Two goals worth several TV slow-motion replays and two penalties from Matthew Spring lit up a great night for the cameras.

Darren Currie scored a beauty, curling the ball into the top corner after only four mintues, but Bradley Johnson then hit a screamer from 30 yards that gave Brill no chance and left the game level at half time.

But two penalties from Matthew Spring - his sixth and seventh goals of the season - either side of a wicked free kick from Currie that Furlong just got a touch to on the way in made the game safe.

How Luton love playing under the Kenilworth Road lights. All of their best performances this season have come at home in midweek against Sunderland, Charlton and now Northampton.

This was not perhaps as fluent as the other two, but it was more than comfortable.

There were some nervous glances at the clock as Luton reached 17 minutes from the end leading 3-1 - the position they went on to lose 4-3 from at Gilingham last Tuesday night.

But this week there were no mistakes and Luton now go above the Coblers in the table.

The Hatters got off to a great start when a ball in from the right to Talbot ricocheted out to Currie on the left edge of the box. He steadied himself and curled the ball teasingly across the keeper into the top right corner of the net with only four mintues on the clock.

After that both sides came close in a wide-open game before Bradley Johnson equalised with a thunderbolt into the top corner after he was given too much time to advance on goal.

Luton took the lead again three minutes into the second half when Talbot latched on to a ball bouncing around in the area from Currie's free kick on the byline and his shot was blocked by an arm.

The referee immediately pointed to the spot and Spring with his usual stutter step planted the ball high to the keeper's right as he dived to his left. It was Spring's fifth penalty out of five chances, giving him six goals in all.

The Hatters then went 3-1 up on 62 minutes when Currie took a free kick ten yards inside the Northampton half. Furlong lunged at the ball and it was not clear whether he got a touch as the ball bounced and found the back of the net, but TV replays showed that he probably just brushed it on its way in.

After that, Luton were comfortable, and they wrapped it up with Spring's second penalty of the night a minute from time after Furlong was hauled down by Hughes as he chased a bouncing ball into the box. Spring hit this one to the keeper's left and although he went the right way and got a hand to it, the ball looped over him and bounced just inside his right hand post.

Manager Kevin Blackwell had made four changes from the side that played at Gillingham last Tuesday.

David Bell came back from injury in midfield along with Darren Currie in place of Dave Edwards, who dropped to the bench and Paul McVeigh, who was rested.

Alan Goodall returned in place of Lewis Emanuel at left back and up front Drew Talbot started ahead of Calvin Andrew alongside eight-goal Paul Furlong.

Currie had to clear Holt's header off the line in the opening minutes, but then Bell, Furlong and Talbot all had chances in the first ten minutes as Luton started brightly.

Bell played a 1-2 with Furlong, beat Crowe to the ball and fired a shot from an angle that the keeper did well to parry behind.

Then Talbot ghosted inon the near post and glanced Currie's cross from the left just over.

And Hutchison's deep cross from the left was headed back by ~ Spring beyond the far post only for Hughes somehow to scoop it over the bar with Furlong roaring in.

Currie had another chance on the half hour when he did not get enough on Furlong's cross from the left and his header was easily cleared.

Luton finished the half in style with three decent chances.

Currie was put through by a neat Furlong pass but had two shots blocked and then Spring broke and raced towards goal but slipped the ball sideways to Furlong, who uncharacteristically lifted the ball high over the bar from eight yards out.

And a minute later, Bell's cross fromt he right found Spring beyond the far post but the keeper did well to block his first time shot.

But it was far from one-way traffic. Northampton hit the woodwork when Jones's deep cross shot from the left looped over Brill and bounced off the top of the crossbar.

Then Brill had to make a point blank save from Hughes's shot on 35 minutes and then had to be sharp to catch Holt's far post header a minute later.

Johnson tried his luck again on 51 minutes with a fierce dipping drive from 20 yards that Brill palmed over.

Sub Henderson met Jones's cross from the lef twith a powerful header on 71 minutes but it flashed wide of Brill's left hand post, then Holt turned and flashed a shot over from inside the box a minute later.

Currie had a snap shot saved low by the keepr on 79 mintues as Luton looked to kill the game off.

But Northampton were still looking for a goal and Johnson again flashed a shot wide on 83 minutes with Brill scrambling across his goal. Then Russell looped a free kick just over the bar from 25 yards out.

In the end Luton held out comfortably, put on some great entertainment for the cameras and picked up three valuable points.

Luton Town: Brill, Jackson, Perry, Fojut, Goodall, Bell, Hutchison, Spring, Currie, Talbot (Andrew 85), Furlong
Subs: Coyne, Morgan, Edwards, Brkovic

Bookings: Furlong 21, Perry 58

Northampton Town: Bunn, Crowe, Hughes, Dolman, Jones, Larkin (Henderson 68), Bradley Johnson, Russell, Jackman (Gilligan 68), Kirk, Holt
Subs: Dunn, Burnell, Brett Johnson

Bookings: Hughes 89, Bunn 89

Attendance: 5,881 (420 from Northampton)