01/04/2008 - Luton Town 2, Crewe Alex 1
Gwyn Griffiths reports from Kenilworth Road
Just when you thought they were out, they pull you back in.
A variation of Michael Corleone's famous line from the Godfather summed up an afternoon when Crewe suddenly looked like relegation fodder again.
A desperate display, complete with some of the disastrous defending of early season, ensured the Alex have now completed an unwelcome quartet of defeats against League One's bottom four sides.
Now Steve Holland must hope Saturday's showing at Kenilworth Road is just a blip in the steady progress his side has made to ensure they don't topple in alongside at such a critical time.
But with tough assignments against the likes of in-form Southend and Bournemouth still to come in the remaining five fixtures, Crewe's League One status is by no means nailed on.
They must hope the Hatters - on this evidence enjoying something of a too little, too late renaissance - can do them a favour at Priestfield Stadium tomorrow night where Gillingham will be seeking to cut Crewe's previous five-point cushion to just one.
Yet there are few certainties at this end of the Division, although Luton's third win in 20 games was sign-posted as early as the fourth minute when a horrendous blunder dangled their opener in front of Matthew Spring.
The mix-up between Ben Williams and Danny Woodards was just the sort of Keystone Cops moment best reserved for mid-season, not the pressure cooker of a basement battle.
But it set the tone for what was to follow as Crewe nervously shifted through the defensive gears on a quagmire pitch and through a howling wind.
The harsh financial regime of the administrators may have forced Luton to jettison their top earners on a regular basis, but what they may lack in personnel, Mick Harford's side made up for in spirit.
Key midfielder David Bell was the latest to be off-loaded before this encounter when he sealed a late loan deal to Leicester.
Crewe too have profited from Luton's woes - not only their hosts' 10-point deduction which has left them trailing behind in the bottom four, but also the acquisition of striker Dean Morgan, who was barred from playing in Saturday's game.
But Luton still have Spring, a vastly-experienced Championship performer, who ran the midfield show, and troublesome centre-forward Sam Parkin, who Crewe made an unsuccessful attempt to sign three years ago as a Dean Ashton replacement.
Parkin, who has overcome long-term injury problems, ruffled Alex feathers all afternoon and his presence was in stark contrast to the lack of threat at the other.
Many Crewe fans will surprise themselves to be admitting to missing big Tom Pope. But the rookie striker, ruled out with a broken toe, would have offered a direct route more suited to the weekend conditions.
Instead, Holland shifted loanee Joe Anyinsah and Nicky Maynard around in a front three in which the returning Steve Jones occasionally burst into life down the left.
But with Luton's predicament forcing them to field midfielders Keith Keane and Don Hutchinson as their centre-half pairing, Crewe really should have offered much more up front.
The veteran Hutchinson, going on 37, was allowed to stroll around pretty much untroubled until a measured ball through the middle from Kenny Lunt presented Maynard with the opportunity to slide a 58th-minute equaliser through Dean Brill's legs.
With goals in all of the last four games, Maynard is keeping Crewe's head above water. And more will be needed if they give away goals like Luton's first.
Woodards's hurried clearance went straight to Spring 30 yards out and, while the former Watford man needed to show some quality to finish, Williams's positioning, way out of his goal, allowed him the opportunity to chip home into an empty net.
"It was a really disastrous first goal as I didn't think Ben needed to be where he was as Danny was in possession on the edge of the box," admitted Holland.
"But under intense pressure, Danny didn't clear it very well.
"After making a good start to the game we gave ourselves a bit to do."
Yet after a one-sided first half, Maynard's goal should, at least, have charted a path to a valuable point.
But Luton, playing with passion and no little common sense, forced the issue again in the final 20 minutes.
Williams did well to keep substitute Calvin Andrew's shot from hitting the bottom corner, but when the ill-at-ease Patrick Boyle tripped Ryan Charles at the end of a penalty box melee, the keeper just failed to get his finger tips to Spring's 77th-minute spot-kick.
That was effectively it and more Luton goals seemed more likely than a second Alex leveller in the closing minutes.
Parkin twice tickled crosses from the left inches wide and a crashing drive from Spring was tipped over by Williams before youngster Charles pulled a stoppage-time effort past the far post.
"We showed more urgency in the second-half without being terrific," admitted Holland. "At 1-1 I thought a point wouldn't have been a disaster for us, but their second was really frustrating.
"Patrick committed himself and the guy got there a split second ahead of him. The referee couldn't get the whistle in his mouth quick enough.
"In truth, we committed suicide with their two goals and now we've still got a bit to do.
"We had a good run away and were unbeaten in five, so there is no reason why we can't pick up points away from home, but we need to get the wins at home."
WILLIAMS: Caught too far off his line to recover after Woodards’s howler 5
ABBEY: Put over some decent crosses in the first half, but lucky to escape handball appeal 6
BOYLE: Poor afternoon. Looked shaky against McVeigh and gave away penalty 5
WOODARDS: Poor communication and clearance led to first goal 5
BAUDET: Solid in comparison to the rest of the back four 6
LUNT: Best player on a poor day, got involved in the middle 7
O’CONNOR: Northern Ireland duty may have caught up with him 6
ROBERTS: Struggled to get a foothold against the dominant Spring and O’Leary 6
ANYINSAH: Tried down middle and out wide, but struggled with both roles 6
MAYNARD: Snaffled his chance, but did little else 6
JONES: Low-key start for the loan man, but showed glimpses of his pace 6
SUBSTITUTES
McCREADY (Woodards, 71): Replaced injured Woodards for last 20 minutes 6
MOORE (Jones, 85): Made one decent surging run down left 5
BOPP (for Anyinsah): No time to make an impact.
Not used: Schumacher, Fon Williams
LUTON: 1 Brill, 38 Asafu-Adjaye, 26 Davis, 4 Hutchinson, 21 Keane, 28 McVeigh (20 Andrew, 66), 25 Spring, 15 O‘Leary, 17 Emanuel, 9 Parkin, 32 Charles. Not used: 3 Goodall, 10 Currie, 14 Robinson, 37 Beavan.
WILLIAMS: Caught too far off his line to recover after Woodards’s howler 5
ABBEY: Put over some decent crosses in the first half, but lucky to escape handball appeal 6
BOYLE: Poor afternoon. Looked shaky against McVeigh and gave away penalty 5
WOODARDS: Poor communication and clearance led to first goal 5
BAUDET: Solid in comparison to the rest of the back four 6
LUNT: Best player on a poor day, got involved in the middle 7
O’CONNOR: Northern Ireland duty may have caught up with him 6
ROBERTS: Struggled to get a foothold against the dominant Spring and O’Leary 6
ANYINSAH: Tried down middle and out wide, but struggled with both roles 6
MAYNARD: Snaffled his chance, but did little else 6
JONES: Low-key start for the loan man, but showed glimpses of his pace 6
SUBSTITUTES
McCREADY (Woodards, 71): Replaced injured Woodards for last 20 minutes 6
MOORE (Jones, 85): Made one decent surging run down left 5
BOPP (for Anyinsah): No time to make an impact.
Not used: Schumacher, Fon Williams
LUTON: 1 Brill, 38 Asafu-Adjaye, 26 Davis, 4 Hutchinson, 21 Keane, 28 McVeigh (20 Andrew, 66), 25 Spring, 15 O‘Leary, 17 Emanuel, 9 Parkin, 32 Charles. Not used: 3 Goodall, 10 Currie, 14 Robinson, 37 Beavan.