This match report was kindly provided courtesy of the superb Luton Town news Website www.lutontoday.co.uk.  Lutontoday.co.uk kindly allow us to use their match reports, and, as Hatters fans, we'd urge you to check out their excellent Website, which always contains up-to-date Luton Town news, views and match reports.  The photos are also with the kind permission of Luton Town Football Club and their excellent photographer Gareth Owen.

VENUE Kenilworth Road ATTENDANCE 9,708 REFEREE Steve Tanner (Somerset) MATCH DATE 18 November 2006 KICK OFF TIME 15:00

LUTON TOWN Marlon Beresford   Kevin Foley   Leon Barnett   Russell Perrett   Lewis Emanuel   Carlos Edwards   Steve Robinson   David Bell 85   Markus Heikkinen   Ahmet Brkovic   Dean Morgan 72   Adam Boyd   Rowan Vine Warren Feeney 73   SUBS NOT USED Dean Brill   Peter Holmes

DERBY COUNTY Stephen Bywater   Marc Edworthy   Darren Moore   Dean Leacock   Paul Boertien   Morten Bisgaard   Ryan Smith 87   Seth Johnson David Jones 80   Matt Oakley   Giles Barnes   Steve Howard   Jonathan Stead   Arturo Lupoli 89   SUBS NOT USED Mohammed Camara   Richard Jackson

Match Report	18 November 2006
Luton Town 0 - 2 Derby County

LUTON TOWN 0 N/A  DERBY COUNTY 2 Jonathan Stead '72 Steve Howard '75

DERBY HITMAN HOWARD GUNS DOWN HIS FORMER CLUB...

Steve Howard scored against his former club as hapless Luton Town slumped to their sixth League and Cup defeat in succession.

The 30-year-old bagged his eighth goal of the season 15 minutes from time to follow on from Sunderland loan-man Jonathan Stead's opener three minutes earlier as the high-flying Rams made it four wins in a row.

The unrest surrounding Kenilworth Road was added to by fans distributing 4,000 leaflets around the ground demanding the resignation of chairman Bill Tomlins.

A fifth yellow card of the season for Rowan Vine during the action also ruled him out of the Hatters’ next game at Southampton.

Luton made two changes from the side that lost 2-3 to QPR last week as Marlon Beresford returned in goal in place of Dean Brill after his one-match ban and Russell Perrett came in for his first start of the season in place of David Bell, meaning Markus Heikkinen pushed up into midfield.

Derby, who included former Luton man Howard in their 11, made just one change from the side that beat Coventry City in their last outing as Darren Moore replaced the suspended Michael Johnson.

Luton started well and threatened a minute in when Ahmet Brkovic and Adam Boyd combined to release Rowan Vine down the left, but the former Portsmouth man could only blast his angled left-footed shot across the face of goal and out for a throw in.

The hosts knew they would have to keep a close eye on in-form Howard, but they couldn't stop their ex-player teeing up Stead for a fifth minute left-footed strike that whistled just past the post from 16-yards.

After Morten Bisgaard's tumble in the area under Lewis Emanuel's challenge was ignored by referee Steve Tanner, Stead treid his luck again in the 17th minute when he fired a right-footed effort a yard over the bar from the edge of the area after Seth Johnson's cut back.

The Hatters' reshuffle in midfield was designed to give Luton a bit more bite in the middle of the park, but it didn't have the desired effect early on as Derby dominated possession.

Luton finally got their act together and fashioned an opening in the 21st minute when Heikkinen nodded back Steve Robinson's header into the area for Perrett to hit a 12-yard left-foot volley that the Rams' former West Ham man pushed around the post.

From Emanuel's resulting corner, Leon Barnett then headed wide from eight-yards.

Derby continued to look dangerous though and Matt Oakley's burst to the right-hand by-line in the 26th minute saw him produce a dangerous low cross that Perrett almost diverted past his own goalkeeper only for Beresford to gather.

Emanuel then blasted a cross-shot past the post from wide out on the left after Marc Edworthy had half-cleared a Vine cross before Derby squandered the clearest chance of the half in the 32nd minute.

Oakley was again the provider with another burst from the left to the right that allowed him to cross for Morten Bisgaard, who could only volley wastefully over the bar from eight yards, completely unchallenged.

Luton finished the half with a flourish as Bywater had to stretch firstly to tip over Barnett's looping 16-yard header from Kevin Foley's 36th minute cross and the goalkeeper then repeated his actions as he was almost caught off his line by Boyd's delicious 25-yard chip.

Boyd then worked Bywater again a minute before the break with a low left-footed shot from 15-yards after Brkovic's lay off.

Luton were almost caught cold after the interval when, three minutes into the second-half, full-back Edworthy fed Stead, to turn and shoot from the edge of the area only to see his low strike bounce back off the foot of the post.

Busy Boyd responded for Luton with a 22-yard left-foot strike wide of the target after a one-two with Edwards in the 50th minute before Derby's Giles Barnes ended a driving 30-yard run with a fierce 20-yard shot that flew inches past the post a minute later.

"Derby took the lead with a stunning strike from Stead in the 72nd minute"

The game spluttered through a scrappy period of play before Derby took the lead with a stunning strike from Stead in the 72nd minute.

After Luton had only half-cleared a corner, the ball found its way to the striker on the left hand corner of the penalty area and Stead sidestepped Perrett before unleashing a powerful right-footed strike from 18-yards that gave Beresford no chance.

Three minutes later the game was effectively over when Howard grabbed the Rams' second.

" Howard was first to react to slam home from two-yards"

A clever free-kick routine saw Johnson tee up Oakley to cross from the right. Bisgaard saw his close range effort come back off the post and Howard was first to react to slam home from two-yards.

Luton rallied late on as substitute Warren Feeney saw a header cleared off the line by Oakley and Boyd hit a 20-yarder just wide, but it was too little too late.

Newell's Comments	18 November 2006
Luton Town 0-2 Derby County "It's the worst run I've had as a manager or as a player; I've never lost five or six in a row before. "In 20 years it's the worst run I've had, but we'll have to get out of it. "When we have all our players fit and available I know what we're capable of, but I'm not making any excuses. "Maybe we've been punching above our weight a little bit here with the players we've been able to bring in. "Derby were better than us and it's not often the case I say that when teams come here. "I've always had a decent reception here and have enjoyed a good relationship with the fans. "They know we've got a difficult job with the funds we have to spend. But if you look at the past three and a half years with the football we've played and the goals we've scored you'll see there's not a lot wrong. "I'm grateful for their support. The club means a lot to them as it does to me and maybe they're getting just as frustrated as I am."

Click Here to search for other reports for matches involving Derby County.