Welling showed plenty of spirit at Luton on Saturday but were eventually undone by a goal in either half in the Skrill Premier.

The Wings paid the price for missing some good openings but were certainly hard done by to come home without a point for their efforts, and to add further pain they had Fraser Franks harshly sent-off in the fourth minute of stoppage time for a professional foul.

Luton made six changes from the side that lost 2-1 to Welling in the FA Cup first round just two weeks earlier and one of the new faces, Shaun Whalley, missed an early opening to put them ahead after Loui Fazakerley failed to clear a right-wing cross.

The hosts were ahead on 17 minutes, however, when Franks' header fell for Andre Gray, who held off the attentions of Blaine Hudson to fire beyond keeper Lee Butcher.

Lee Clarke then failed to connect properly with Alex Dyer's right-wing corner before Luton keeper Mark Tyler somehow kept out Ross Lafayette's deflected header after Joe Healy did well to keep the ball in play.

Ex-Gills striker Paul Benson went clean through on 26 minutes but somehow slotted his effort wide of Butcher and the far post before Welling came up with a glaring miss at the other end. Kurtis Guthrie got behind the full-back and his pull back picked out Jake Gallagher, who placed his shot horribly wide of an open goal.

Welling started the second half brightly and were awarded a penalty when Joe Healy was fouled in the box. Ross Lafayette's spot-kick was blocked by Tyler but Dyer was on hand to slam home the rebound from close range.

Lafayette then saw his near-post shot saved by Tyler, who did well to clear the loose ball, and Clarke headed wide from another Dyer corner.

Baily Cargill, back on loan from Bournemouth, drilled a cross-shot inches wide of the far post as Welling continued to dominate. Infact, it took Luton 18 minutes in the second half to register a shot at Butcher's goal such was Welling's control.

Luton boss John Still matched up to Welling's 4-3-3 formation in a bid to get his side back into the game and they forced four corners in as many second-half minutes but failed to find the breakthrough.

However, the winning goal did arrive on 79 minutes when, with Fazakerley off the field to receive treatment, the ball was played behind stand-in right-back Gallagher and eventually turned in from close range by Gray.

Welling struggled to create many clear-cut chances but there was one final twist. Referee B Huxtable turned down their appeals for a penalty in the fourth minute of stoppage time when substitute Kiernan Hughes-Mason was clearly pushed in the back by Luton centre-back Steve McNulty.

And to add to the visitors' pain, Luton broke away and when Benson and Franks both went to ground chasing a long ball that went through to Butcher, the referee decided to give Luton a free-kick 40 yards from goal and show Franks a red card.