New boss Mick Harford received a rapturous welcome from the travelling Hatters fans as a new era in the club's history began, although the 48-year-old prodigal son had to be content with a narrow defeat against promotion hopefuls Leyton Orient.

The game also marked the first occasion of Adam Boyd playing against his old club, and the and the former £500,000 Hatters striker answered the taunts of the away supporters in the East stand by ramming home his twelfth goal of the season.

After a decent start to this pulsating encounter from both teams, it was Boyd who nearly drew first blood in the match he when capitalised on an error from Keith Keane. The ex-Pools man surged into the area in the inside left position, but his attempt at picking out team mate Andy Barcham was miscued and the danger was easily cleared.

However, Luton settled quickly with Spring and Robinson imperious in midfield and Hutchison and Perry looking as calm and composed as their years and wealth of experience would suggest.

On six minutes Spring was denied the chance to open the scoring by a last ditch tackle from Sean Thornton after Calvin Andrew linked well with Drew Talbot.

Darren Currie's resulting driven corner caused problems for the home defence and it was Spring again who couldn't quite get a decent enough connection to trouble Stuart Nelson in the Orient goal.

The O's only other sight of goal in the opening exchanges was after 22 minutes when Dean Brill made a rare error which was quickly dealt with by the Hatters back line.

Keane was harshly adjudged to have fouled O's winger Jason Demetriou just inside the Luton half and Sean Thornton's deep free kick was dropped by Brill into the path of Tamika Mkandawire. The young defender weakly headed goalwards but the ball was hacked to safety by Hutchison.

Talbot and Spring both had half-chances as Currie and Bell were delivering the goods from both flanks, and on 25 minutes Hatters produced the best bit of football of the half.

Talbot fed Bell who helped it on to Spring, and as Hatters' white shirts swarmed around the O's area Spring's slide-rule pass found Andrew with his back to goal. Andrew laid the ball back to Spring but his stinging shot was palmed away to safety by Nelson.

However, after 32 minutes the alarm bells were ringing again when a long ball out defence by left back Charlie Daniels caught the Hatters backline napping and the onrushing Brill just did enough to put off Spurs-loanee Andy Barcham, who headed agonisingly wide.

Bell tried his luck from distance as the Hatters regained their composure but after 39 minutes it was Boyd who answered the scriptwriters' dreams when he put the home side ahead against the run of play.

Daniels's seemingly futile run from deep looked a lost cause as Brill came out to gather the ball on the right hand side of the area, but the Hatters keeper - so often the hero of late - somehow allowed the ball to squirm free from his grasp, leaving Daniels a clear run on goal.

Daniels unselfishly squared for Boyd, who gleefully rammed home from eight yards to put the O's 1-0 up.

The start of the second half was evenly balanced but, as Luton pressed forward in search of the equaliser, they were caught on the break.

Just ten minutes into the second period Hatters pushed too many men forward and were caught three against two on the halfway line.

Boyd was again the thorn in the side as his through ball set up Barcham for a run at goal, and his trickery allowed him time and space to drive a powerful low shot past Brill, despite the Hatters keeper bravely getting a hand to it.

On the hour mark, new boss Harford rung the changes and sent on Paul Furlong and Dean Morgan for Robinson and Andrew, and the two combined within a minute to almost cut the deficit.

Morgan's pinpoint cross from the left picked out the veteran striker, but his left foot shot from ten yards lacked the power to beat Nelson.

But the Hatters were on the up, and it was no surprise when they finally grabbed a goal just minutes later.

Currie whipped in a left wing corner to the near post. Talbot seemed to get the faintest of touches on the ball, causing Nelson to weakly parry the ball downwards. Keane couldn't believe his luck as he neatly tucked away the loose ball with the outside of his right foot from ten yards out.

The Hatters were on top, but had to gamble by throwing men up, reducing the O's to counter-attacks.

Sub Efe Echanomi almost benefited when he dubiously used his arm to push the ball past last defender Hutchison for a one-on-one with Brill. Echanomi deftly rounded him but somehow Hutchison defied his years and recovered to deflect his goal-bound shot. The danger was not clear yet, though, and it took a superb sliding tackle from Keane to deny Boyd an easy tap-in.

Luton may have bowed out of the FA Cup earlier in the week but this match was starting to resemble a frantic cup tie as Luton poured back up the other end to lay siege on the Orient goal.

Talbot stabbed goalwards when Goodall crossed in from the left, and then Boyd again found himself racing through on goal but was thwarted by Perry's desperate challenge.

With 15 minutes remaining, Spring almost produced one of his speciality strikes when he picked up the loose ball 35 yards out.

With the Hatters fans screaming 'Shoot!' Spring let rip, and Nelson somehow managed to claw the piledriver around his right hand post.

Wave after wave of Luton attacks followed, and Hutchison cleverly picked out Talbot, but he just couldn't control the through ball when well-placed to score.

But with just five minutes remaining it was Talbot who almost grabbed what would have been a deserved equaliser when he collected a Furlong pass in the inside right channel, but his curling left-foot shot was brilliantly tipped away by Nelson.

Five minutes of injury time signalled by Fourth Official David Margetts gave Hatters fans renewed hope, but the O's somehow held out for victory.

Despite the defeat manager Harford walked across the pitch to the 1,023 Hatters fans at the end of the game to applaud their efforts, and the response from the crowd left him in no two minds that they were very impressed with what they saw today.

FULL TIME: LEYTON ORIENT 2 LUTON TOWN 1

Leyton Orient: Nelson, Oji, Mkandawire, Saah, Daniels, Chambers, Terry, Thornton, Demetriou, Boyd, Barcham (Echanomi 59)

Subs not used: Melligan, Corden, Morris, Palmer

Bookings: None

Luton: Brill, Keane, Hutchison, Perry, Goodall (Emanuel 85), Bell, Spring, Robinson (Morgan 60), Currie, Talbot, Andrew (Furlong 60)

Subs not used: Jackson, Beresford

Bookings: Robinson, Perry

Referee: Paul Armstrong

Attendance: 5,516 (1,023 from Luton)