ROB PAGE might have departed, but Phil Jevons returned in style.

If the centre-back’s non-appearance was the main talking point before the match, the striker at least provided something else to discuss afterwards.

Out for nine League I games because of a calf injury, the 28-year-old came on as a 65th-minute substitute at Kenilworth Road – and took just 12 minutes to make his mark.

Jevons’ header from Joe Skarz’s inch-perfect cross from the left was too well-placed for highly-rated stopper Dean Brill to keep out.

And his ninth goal for the club ensured a winning end to Gerry Murphy’s highly-successful six-match stint as caretaker boss.

With new management team Stan Ternent and Ronnie Jepson again watching from the stand, Town made it four wins in a row to go with their two earlier draws under Murphy.

And just for good measure, that’s five straight clean sheets for the first time since 1982-83, when Ternent’s former Burnley teammate Mick Buxton was at the helm.

For already-relegated Luton, it was a sixth successive defeat, although the club programme made it clear that there are even greater worries for the Bedfordshire club.

Having failed to exit administration via a voluntary arrangement in line with Football League guidelines, the club, already docked 10 points this time around, must now apply for their crucial League share via the ‘exceptional circumstances route’, which could bring a 15-point penalty in League II next season.

There’s no doubting Mick Harford’s men worked hard to at least finish the current campaign on a positive note, and after a fairly even first half, they dominated the opening phase of the second, forcing seven corners in a 15-minute spell.

There were chances for both centre-backs, Ed Asafu-Adjaye and veteran Don Hutchison, as well as midfielder Matthew Spring.

But Town, with Tom Clarke taking the central centre-back role in place of Page, held firm, and could have scored 11 minutes before they finally did so.

A fine diagonal ball by Michael Collins freed the eager Jevons on the right. Danny Schofield met his cross but saw his shot blocked by Brill.

Then from the resultant corner taken by Skarz, David Mirfin’s diving header went over.

Collins fired wide after good work by Schofield and Skarz in the 74th minute, then Brill denied Jevons after he cut into the box and shot low.

But there was no stopping the Scouser a minute later – Schofield deserves credit for his astute pass to Skarz – and he almost made it two with an 81st-minute lob from Andy Booth’s flick-on which went just over.

Spring was wide from distance in the 83rd minute while Glennon held former Bradford winger Lewis Emanuel’s tricky cross-cum-shot in stoppage time.

Glennon, whose talks over a new Town contract are ongoing, had just one save of note to make in the first half, from Stephen O’Leary’s well-struck 27th-minute free-kick.

Sam Parkin headed over from Emanuel’s 35th-minute centre, Nathan Clarke produced a brave block to frustrate Spring after 43 minutes, then Parkin picked up Darren Currie’s 45th-minute pass and bent a shot just wide from the edge of the area.

For Town, Jon Worthington’s shot from Collins’ 13th-minute pass was comfortably held by Brill while Holdsworth fired far too high from Schofield’s 16th-minute pull-back.

Likewise, Schofield should have done better with a 20th-minute shot before Booth beat Hutchison to a loose ball but fired over on the turn after 21 minutes.

Town’s only other first-half opportunity came from a 38th-minute corner won by Schofield, delivered by Holdsworth and scrambled clear by Sol Davis as Booth and Schofield lurked.