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VENUE Kenilworth Road ATTENDANCE 4,534 REFEREE A P D'Urso (Essex) MATCH DATE 25 September 2007 KICK OFF TIME 19:45

LUTON TOWN Dean Brill   Richard Jackson   Chris Perry   Jaroslaw Fojut   Alan Goodall   David Bell   Ahmet Brkovic 103   Steve Robinson   Matthew Spring   Paul McVeigh   Drew Talbot 91   Paul Furlong   Dean Morgan   Darren Currie 86   SUBS NOT USED Calvin Andrew   Chris Coyne

CHARLTON ATHLETIC Darren Randolph   Yassin Moutaouakil   Patrick McCarthy   Madjid Bougherra   Osei Sankofa   Darren Ambrose   Johnathan Fortune 106   Matthew Holland   Dean Sinclair   Therry Racon   Luke Varney 70   Izale McLeod Svetoslav Todorov   Harry Arter 86   SUBS NOT USED Aswas Thomas   Nicky Weaver

Match Report	25 September 2007
Luton Town 3 - 1 Charlton Athletic

LUTON TOWN 3 Steve Robinson '43 Matthew Spring '105 Dean Talbot '117  CHARLTON ATHLETIC 1 Dean Sinclair '4

LUTON SPRING INTO NEXT ROUND OF THE CARLING CUP...

A thumping Matthew Spring header and a predatory Drew Talbot strike gave Luton Town a fantastic extra-time victory in a pulsating night of cup football against Charlton Athletic.

Earlier a Steve Robinson thunderbolt had tied the scores on the stroke of half-time, and a much-improved second-half performance and some crucial saves from keeper Dean Brill from the Hatters ensured the game went into added time.

Charlton, who famously came out on top of a pulsating encounter in the same competition back in 2003 which went to extra-time and penalties, raced into an early lead but then spurned a string of chances to seal the game before the break.

Dean Morgan tried his luck for the home side as early as the third minute, but his long-range effort went well over the bar and seconds later the visitors were ahead.

All too easily Izale McLeod broke down the left and his deep cross found Svetoslav Todorov lurking at the far post. His header was turned home, under the nose of Brill, by Dean Sinclair.

The visitors had pace to burn going forward and the Addicks gave Luton's defence a torrid time throughout much of the first half, creating chance after chance.

It wasn't all one-way traffic, though – with eight minutes gone veteran striker Paul Furlong was just inches away from connecting with Paul McVeigh's teasing cross.

McVeigh and Furlong then combined again on the edge Charlton's area, but the former Norwich hit man fired wildly over.

Luton almost struck back on 24 minutes when Goodall's deep cross was headed back across goal by Bell but Furlong was caught on his heels and was left a yard short at the far post.

Charlton bossed most of the first half and Luton received another let off on 26 minutes when they could only partially clear their lines and Therry Racon crashed a 20-yard effort against the bar.

On the half-hour McLeod should have doubled Charlton's lead when Todorov through-ball sent the former MK Dons striker clean through but with only Brill to beat, he slid his effort wide of the far post.

Luton did muster some teasing crosses during the first half and forced six corners but rarely looked like scoring, and when McVeigh combined with Bell on 35 minutes the winger could only fire straight at Randolph.

Todorov and McLeod were causing Luton plenty of problems and the Bulgarian international sent the pacy striker clear with four minutes of the half left, but McLeod fired wide with only Brill to beat.

"Steve Robinson rocketed Luton level with a thunderous half-volley"

But with two minutes of the half left Steve Robinson rocketed Luton level with a thunderous half-volley.

Bell's corner was cleared only as far as Robinson and the busy midfielder took a touch on the edge of the area before thumping his shot into the top left-hand corner.

Rejuvenated by the goal the Hatters got the second-half off to a breathless start as they threatened to race away with the game.

Morgan could have given Luton the lead seconds after the restart but fluffed his first-time effort from Bell's corner.

Furlong then broke clear on 49 minutes and, having teased the defence, he could only send a weak shot straight at the Charlton keeper.

Two minutes later Bell picked out McVeigh but the striker's long-range curler went just over.

Soon after Furlong's flick sent Bell through and when his shot was blocked Spring fired over.

McVeigh broke on 55 minutes and fed Bell, but Furlong was again inches away from converting his whipped cross.

McVeigh then did well to jink free on the left but his dinked cross was headed behind at the far post.

With 15 minutes left Randolph did well to palm away Morgan's excellent 25-yard freekick, and Spring was then inches away from winning it with with two minutes left, his snapshot from the edge of the area fizzing wide.

At the other end Brill then produced a

fingertip save to deny Ambrose to ensure the game would go into extra-time.

McLeod had a glorious chance when he turned inside of Perry on 96 minutes, but he curled his effort wastefully over the bar.

And only a brilliant point-blank save from Brill prevented Varney from giving Charlton the lead after McLeod had headed the ball down inside the area.

"Spring ghosted in at the back post to power home Darren Currie's terrific deep cross"

But Luton made no mistake seconds later when Spring ghosted in at the back post to power home Darren Currie's terrific deep cross.

Spring almost bagged a carbon copy of the goal in the 123rd minutes, but he couldn't direct his header from Ahmet Brkovic's cross.

With three minutes of extra time left Varney had the chance to level but headed straight at Brill and seconds later substitute Drew Talbot sealed victory.

Madjid Bougherra slipped on the edge of the area and Talbot nipped in before slotting the ball into the bottom corner.

Blackwell's Comments	25 September 2007
Luton Town 3-1 Charlton Athletic "The players deserved all the plaudits. It was a fantastic performance under the lights at Kenilworth Road and it certainly seems to inspire the players. "I don't think it's fortuitous that we have beaten two teams from leagues above us. I'm sure people would have looked at the teams tonight and wondered which one was at the higher level. "People that have been watching us of late have been saying that we have been playing good football and the icing on the cake today has been that we have scored the goals. "People may have thought after we went a goal down so early on that the bubble has burst. But the players knuckled down, we dominated the game in the second-half and I felt we deserved the win in the end. "I think tonight showed the importance of the whole squad. The lads that came off the bench - Ahmet Brkovic, Drew Talbot and Darren Currie - carried the game forward. "I know it's what every manager says, but we are taking every game as it comes. Whoever we pull out, we pull out of the hat. But what this competition is doing is helping us to build some momentum which we now need to take through in to our League campaign."

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