YOU need a bit of luck to be successful in sport - and Luton Town enjoyed a welcome helping this week.

They regained a place in the top three of the Third Division on Tuesday night (November 6) without kicking a ball, three days after their worst defeat of the season.

They were hammered 4-1 at Mansfield on Saturday, while Hull City were winning 5-1 at home to Cheltenham.

That meant the Hatters dropped out of the automatic promotion places for the first time since mid-September.

Hull snatched third place because although they were level on points with Luton, they had a better goal difference, by just one goal.

They also had a game in hand, and as that was at bottom club Hartlepool on Tuesday, Luton fans feared the worst.

They needn't have worried - Hartlepool stuffed the championship favourites 4-0, and the Hatters found themselves back in third place, thanks to the damage done to Hull's goal difference.

Club captain Marvin Johnson is confident the Hatters can still be there when the season ends.

He points out that Luton have lost only four of their first 17 league games, and only one at home.

The Mansfield result, he admitted, was no fluke because Luton had too many men playing below their best.

"You can get by with one or two, but you can't carry more passengers than that," he said.

"We missed chances, but Mansfield took theirs."

Mansfield are in the play-off zone, and so are Shrewsbury, who are at Kenilworth Road on Friday evening (November 9).

"We know it's a six-pointer," said Johnson. "But we still believe in ourselves.

"There is a long way to go yet, but I think we can end the season as champions, although any one of the top three places will do for me."

The Luton players had an extra cause to bless their good luck with Tuesday's unusual combination of circumstances.

Their bonus system only pays out if they are in the top three, so a home win over Shrewsbury tomorrow is guaranteed to put them quids in!

November 8, 2001 16:01