Hampton concluded their pre-season campaign with a battling 1-0 victory over Blue Square Premier side Luton Town on Saturday at The Beveree, with a fine second-half goal from Lawrence Yaku being the difference between the teams.

With the sides lining up for the last time before the new season kicks off in earnest next week, unsurprisingly both managers fielded strong teams. Dev named Chico Ramos in goal, behind his usual five-man defence, with Leon Yarnie selected up front to partner Yaku.

Before the match started a minute silence for Sir Bobby Robson was impeccably observed - a fitting tribute from those present for the England legend, and one of the true gentleman in the sport.

The game itself was a tale of two halves, with the first 45 minutes almost totalled dominated by the excellent passing game employed by the visitors. Only some resolute defending and TWO wasted penalties preventing The Hatters taking what would have been a thoroughly deserved lead.

The first penalty decision, awarded after an innocuous trip in the area on Tom Craddock by Orlando Jeffrey in the ninth minute, saw Craddock left red-faced after his cheeky attempt sailed over. With Ramos committed to his right, Craddock tried a Zinedine Zidane style chipped penalty down the middle, only to see the ball sail harmlessly over.

The ref was pointing to the spot again after 31 minutes, this time penalising Ashley Smith for handball after a well-struck free kick hit him in the defensive wall. After the earlier Craddock debacle, winger Adam Newton assumed responsibility, but the result was the same with him failing to trouble Ramos as his shot clipped the left-hand post in going wide.

With the Luton midfield controlling play, the Beavers struggled to create any real clear-cut opportunities as they laboured through the opening half. The ever-lively Ashley Smith saw an early attempt dragged wide, and Yaku served notice of his danger with their only efforts on goal in the half.

Apart from these forays forward plus a couple of corners, it was one-way traffic with Ramos saving well on a couple of occasions, and showing good handling skills throughout. He received good support from his defenders also with some last gasp defending as the visitors pressed forward looking for an advantage.

As The Beavers struggled to create any tempo, Yaku and Yarnie battled bravely to hold the ball up in a losing battle against some dominate defence. They would have been left feeling jealous at the excellent service provided at the other end to the Luton front-line, as the orange-shirted team played some lovely football on the eye.

While the first half belonged to the visitors, it was a different story after the interval with Hampton battling back and more than deserving to run out eventual winners after creating numerous changes. Unlike in previous matches, Dev refrained from making wholesale changes at the beginning of the half, with only Kevin Davis replacing Ramos in goal.

The omens looked good for The Beavers as early as ten minutes into the half when Yaku really should have put the hosts in front. With Luton failing to clear a corner, Yaku headed straight at the keeper from point-blank range from only a matter of metres out.

He then wasted a great two-on-two chance wastefully shooting wide, but didn’t have to wait too long to get his goal, as he found the bottom corner in the 63rd minute after Jamie Collins expertly picked out his run beyond the defence. After cutting back inside the last man, Lawrence calmly rolled the ball beyond the keeper into the far corner to give The Beavers a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

A host of substitutes from Dev after the goal didn’t blunt the attacking promise of his team, with Dave Tarpey particularly catching the eye in a 20-minute cameo at the end. The lively front man threatening to extend the lead three times in a four-minute spell as the game drew to a close.

He forced a fine save low down by the keeper after dribbling past his man, and moments later he opted to square the ball when well-placed for his shot in the area rather than shot himself. His final chance came when a ball over the top saw him clean through, but his lob beat both keeper and crossbar.

As the rain started to fall, Luton continued to pass the ball around and create pretty patterns, although for all their possession they lacked any real penetration as the home team comfortably held on for victory.

The real stuff starts next Saturday though, with The Beavers opening their league campaign with a home match against Basingstoke Town. Can they make it third time lucky as they seek promotion to the Blue Square Premier, and put the disappointment of last season behind them?

The Beavers: Chico Ramos (Kevin Davis), Graham Harper (Marcello Fernandes), Craig Tanner, Orlando Jeffrey (Keiron Knight), John Scarborough (Jon McDonald), Dean Wells, Jamie Collins (Stuart Lake), Francis Quarm, Leon Yarnie (Dave Tarpey), Lawrence Yaku (Elliott Braithwaite), Ashley Smith (Barrie Matthews).