OVER 11,000 Town fans went wild with delight as hitman Luke Beckett proved he's a prestige predator at this level.

Four minutes and 49 seconds into stoppage time at the end, the Sheffield United loan man nipped through to rescue a richly-deserved point for Peter Jackson's hard-working side.

Not only did it take Town's tally to four points off the League I leaders this season, but his fifth goal in just three outings lifted the spirits of the whole Galpharm club.

Another defeat on top of that sickening reversal at Walsall would have been hard to take, especially as Town gave as good as they got for much of a tight, gripping and ultimately exciting contest.

How fitting that Andy Booth should feature prominently in the equaliser, flicking on a long punt from keeper Paul Rachubka for Beckett to lob home when turning in the box.

Booth was excellent throughout on an afternoon when Jackson rested leading scorer Pawel Abbott and went to a 4-4-2 formation with Adnan Ahmed making a full debut in central midfield.

The new-look shape worked well in a highly-promising first 30 minutes including half chances for Booth and the returning Danny Schofield and enough neat approach play to keep Luton's 1,048 fans pretty much silent.

That changed on 33 minutes when, against the run of play and with grave suspicions of offside, Mike Newell's side took the lead through Ahmet Brkovic, who slid in to score after big Steve Howard missed a cross from Kevin Foley, who caused plenty of problems down the right.

Howard's miscue was enough to wrong-foot David Mirfin for a potential clearance, but the build-up focused firm attention on Suffolk referee Mike Thorpe and his assistants, who appeared to get worse as the game went on.

With Luton pushing up to squeeze the space in the second half and, also, blatantly wasting as much time as they could, the frustrations of Town's faithful at some bizarre decisions were more than understandable.

But it all helped to make Beckett's fantastic late leveller all the more enjoyable and underlined the gritty determination of Jackson's side to ensure justice for themselves.

It would have been easy to cave against the power of Howard - whose battle with Efe Sodje earned them both bookings which mean suspension this coming weekend - the driving of Kevin Nicholls in midfield and the constant threat of Foley and Rowan Vine on breaks, but Town kept plugging away with Nathan Clarke getting better and better at the back.

Jackson sent on Abbott to add to Town's strike power, Lee Fowler to try and unlock the visitors defence and finally Junior Mendes to see if pace would do the trick and, despite Luton's best efforts to disrupt the flow of the game, the pressure built steadily and surely on the goal of Marlon Beresford, who is on report for comments made to the referee after the final whistle.

Rob Edwards increased Town's hopes with a rasping drive into the side netting but, when Beresford held a curling shot from Beckett after Abbott's through ball with only five minutes left, it appeared Town would be disappointed.

Not so, and the scenes of jubilation at the end showed exactly how much it meant to players and fans alike.

Man of the Match: Andy Booth

Terrific in the air and his link-up play in the first half was superb. Luton squeezed the space in the second, but he still found a touch to set up the equaliser for Beckett and delight the fans

Next: How they rated >>>

HOW THEY RATED:

Paul Rachubka Really didn't have much to do as Luton's goal was their only shot on target. Commanded his box pretty well Rating: 7/10

David Mirfin Started at right-back for the first time in his career and only disappointed that he didn't clear before Brkovic scored for Luton Rating: 7/10

Rob Edwards Had trouble marking the elusive Foley at times. Sacrificed to allow an extra striker in the closing stages Rating: 6/10

Nathan Clarke Returned excellently to the centre of defence. Looked good on the ball and his long throw also helped create pressure Rating: 8/10

Efe Sodje Battled through despite an injury and had a real tussle with Howard, who was booked for his persistent fouling Rating: 7/10

Adnan Ahmed Full debut in a big game and he didn't let anyone down. Worked hard. Brought off to give Fowler a go at the end Rating: 6/10

Chris Brandon Some neat bits of skill wide right but not as effective as he has been in previous games and eventually subbed Rating: 6/10

Jon Worthington Grafted superbly in the middle and a contender for the top mark. Gave the grisly Nicholls a good run for his money. Played well Rating: 8/10

Danny Schofield Showed some terrific touches on his return to the left flank but, like the rest, found it harder going in the second half Rating: 7/10

Andy Booth Didn't miss a trick in the first half and won loads in the air in the second. Made Beckett's goal with a lovely flick. Rating: 9/10

Luke Beckett Fantastic run and finish to earn the point with his fifth goal in three matches. Seemed to link well with Boothy Rating: 8/10

SPOTLIGHT ON THE REF:

SUFFOLK referee Mike Thorpe was described by Luton manager Mike Newell as 'incompetent' in his post-match press conference. Newell may well get into trouble for his comments, but he pretty much summed up the feelings of the whole crowd.

Thorpe wasn't helped by some strange decisions from both his assistants, but he really did seem to lose complete focus in the closing stages of the match. He stopped play for next to nothing at times and he was fortunate to avoid a major incident as tempers flared

Luton Town: Beresford, Foley, Davis, Davies, Perrett, Keane, Nicholls, Robinson, Brkovic (Neilsen 90), Vine (Andrew 90), Howard. Subs not used: Seremet, Holmes, Showumni.