Luton 2 Ebbsfleet 0

Last night, at Kenilworth Road, Luton finished their home campaign, for the 2012/2013 season with a win.

Although the lap-of-honour was greatly appreciated by the 5,934 who attended the fixture, there was the feeling in the air that the season shouldn`t have ended like this.

Back in August optimism levels, as usual, were extremely high. With Paul Buckle at the helm and with some, on paper, decent signings on board, we reckoned we were going to steam through the league to promotion.

But, as you all know, it never happened!

Sure, we enjoyed a decent FA Cup run, setting numerous records along the way, but as has become the norm in recent times, we had the obligatory managerial change with John Still replacing Buckle.

Since then it really has been a case of planning for next season and although results have been mixed, Still will be glad that the home campaign finished with a win.

Having made seven changes to the team that drew 2-2 with Newport County, Still would have been impressed with the start the side make with Alex Wall scoring his first goal for the Hatters after only four minutes, when the young striker met a cross from Jake Howell`s with a splendid diving header.

Ebbsfleet`s hopes of getting back into the game suffered a major blow with thirty-nine minutes on the clock when Stefan Payne was shown a straight red card for a rash challenge on Jake Howells.

Despite being down to ten men, Ebbsfleet battled on regardless and could have equalized on two occasions when Nathan Elder missed two decent chances.

Luton sealed the match in their favour though, in the seventy-seventh minute when Jake Goodman played a through ball that Alex Wall latched on to and dispatched, with aplomb, past Edwards in the Ebbsfleet goal.

Just the away fixture, at Southport to go, before those aforementioned optimism levels beginning to rise in anticipation of Project Luton coming to fruition, at last!