Robins felt Sky Blues were denied a clear goal but admitted Luton were better

With the scores level in the first half, home attacker Jordy Hiwula sent an effort goalwards after being picked out at the far post by Luke Thomas’s pinpoint cross.

Town keeper James Shea managed to shovel the ball clear, as the Sky Blues players and management appealed vehemently that the ball had crossed the line, only to see their pleas fell on deaf ears, with the officials unmoved.

Speaking afterwards, Robins said: “The first half we’ve had a goal not given which was over the line by a yard, so we can look at that and think we were a bit unlucky, but we weren’t unlucky today we got beat by the better team.

“I’ve seen it on the video, the keeper has fallen in the back of the goal and it’s landed in his lap over the line by a yard.

“To my knowledge, that’s a goal.

“One-nil up changes the dynamic of any game, we were okay but not great.

“Too many performed under par and I think that the weather had an impact on everybody.”

However, Luton chief Nathan Jones said: “We’ve seen it and it’s not over, the linesman was good there.

“It’s very difficult to see anyway, but once we’ve watched it on the video it’s not over, so nothing really to say.

“A good decision, it could have gone either way, but even if we had an element of luck there, we’re well, well in credit, so I wouldn’t worry too much about that.”

Defender Matty Pearson thought that Shea had come to the rescue in the nick of time too, adding: “I couldn’t see as there were bodies in the way, so I couldn’t honestly tell you, but it looked like a good save.”

Although frustrated by the decision, Robins admitted that Town were the better team on the day and believes they can maintain their promotion challenge this term.

He added: “They’re a good side, they’ve got competent players in every position.

“They’re also playing a decent brand of football, for instance, first touch takes them beyond our lines.

“They get beyond you, they get runners, they’ve got powerful players, they’ve got strikers that when they get in the penalty area, they show no mercy and they hit the back of the net, which is where we have to get to.

“To play against a diamond, which is what they play in, you have to get players in the right positions.

“What they do out of possession is phenomenal because the work rate is really high and that’s a sign of a team that’ll be at the top of the division.”