the first time.

Dean Beckwith then netted from close range after the visitors failed to clear a corner, and although Rory McAuley scored with two minutes remaining, the Hatters held on for the points.

The Hatters went into the game unchanged from the side that overcame Macclesfield 4-1 on Saturday, with Jon Shaw and skipper Ronnie Henry still suspended.

And the game burst into life in the fifth minute as Jake Howells surged forward after the referee had played a good advantage following a foul on O'Donnell.

The Wales U21 international, who netted his first of the season against the Silkmen on Saturday, drilled a left-footed shot narrowly wide as the Town began solidly.

But when the visitors earned a corner in the 11th minute which the Hatters couldn't quite clear, Wellard struck a superb left-footed half-volley into the top corner beyond Mark Tyler's dive to put the visitors ahead.

Despite falling behind, the Hatters faithful only had to wait six minutes to level the scores, Kovacs powering in a diving header from Stuart Fleetwood's corner.

And just one minute later the hosts threatened to score again, Cambridge defender McAuley having to clear behind for another corner, but the Hatters couldn't quite force another as the pressure began to build.

With the Town beginning to really search for a goal to put them ahead, O'Donnell played a lovely through-ball for Fleetwood, but it was judged to have been just offside.

Andre Gray won a corner for the Hatters in the 34th minute, which could only be cleared behind for another corner, with Town's deliveries causing the Cambridge defence all sorts of problems.

As half-time approached the Hatters threatened down the left, Lathaniel Rowe-Turner latching onto Fleetwood's clever backheel to whip in a dangerous cross that was only just cleared by the visitors.

The sides went into the break level, but the home side came out on the front foot, Gray bursting down the left and crossing into the middle, but Scott Rendell was not quite able to head home from close range.

And the Hatters continued to press, Rendell running onto Greg Taylor's long ball and squaring for Gray, but James Jennings' last-ditch tackle denied the former Hinckley frontman.

Liam Hughes tested Tyler five minutes into the second period with a rasping effort from just outside the Luton box, but it was comfortable for the 35-year-old.

And in the 52nd minute Gray fired the Hatters ahead for the first time, O'Donnell picking up the ball in midfield and putting him clean through on goal, and he made no mistake, slotting past Jonathon Hedge in the United goal.

In the 59th minute Tom Elliot thought he had levelled the scores after guiding the ball past Tyler, but the flag was raised for offside.

The hosts went straight up the other end, Gray twice threatening, first having a shot blocked by Josh Coulson, before having a second effort deflected behind for a corner.

And the Hatters netted a third from Fleetwood's corner, Hedge saving an initial effort, but Beckwith was on hand to lash home from close range for his first goal of the season.

Luton were ripping Cambridge apart by this stage, Gray storming down the left before skinning Coulson to power an effort towards goal that was deflected to Alex Lawless, but the Welshman's shot was deflected behind.

The Cambridge defence was unable to cope with Gray, the striker lashing a left-footed effort at goal in the 63rd minute that Hedge could only just parry away from goal.

The visitors replaced former Hatter Robbie Willmott with Adriano Moke, and he made an impression down the Luton left, but the home defence held firm.

Howells had a late effort at goal, bringing down a Hedge miskick and firing at goal but the visiting goalkeeper was able to pluck it out of the air.

Luton's only signing on deadline day, defender Connor Essam on loan from League Two Gillingham, replaced the tiring Rendell for the last five minutes.

The visitors netted an 88th minute goal through McAuley, the defender powering home a header from Jennings' corner to give Cambridge home of a point.

But the Hatters held on, with substitute Essam even having an effort on target following a clearance from well inside his own half, but it was another three home points for Luton.

Hatters (4-3-3): Tyler; Taylor, Kovacs, Beckwith, Rowe-Turner; Lawless, Howells, O'Donnell; Gray, Rendell (Essam, 86), Fleetwood (Woolley, 90)

Subs not used: Brill, Watkins, Kasim

Attendance: 6,592 (622 visitors)

Boss praises players' efforts after 3-2 win

A delighted Paul Buckle thought his side couldn’t have given him any more after their 3-2 victory over Cambridge lifted them into second place in the table.

Goals from Janos Kovacs, Andre Gray and Dean Beckwith put the Hatters 3-1 up after they had trailed to Ricky Wellard’s rocket of an opener for the U’s.

And, although Cambridge pulled a goal back with two minutes, left Buckle was full of praise for his side’s performance.

“The players couldn’t have given me any more tonight,” he told Hatters Player afterwards. “They gave us everything.

“We fell behind and to come back again was a real test of character for the players. It was a good atmosphere and the game was played on a good pitch and obviously it wasn’t the plan to go behind but we had to accept it.

“It was a good strike but the thing that pleased me was that we came back and the manner in which we scored our goals – we were really aggressive when attacking our set-pieces and, perhaps we could have scored four or five.”

Indeed it could have been a greater margin of victory but the manager was keen to point out that the hard work on the training ground and in matches is beginning to pay off.

“We’ve been practising the set-pieces on the training ground and it’s been paying dividends,” Buckle continued. “We’ve been putting in some fantastic deliveries which are really hard to defend against, especially at the Kenilworth Road end.

“Tonight I thought we played with our tails up and although they got one back towards the end I was always confident we’d see the game out.

“It’s another three points that gets us closer to where we want to be at the top of the table and the only way we’re going to get there is to keep winning and keep working hard.

“We were really on song tonight but we mustn’t take our eye off the ball.

“Nobody said we would be the finished article at this stage of the season – and we will continue to work hard.

“Tonight, though, we were excellent and thoroughly deserved the win.”