TOWN produced a lacklustre performance in a 2-1 defeat against Luton in front of Leeds Road’s lowest league crowd of the season.
Despite a reasonably bright start from Town, the Hatters took the lead after 25 minutes with the home defence stopping amid claims for offside.
Bill Morton sent Tommy McKechnie free down the right with the Town defence looking at the linesman.
With only John Bettany making any attempt to catch-up with McKechnie, the Luton forward was left with a relatively simple task of lobbing the ball over the advancing Town keeper Harry Fearnley.
Although the wind was in their favour, Town produced few first-half chances with only Kevin McHale and Lee Massie really threatening Ron Baynham in the Luton goal.
The Examiner reporter, Longfellow, was critical of the lack creativity and threat posed by Town’s attackers.
He wrote: “With (Terry) Kelly blotting out (Derek) Stokes completely, and wingers (Mike) O’Grady and McHale nothing like so penetrative as usual, the Town forward line generally held few terrors for the visitors’ defence.”
Town forced an equaliser in the 67th minute from the penalty spot – John Coddington scoring after Ray Wilson had been brought down.
But they were only on level terms for 10 minutes as Fearnley was beaten by a powerful Morton strike.
Longfellow felt with the decisive goal justice had been served, but was critical of the game on the whole and noted: “Luton, I thought, just about deserved the points, but both sides did little to earn themselves credit.
“It was another game in which, from Town’s point of view, missed chances during the early stages proved costly, but the most disturbing aspect was the fumbling, lethargic look about their play in general.”
The game was played in front of 11,140, although Town would record several lower attendances before the end of the Division II campaign in which they finished seventh.
