Luton 4 Gateshead 2

The Hatters extended their unbeaten run in the Conference to 15 games with an emphatic 4-2 win over Gateshead.

In doing so Luton increased the pressure on the table-toppers, Cambridge United, with the leaders going down to a surprise 1-0 defeat at Hereford.

Gateshead probably had the better of opening exchanges bit it was Luton who were to go ahead in the fifteenth minute when Paul Benson notched up his 8 goal of the season heading home a deep cross from Alex Lawless.

Luton promptly doubled the lead in the 26th minute when the Gateshead centre-back, Carl Magnay, was caught in possession and Lawless low shot found the net.

On the half hour mark the game was effectively killed off when Luton made it 3-0 with Andre Gray netting his 13th goal of the season.

The second half saw Luton apply the pressure but the Hatters had to wait until the 60th minute to increase the lead when Lawless was on hand to score his second goal of the game finishing off after the Gateshead keeper, Bartlett, could only parry a shot from Benson.

However, any expected avalanche of further Luton goals wasn`t to come and it was to be Gateshead that finished the game strongly.

In the 70th minute the deficit was reduced when John Oster produced a neat finish and then in the 84th minute the former Hatter, Liam Hatch, was on hand to head home a free kick taken by Turnbull.

Onwards and upwards as they say!