Luton Town: Jack Marriott hits brace from the bench as Hatters hit four past Hartlepool

 Hartlepool United 1 Luton Town 4

On most occasions the loss of your star striker to an early injury would be a cause for concern. For Luton the answer is Jack Marriott.

The student is very rapidly becoming the master after he replaced marquee summer signing Craig Mackail-Smith in the first half and then blasted a four-minute second half brace – his third double of the season – to leave the Monkey Hangers of Hartlepool swinging.

Before that, the Hatters played some pretty stuff but rarely looked like taking this contest by the scruff of the neck against a side that had only won once in seven previous league games. That, though, is benefit of possessing an arch poacher like Marriott.

After just two starts, the hitman is now Town’s top goalscorer with six – and the 406 travelling fans serenaded him with his very own song, chanting ‘Swing low Jack Marriott…’ to the tune of the England rugby anthem.

Hatters assistant Terry Harris said: “Jack came on and did exactly what Craig is there do to – stretch them and get behind them. I thought he did it ever so well.”

But the 21-year-old’s contribution was only made possible by a stunning display from goalkeeper Mark Tyler. Four times the veteran stopper denied Pools frontman Rakish Bingham. Three of them were stunning.

On any other day the Pools ace would have been the hero, so it is slight cause for concern that the former Mansfield man was gifted that many chances – but Tyler is no ordinary goalie and he proved his weight in gold yet again.

Success takes many forms and Luton are now starting to come up trumps in all the vital areas. They weren’t as convincing as the scoreline suggests, but it’s hard to argue against four goals on the road – with Jonathan Smith and an Olly Lee stunner adding to that tally – and four wins on the spin.

Last term, Town netted just 17 away goals. They have now blasted 15 in six and are starting to build a very definite head of steam.

The hope is that there is still more to come from this team. There has to be if they are to truly justify their promotion credentials, but the difference from the first month of the campaign is remarkable.

Bingham’s nightmare began as early as the third minute when he evaded the Town defence only to smash low and wide but, for the first 15 minutes, they looked sharper, more committed and more direct, with pace to burn on the flanks.

So it came as some surprise that, with their first penetrative attack on 17 minutes, Town took the lead when Luke Guttridge’s cross was spilled by goalkeeper Adam Bartlett and Smith thumped in for his second in a week and fourth of the campaign.

Lee squandered almost a carbon copy of the opener but he would more than make up for it in injury time. Then came the blow of losing Mackail-Smith to injury in the 28^th minute. Harris said afterwards that his hamstring strain didn’t look too serious. What a relief it is to have Marriott as back-up.

Before the forward even entered the fray, Tyler produced his first stunning block to keep Bingham out, but it was no surprise when Pools restored parity just before the break, even if Luton looked to have seen out the perfect first half. Oates whipped in a devilish cross that Billy Paynter headed in off the turf and beyond the reach of Tyler.

Town regained the lead through some good, old fashioned agricultural football in the 53^rd minute. Luke Wilkinson’s headed clearance turned into an enticing through-ball for which Marriott needed no second invitation. He raced clear and slid past Bartlett.

There was more to come from the young Hatter but first Tyler pulled off another top drawer save to deny Bingham.

Luton raced up the other end, Guttridge fizzed across the six-yard area and there was Marriott to stab in another, four minutes after his first.

Tyler stopped Bingham twice more before Lee showed the United man how it’s done with a blockbuster half volley into the top corner from outside the box. It was his first for Luton but he’ll do well to catch man of the moment Marriott. They all will at this rate.

Hartlepool: Bartlett, Halliday, Harrison, Boyce, Carroll, Oates, Magnay, Woods (Featherstone, 85), Smith, Paynter (Fenwick, 72), Bingham

Unused subs: Carson, Jones, Bates, Walker, Oyenuga,

Luton Town: Tyler, Smith, McNulty, Cuthbert, McGeehan, Griffiths, Lee, Guttridge, Mackail-Smith (Marriott, 28), McQuoid (Doyle, 81), Wilkinson

Unused subs: Potts, Lawless, Hall, Green, Justham

Referee: Richard Clark

Attendance: 3,876 (406)