The Hatters made it into the top Merit League with the win
LEYTON ORIENT 0
LUTON TOWN 1
The Hatters youth team ran out 1-0 winners over Leyton Orient on Saturday with the three points ensuring their place in the top Merit League for the second half of the season.
Jack Snelus netted the only goal of the game as the Town made it three clean sheets in as many games.
The Hatters started well, pressing high up the pitch and had a couple of chances to take the lead.
They opened the scoring after 11 minutes with a well worked corner as the ball fell for Snelus on the edge of the O’s box, who fired into the top corner of the goal to give his side the lead.
Town kept up the pressure and nearly made it two through Tyreeq Bakinson, who fired just over, before Arthur Read had two shots well saved by the Orient keeper.
With ten minutes left of the first half, Under-16 striker Connor Tomlinson got the right side of the defender and met a cross in the Leyton box which he could only glance onto his marker, deflecting the ball wide for a corner.
Steven Alzate went close for the hosts on the stroke of half-time, but his effort was well blocked by Jack James, which helped maintain the Hatters lead going in at the break.
Orient’s Josh Koroma tested Liam Gooch early on in the second half, with his shot being tipped over by the man in goal for Town.
The hosts then went looking for an equaliser and had a lot of the possession in midfield and in the Luton half, but the Hatters did well to repel any attacks by working as a unit.
Koroma forced another good save from Gooch after striker headed goalwards, before Bakinson almost sealed the win with an effort from 20 yards, but he dragged his shot wide.
Paul Driver said: “I have been very pleased with the group over the past two weeks, they have worked hard on the defensive side of their game and their reward has been the three clean sheets and the five points that they needed to get into the merit league.
“We have now got to continue that within the merit league and have a good push.”
TOWN: Gooch, James, Phelan, Bean, Jones, Sorunke, Bankinson, Read, Cotter, Snelus, Tomlinson (Shamalo 67).
Unused subs: Peck, Stead, Byron, Neufville