The Hatters maintained their winning record this pre-season with a comfortable victory at Gillingham thanks to two first-half goals from Jordan Clark.
The midfielder struck twice in a 10-minute spell to put the Town in control at the break before James Shea saved a penalty early in the second half.
The Hatters ended the game strongly but could not add a third goal but Clark’s goals were enough to earn a fourth straight win in pre-season.
Matt Bloomfield started with Shea in goal with a back three of Kal Naismith, Christ Makosso and Nigel Longwijk. Milli Alli, on the left, and Reuell Walters, on the right, occupied the wing-back positions with Shandon Baptiste and George Saville operating in the middle of midfield. Clark and Zack Nelson played behind lone striker Nahki Wells.
Lonwijk almost had the Hatters in front on two minutes with the game’s first chance when he headed over at the back post following Clark’s left-wing corner.
The Hatters were enjoying the majority of the play and, on 24 minutes, Wells was denied by a last-ditch intervention from the Gills’ Andy Smith with the Town striker ready to pull the trigger having been found by Nelson’s fine pass.
However, Bloomfield’s men did not have long to wait for the opener as, on 29 minutes, Clark arrowed the Town in front. The goal owed a lot to a mazy run forward from Alli, skipping past the challenge of several Gillingham men before feeding Walters on the right. His cross into the box was met first-time by Clark who guided an effort into the far corner of the net.
Shea had little to do in the opening 45 minutes but the Town stopper needed to be in the right place to keep out a close-range header from the Gills’ Seb Palmer-Houlden on 37 minutes.
Then, two minutes later, the Hatters doubled their lead when Clark notched his second. Alli was again the architect, speeding down the left, bursting into the box and laying the ball off for Clark to finish low first time inside the six-yard box.
Lonwijk blocked a goal-bound shot from the hosts’ Robbie McKenzie on 42 minutes to ensure the Town went in at the break 2-0 to the good.
At the break, Baptiste made way in a planned half-time switch for Liam Walsh and within a minute of introduction, the midfielder was harshly penalised for a tug in the box on home striker Joe Gbode. However, a wonderful stop from Shea kept out Max Clark’s penalty.
Shea then accidentally carried the ball outside his box just before the hour leading to a free-kick that Bradley Dack thumped narrowly over the crossbar.
The Gills continued to press for a way back into the game and Armani Little thrashed a shot way wide of the mark.
On 63 minutes Bloomfield made a triple change, introducing Alfie Doughty, Joe Johnson and Nordås and, five minutes later, Doughty’s cross from the left was volleyed over the bar by Walsh.
Back came Gillingham and a deep left-wing corner was nodded over by Shad Ogie before Gareth Ainsworth made a raft of substitutions for the home side.
The Town ended the game stronger and, on 81 minutes, a superb pass forward from Naismith set Alli away but his low shot was stopped by the legs of home keeper Jake Turner.
Two minutes later, Doughty delivered a cross from the left that Nordås nodded over and that was to be the final chance as the Hatters saw out victory.
Next up for the Hatters is a trip to Southend on Tuesday. We’ll see you then.
Town: Shea; Lonwijk (sub Johnson 63), Naismith, Makosso, Alli, Walters; Saville, Baptiste (sub Walsh 46); Nelson (sub Doughty 63), Clark; Wells (sub Nordås 63)
Subs not used: Thomas, Chigozie, Richards, Luker, Woodrow.
Attendance: 1,967, including 333 cheering for the Hatters.
