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VENUE Victoria Road ATTENDANCE 1,754 REFEREE Mike Thorpe (Suffolk) MATCH DATE 14 August 2007 KICK OFF TIME 19:45

DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE Tony Roberts   Sam Sloma   Jon Boardman   Sam Saunders   Glen Southam   Jon Nurse   Ben Strevens 68   Dave Rainford   Shane Huke 45   Scott Griffiths   Anwar Uddin   Danny Foster   Chris Moore   SUBS NOT USED Richard Graham   Magnus Okuonghae   Ed Thompson

LUTON TOWN Dean Brill   Richard Jackson   Chris Coyne   Keith Keane   Lewis Emanuel   David Edwards   Don Hutchison   Matthew Spring   Dean Morgan   Paul McVeigh 78   Sam Parkin   Paul Furlong 43   Drew Talbot   SUBS NOT USED Ahmet Brkovic   Chris Perry   Stephen O'Leary

Match Report	14 August 2007
Dagenham & Redbridge 1 - 2 Luton Town

DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE 1 Ben Strevens '73  LUTON TOWN 2 Matthew Spring (pen) '42 Drew Talbot '69

HAPPY HATTERS CUT UP THE DAGGERS...

Luton Town escaped a Carling Cup upset in the first ever professional game at Dagenham & Redbridge's Victoria Park.

Last term Dagenham were competing in the Conference while Luton were struggling in the Championship, but there wasn't much between the two sides in a blood and thunder encounter in the capital.

Matthew Spring's 42nd minute penalty and Drew Talbot second-half strike were enough to see off John Still's battlers, who hit back late on through substitute Ben Strevens.

While Luton were left satisfied with a second win in four days, there was disappointment at yet another problem for injury-hit striker Sam Parkin, who was replaced in the first-half.

The Hatters made six changes from the team that beat Hartlepool United 2-1 on Saturday as they took on the Daggers for the second time in three weeks after their 1-1 pre-season draw in east London last month.

In came Keith Keane, Lewis Emanuel, Dean Morgan, Parkin, Drew Talbot and Don Hutchison – who used to play just down the road at Upton Park.

The game kicked off in driving rain with Hutchison showing some neat touches in the middle of the park while the Football League new boys looked to hit lively front pair Chris Moore and Jon Nurse at every opportunity.

While Dagenham were direct it was Luton who were more thoughtful and they fashioned the first opening in the 13th minute when Morgan's cross-field ball released Dave Edwards, who crossed from the right for Parkin to hit a 12-yard shot which deflected wide off Jon Boardman.

The Hatters forced a series of corners, but the next chance did not arrive until the half-hour mark when Morgan blasted high and wide after Talbot's over-hit cross came back to him via Spring, Edwards and Hutchison.

Spectators were still waiting for the first attempt on target from either side, but they finally got some excitement as the game exploded to life in the 37th minute as the Hatters had a miraculous escape.

Brill had to save instinctively from Dave Rainford's header after Sam Sloma's corner and after the ball was then smuggled off the line, Sloma's follow-up deflected off a Luton defender, on to the bar and behind.

From the following corner Brill had to again superbly block from Rainford, then as Edwards cleared, Morgan ran clean through on the break only to fire wide with just Tony Roberts to beat.

Brill was called into action again in the 40th minute with another brilliant block, this time from Glen Southam.

"However, two minutes later Luton took the lead"

However, two minutes later Luton took the lead when Talbot was bundled over in the box by Nurse and Spring stepped up to send former QPR man Roberts the wrong way from the spot.

The Hatters' joy was soured two minutes before the break as Parkin, plagued by injury for the past two seasons, hobbled off to be replaced by Paul Furlong.

"Luton settled and grabbed a second goal in the 69th minute"

Nurse went close for the hosts straight after the interval, but Luton settled and grabbed a second goal in the 69th minute when Furlong found Talbot, who cut in from the right and hit a 22-yard effort that deflected over Roberts off Danny Foster.

That should have been enough for Luton, but the Daggers set up a nervy finish as Chris Moore jinked into the box and crossed for substitute Strevens to prod home 17 minutes from time.

Strevens went close again two minutes later, heading Sam Saunders' corner just past the post.

Furlong and Talbot both went close for Luton in the last five minutes, but Brill had to save a header from opposing number one Roberts, up from the back for a corner in stoppage time, to ensure Luton won the game.

Blackwell's Comments	14 August 2007
Dagenham & Redbridge 1-2 Luton Town "I'm not being harsh, but that was as direct as you're going to come across. "It was tight surroundings and difficult to get around the pitch and I said to the lads 'if you don't fight fire with fire, they'll win'. "Many clubs have come here in the FA Cup and that's what's happened to them. Dagenham have a very good cup tradition, but we acquitted ourselves well. "We should have killed the game off earlier and I'm disappointed with the sloppy goal we conceded, but the lads are too, and at the end of the day it was job done. "There will have been some upsets in the cup, but Luton Town wasn't one of them. "Brilly was excellent and I thought the back four were superb. "Brilly only had set-pieces to deal with, but when you're faced with six or seven foot giants coming at you I was happy with how we did. "That's why I was particularly disappointed with the goal we conceded because it was well within our armoury to defend it. "With the wind behind them in the second-half and another giant on off the bench I knew they would throw the ball forward all they could, but we dealt with them. "People ask why I haven't gone in for another centre-half, but Keano was great for us and can do a job there. "It doesn't mean I'm not looking for another centre-half and our discussions will continue with a certain player and hopefully we can do something there. "But Keano just wants to play. The lads love him and he has passion and enthusiasm and you just can't buy that. "Belly was back in training this morning, but it was too soon for him to play tonight. "He was in the gym this afternoon as well – along with the other lads who thought they were having an afternoon off because they weren't playing!"

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