The Hatters came from behind twice to beat the Daggers
LUTON TOWN 4
SNELUS 9, 111, 113
READ 81
DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE 3
FLORENCE 40, 45, 105
ATT: 408
A seven goal thriller at Kenilworth Road saw a super Jack Snelus hat-trick secure the Hatters a place in the third round of the FA Youth Cup.
Snelus opened the scoring with a 22 yard drive after nine minutes, before Dylan Florence netted a brace in a five-minute spell to give the Daggers the lead going into the break. Arthur Read brought the game level with nine minutes to go to send the tie into extra-time.
Florence powered home his hat-trick of the night, as Town looked liked they were about to bow out, but a double from Snelus in two minutes turned the game on its head and saw Paul Driver’s side progress.
It took until the seventh minute for either side to get a shot away, with Florence’s 20-yard effort easily caught by Tiernan Parker in the net for Town.
Moments later a Snelus curler of superior quality from 22 yards from the left of the Dagenham box found the top right corner of the goal to give the Hatters the lead.
Freddie Hinds had the opportunity to double the hosts' lead with 14 minutes gone, as a Cotter through ball caught out the visiting defence, but as Hinds broke into the box Scott Mitchell put in an excellent challenge to bring an end to the threat.
Hinds looked dangerous every time he got on the ball, and with 25 minutes gone, Read did well to pick the forward out as he sprinted down the left of the Daggers half. He powered into the Dagenham box, but his touch let him down and the ball ran out of play.
The visitors went down the other end and were it not for a Jack James goal line clearance it would have been all square, as he booted away Tyrique Hyde’s shot.
The Daggers pushed for an equaliser, and Parker did well to deny Joe White with a snapshot effort at his near post.
Town’s defence was finally beaten when Florence brought the game level in the 40th minute. A close range strike after White’s effort had been blocked into Florence’s path, gave him all of the goal to aim at, as he buried the ball in the bottom right corner.
The Hatters came close to adding their second and taking the lead, as a George Murray strike flashed across the face of Joe Carter’s net. Town then suffered a real setback as Florence struck again, bending an effort from the edge of the box into the bottom right corner to give the visitors the lead just before the break.
Tyreeq Bakinson looked as if he had brought the game level three minutes into the second half, as he smashed an effort from 25-yards just wide to the left of the Daggers net.
Hyde went close to extending the visitor’s lead with a long range effort, which just drifted over the bar on the 53rd minute.
Town started to tighten their grip on the game after that, but the Daggers dealt with any Hatters threat with relative ease.
It took until the 75th minute for the hosts to get another shot away, when Read cut into the Dagenham box from the left, he got his shot on target, forcing Carter into a save at his near post.
Read’s persistence finally showed, as he hammered an effort into the bottom right corner of the net from edge of the Daggers box to draw it level with nine minutes left to play.
Extra-time was needed to separate the sides as it was still level after 90 minutes.
Florence powered home his third of the night from the edge of Town’s box to take the lead for the second time on the evening.
Town looked down and out going into the third break of the match, but the Hatters, and in particular Snelus, had other ideas.
Tomlinson teed up Snelus for his second on the night from the edge of the box, which went off the left post and in to equalise.
Two minutes later he let loose with an absolute rocket from 25 yards, and Carter could do nothing to stop it flying into the top corner to secure the result and a place in the third round for Driver’s side.
Town: Parker, Bean, James, Bakinson, Mead, Jones (Sorunke), Cotter ©, Murray (Shamalo), Hinds (Tomlinson), Read.
Yellow: Ciaren Jones
D&R: Carter, Walker-Brown (Agboola), Gordon, Brown, Lee, Mitchell, Bonds, Hyde (Turvey), White, Florence, Mongoy.
Yellow: Lee