A Hatters XI went down 4-1 to Brentford this afternoon in a friendly played at Hayes & Yeading.
Carlos Mendes Gomes netted the Town goal just after half-time, but the Premier League hosts were already 2-0 up through Vitaly Janelt and Myles Peart-Harris, and quickly added two more with a Max Haygarth penalty and one from Nathan Young-Coombes to seal the win.
Brentford had a handful of players who have been playing in the top-flight this season, while the Hatters side featured eight senior players who lasted for 90 much-needed minutes.
James Shea was in goal behind a back three of Avan Jones, captain Casey Pettit and Dan Potts. Glen Rea and Conor Lawless were in the middle of midfield, with Carlos Mendes Gomes and Fred Onyedinma either side of them, and Admiral Muskwe in the hole behind Danny Hylton and Cameron Jerome.
Hylton looked lively in the early stages, racing after a ball over the top and nipping in front of Bees keeper Alvaro Fernandez, but his attempted shot from a tight angle was blocked, before he intercepted a loose pass out of defence from Ben Hockenhull, but was closed down as he ventured towards the Bees’ area.
Shea was called into action for the first time on 14 minutes, racing quickly off his line to save with his feet after a smart passing move around the edge of the box had put Janelt in on goal.
The Town goalie was on his mettle once again on the half-hour, keeping out an effort from Young-Coombes after another incisive Brentford attack, but three minutes later he had no chance.
Shandon Baptiste burst down the right and cut the ball back to the edge of the penalty area, where Janelt made no mistake in side-footing home into the bottom corner.
A minute before half-time it was two, as Peart-Harris cut in from the right and smashed a left-footed drive past Shea.
Within 16 seconds of the restart the deficit was halved as Onyedinma beat his man on the left and cut the ball back from the byline for Mendes Gomes to steer it home at the near post.
By the 50th minute the hosts had their two-goal advantage restored, as Haygarth scored from the penalty spot after Rea had been penalised for a foul on Young-Coombes.
Shea had to race off his line again soon after to deny Young-Coombes as the Bees forward bore down on goal, but the young Bees forward had his second of the game when he slotted past the Town keeper from 16 yards out just before the hour.
The Hatters worked hard to try to find a way back into things, and substitute Callum Nicolson delivered a free-kick from the right that Jerome got his head on, but couldn’t direct on target, with ten minutes to go.
Then Jones pushed the ball one side of his man and sprinted around the other to stand up an inviting cross from the right, but the ball wouldn’t come down from Hylton’s flick for Mendes Gomes to get a shot off, and the Bees saw out a 4-1 win.
Town: Shea, Jones, Pettit ©, Potts, Mendes Gomes, Rea, Lawless (Nicolson 75), Onyedinma, Muskwe, Hylton, Jerome (Addy 90).