Eight days after the euphoria of winning the Johnstone's Paint Trophy came sadness as the Hatters' 89-year run in the Football League came to an end at Kenilworth Road following a goalless draw with Chesterfield.

Mick Harford's side were relegated to the Conference after being held by a Chesterfield side who earned their fifth straight draw consigning the Town to non-league football for the first time since 1920.

Allied with wins for Grimsby and Chester the draw left the Hatters 13 points adrift of safety with just four matches to go.

Like so many matches this season the Town were frustrated by a team intent on playing for a point as they were unable to break down the play-off chasing Spireites.

They had their chances to win the game, mostly noteable in the second half when visiting goalkeeper Tommy Lee did well to save from Sam Parkin, Asa Hall and Claude Gnakpa.

But they couldn't break through and once news from Notts County filtered through that Grimsby had won, relegation - that had threatened all season - finally became reality.

It was make or break for the Hatters as their league status was on the line for the Bank Holiday visit of a Chesterfield side unbeaten in six matches sitting in seventh place in League 2.

Town manager Mick Harford was forced into three changes following his side's 0-0 draw with Lincoln City.

With top goalscorer Chris Martin missing through suspension and Lewis Emanuel and Kevin Gallen out after picking up injuries in Saturday's game there were places in the Hatters line-up for Claude Gnakpa, Asa Hall and Sam Parkin.

It meant Livermore filled-in at left-back, Hall joined Keith Keane and Kevin Nicholls in midfield and Gnakpa was playing in the advanced right-wing position.

Chesterfield boss Lee Richardson included two ex-Hatters on the visitors' bench in Alan Goodall and Darren Currie, while Drew Talbot - on-loan at Saltergate - was ineligible to play against his parent club.

Prior to kick-off the Town were dealt a blow when news came through that Chester had picked up three points in a 1-0 win at Accrington.

The Spireites had only lost three matches in 19 games since the turn of the year and in Jack Lester they had the league's most prolific goalscorer with 20 goals.

And the striker had the first half chance of the match after two minutes when he got the slightest of touches to a left-wing cross from Jamie Lowry to head well wide of Dean Brill's left-hand post.

On six minutes the Hatters had their first chance of game when Keane fired a shot well wide of Tommy Lee's goal after Chesterfield failed to clear Nicholls' left-wing corner.

Neither goalkeepers had been called into action during a largely uneventful first 15 minutes but that all changed when Brill had to be alert to pounce on Mark Bower's clearance as the defender tried to clear Lowry's right-wing cross.

Lester again threatened for the Spireites on 18 minutes when he cheekily guided a shot over Brill's crossbar from Martin Gritton's knock-down.

Back came the Hatters and five minutes later Keane did well to send a controlled volley over Lee's crossbar following Nicholls' right-wing corner.

On 25 minutes the Town spurned a glorious chance to finally test Lee when Gnakpa failed to pass square to the unmarked Tom Craddock who was left alone with the freedom of the Chesterfield penalty area.

Lloyd Kerry went down injured in the build up to that move for the visitors and he was replaced on 27 minutes by Goodall.

The former Luton man nearly silenced the boos from the Kenilworth Road crowd a minute after his introduction, however, when he beat two players and drove a shot goalwards.

Brill did well to get down to deny the full-back and was equally sharp to gather the loose ball as Peter Till closed in.

Goodall's appearance certainly had a made a lively difference to the visitors and he set-up Gregor Robertson to shoot wide on 31 minutes.

The Hatters were getting frustrated and that was summed up two minutes later when an inch-perfect cross from Nicholls was met by both Keane and Hall as both tried to head the ball goalwards.

Back came Chesterfield and 34 minutes they spurned a glorious chance when Derek Niven headed over from five yards after being found by Robertson's cross.

Then a minute later Lester chanced his luck from 25 yards when he fired a shot over Brill's crossbar after another Gritton knock-down.

It was certainly end-to-end action with both sides beginning to create chances and visiting midfielder Daniel Hall did well to prevent Parkin from prodding home the loose ball in to the net following Nicholls' corner on 37 minutes.

Two minutes later Craddock then a shot charged down behind for a corner as the Town looked to find the opening goal.

HALF TIME: LUTON TOWN 0-0 CHESTERFIELD

There were no changes for either side at the break as Luton began the second half kicking towards the Kenilworth Road end.

However, Gnakpa and Craddock swapped flanks with the Frenchman now occupying a place down the Hatters' left.

Three minutes into the second half Parkin saw a header clip the stanchion following Nicholls' left-wing cross as the Town went in search of the opening goal.

On 51 minutes Lowry shot wide of Brill's right-hand post for the visitors after Asafu-Adjaye was harshly adjudged to have handballed.

To their credit the Town were attempting to play football and a good move instigated by Gnakpa down the left fashioned a chance for Craddock but Chesterfield were able to extinguish the danger.

Just before the hour Lee Richardson made his second change of the afternoon sending on Currie for Till.

It did look as though Ian Henderson was ready to be sent on for the Hatters' first change but Harford decided against it and the former Northampton man sat back down.

Nicholls picked up the first booking of the match on the hour mark and a minute later the skipper played a delightful pass into Parkin but the striker's shot was well saved by the legs of Lee.

Then, 30 seconds later, Hall found Gnakpa haring into the box down the inside-left channel but Lee was equal to the Frenchman's effort with a sprawling save.

On 63 minutes a superbly-timed interception from George Pilkington denied Lester getting a shot away at Brill's goal as the visitors' looked to end a sequence of four consecutive draws.

Harford did make the change he intended when Henderson came on for Gnakpa.

As news filtered through that Grimsby were ahead at Notts County it meant the Hatters needed a goal or their Football League status would be over.

On 66 minutes Lee again came to Spireites rescue when flinging himself across goal to prevent Hall's daisycutter from creeping into the far corner of the net.

With 15 minutes left Currie was looking to score a goal that would sink the Hatters as he curled a free-kick comfortably into the arms of Brill.

The Hatters manager then made his second change of the afternoon when sending on Michael Spillane for Bower which saw the on-loan Norwich man move to right-back and Asafu-Adjaye to centre-half.

The Town missed a glorious chance to lift the gloom with 14 minutes left when Parkin somehow headed over from close range following Henderson's left-wing cross.

It was becoming desperate for the Hatters as they needed a goal to preserve their league status but it was becoming more and more difficult against the mass ranks of Chesterfield defenders now happy to take a point.

With seven minutes left Currie almost supplied a Spireites winner when sending in a low right-wing cross that Niven was inches away from turning home.

Niven had already been guilty of spurning the visitors' best chances and the midfielder again should have done better when he shot wide with three minutes left when well placed as the Hatters failed to clear Currie's corner.

They huffed and puffed and Parkin had a header claimed by Lee as the Town went in search of all important winner but following four additional minutes referee Simon Hooper blew the final whistle and with Grimsby winning 2-0 at Notts County the Hatters had to face up to the prospect of Conference football at Kenilworth Road next season.

FULL TIME: LUTON TOWN 0-0 CHESTERFIELD

Luton Town: Brill, Gnakpa (Henderson 63), Keane, Pilkington, Nicholls, Parkin, Livermore, Hall, Asafu-Adjaye, Bower (Spillane 75), Craddock.

Substitutes not used: Davis, Jarvis, McVeigh.

Booked: Nicholls (60)

Chesterfield: Lee, Robertson, Lowry, Austin, Niven, Gritton, Lester, Kerry (Goodall 27), Hall (Gray 80), Till (Currie 59), Wilson.

Substitutes not used: Boden, Algar.

Booked: Lowry (90)

Referee: S Hooper

Attendance: 6,494 (including 437 from Chesterfield).

Sponsors' man of the match - chosen by William Murray Communications: Kevin Nicholls.