Walker’s double is too much for Orient

The Hatters picked a squad full of experience as Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu, Shaun Whalley, Luke Rooney, Fraser Franks, Paul Connolly and Alex Lacey all started, while trialist Jerome Martelli, a former Orient youngster, began upfront.

The visitors, had last season’s top scorer David Mooney, plus Mathieu Baudry and Shaun Batt in the side as they started by far the brighter.

Scott Kashket picked Ruddock Mpanzu’s pocket and Elliot Justham got down smartly to save, while Ayomide Adeboyeji put the follow up narrowly wide.

After dominating the early stages, Luton eventually got a foothold as Jim Stevenson volleyed ambitiously wide.

The hosts’ best moments came through Whalley and Rooney, but Mooney also tested Justham with an instinctive volley.

Whalley escaped the defence to force Charlie Grainger into a low stop, before Town had the lead on 32 minutes.

After Whalley forced a corner, he sent over the set-piece and Charlie Walker rose highest to power a downward header into net.

Martelli, who showed some signs of promise at times, put a header over the top, while Justham was called upon again to repel Adeboyejo’s effort after Rooney lost possession.

The second arrived moments before half time as Whalley took a quick free kick to Ruddock Mpanzu, whose through ball was expertly finished by the lethal Walker.

After the break, Luton almost made it 3-0 with a lovely move as Rooney found Ruddock Mpanzu and his cross was turned just wide at full stretch by Martelli.

Ricky Miller then replaced the trialist and was somehow denied a goal when his close range effort was brilliantly kept out by Grainger.

Orient sub Montel Agyemang curled into Justham’s clutches as Walker sense a treble, swivelling to shoot at Grainger.

Miller should have had a third when he was sent clean through, but Grainger denied him and then recovered his ground to parry the rebound behind too.

There were to be no more goals, but the game ended on a sour point for Hatters as Curtley Williams went down heavily holding a shoulder that he has already dislocated this season, and had to leave the field for treatment.

Hatters: Elliot Justham, Curtley Williams (Brett Longden 74), Paul Connolly, Fraser Franks, Alex Lacey, Shaun Whalley (Leeroy Maguraushe 77), Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu, Jim Stevenson, Luke Rooney, Charlie Walker, Jerome Martelli (Ricky Miller 50).

Subs not used: Craig King, Isaac Galliford.

Orient: Charlie Grainger, Jack Humphrey, Gary Sawyer, Jack Price, Andis Nikolaou, Mathieu Baudry, Scott Kashket, Harry Lee, Ayomide Adeboyejo, David Mooney, Shaun Batt.

Subs: Sam Sargent, Freddie Moncur, Shola Oladipo, Montel Agyemang, Michael Clarke.