Luton do the mugging for once!

Luton boss Richard Money made six changes from the side that surrendered a 3-0 half time lead at Kenilworth Road on Saturday for their replay against Rochdale at Spotland.

Rochdale were unchanged apart from fielding the youngest keeper in their history at 16 years old, Danny Taberner, replacing the injured Kenny Arthur, who had done well to complete the match on Saturday.

The Luton plan was to make his debut a torrid one with plenty of crosses and shots but that just did not happen.

The home side continued as they finished on Saturday giving the Town defence a real working over with quick breaks forward and some slick passing play. The stats made seriously bad reading for Town fans as 'Dale missed a plethora of opportunities in the first half and White and Pilkington defended heroically and Shane Gore in goal made a couple of excellent blocks. The pace of Dagnell and Rundell was really hurting the Town and as on Saturday Kennedy down their left flank gave Ed A-A a thorough examination and one cross in particular went across the face of goal and only needed a touch but bounced right through with the Town fortunate that both strikers had looked for the cut back pass and were nowhere to be seen near the ball.

It seemed only a matter of time before they broke the deadlock and appeared that once one went in they could get a hatful, but the brave Hatters fought for all they were worth and were happy to get off at half time still 0-0.

The second half didn't change very much and by the hour the home side outnumbered the Town in shots by 18 to 5 with 8 on target to Luton's 2.

However the FA Cup is a mysterious mistress and Luton began to get forward a little more but were fortunate when on 50 minutes Dagnell got the ball in midfield and the Town defence backed off and he hit a cracking dipping drive past Gore but it hit the top of the bar.

Almost immediately a mistake by White allowed the same player a chance against Gore but the keeper turned it for a corner.

A neat move down the left by Craddock and Burgess resulted in a corner. Nicholls dropped it in a dangerous area near the back post and the rookie keeper was left in two minds and didn't come for it and it took some fortune to prevent Luton from taking the lead when Dawson almost put it in his own net twice. Firstly a defender on the line got a toe on it and as Dawson tried to put it behind for a corner on the other side he only succeeded in kicking it against the post and then hoofed it clear with relief.

Back came Rochdale still playing some excellent football and a good cross from the left found Thompson 4 yards out unmarked but he glanced his header away from goal.

On 56 minutes, Dagnell's acceleration left White in his wake and he should have scored opting to blast it instead of showing a bit of composure and Gore stayed big and it cannoned off him to safety.

On 61 minutes a moment of rare danger for Rochdale saw Burgess set Craddock on a run down the left and he got almost to the bye-line before cutting back a cross which Gallen clipped with the outside of his foot beating the keeper at his near post and Luton had an unlikely 1-0 lead.

Rochdale continued to attack but seemed less potent as though the goal had taken a little belief away from them.

Luton were more in the game by now and were tackling well in midfield with Kevin Nicholls having his best half of the season.

On 69 minutes Luton's bestlooking move of the evening saw Nicholls find Jarvis and he played Newton into space. A cut back to Craddock saw him release Jarvis whose cross was met by Gallen who just headed wide.

On 73 minutes Kennedy in his own penalty area tried to take on Gallen and was relieved of the ball and just as Gallen pulled the trigger a death or glory dive across the flight of the ball by McArdle saw it strike the defender and loop over the hapless keeper but it dropped on the top of the net.

Luton were looking far more comfortable than they had all night and another Nicholls corner was headed bacwards across goal by Alan White and just as it looked to have passed everyone, Pilks popped up at the far post and as the ball bounced in front of him he somehow got under it and headed it back into the mix and the young keeper made a fantastic relex save but to no avail as it bounced towards the line for the onrushing Gallen to turn it in, preventing a defender from hooking it out. Rochdale 0 Luton 2!

Rochdale had lost their momentum and despite Luton's having conceded two late goals on Saturday there was no way back for the home side as Luton saw the game out quite uneventfully to go into the second round with a tie away at Rotherham awaiting them.