Saunders concedes Hatters were far superior

On a ground that the Hatters haven’t enjoyed too many successes in the past, they tore into their hosts, scoring three times before half time and then comfortably held on to the lead in the second half.

Saunders said: “I thought we were lucky to be only 3-0 down.

“We got outplayed in the middle of the pitch, we didn’t win enough of our headers or challenges and I didn’t expect that.

“So I feel sorry for the lads because you only get a few opportunities in your career and that was a game in which all of them had a chance to grasp the nettle and believe they could be playing in League Two. They have missed the chance.

“But I have to say ‘well done’ to Luton because they took their chances when they came and when we had chances they seemed to clear them off the line or get a head in the way.”

Over 7,000 were in attendance, easily Wrexham’s biggest crowd of the season, but the hosts crumbled under the pressure, leaving Saunders to ru his side’s timidness on the big stage.

He continued: “It’s just disappointing for everyone because I thought the fans were brilliant and for some of the players it was the biggest game of their career. But some of them looked like rabbits trapped in the headlights.

“I’m not angry, I just feel a bit sorry for them really, because they didn’t turn up.

“To do so well all season and to have worked as hard as they have and then to play like that in front of a big crowd and the match on television.

“But we were beaten by the better team on the day and it could have been worse.

“We let three in and there could have been more.”

The return leg is at Kenilworth Road on Tuesday night and although Hatter will be rightly clear favourites to reach the final at Eastlands, Saunders isn’t giving up just yet.

He added: “We had some chances and we did a bit better in the second half, so if we score the first goal at Luton Town the tie is not dead and buried.

“Anything can happen and one thing for certain is that we can’t play that badly again.

“We are not out of it yet and all I’m thinking about is how I am going to lift this group of players and how we are going to score three goals at Luton.

“We are capable of doing that because we went 3-0 up at Cambridge within 20 minutes and we’ve five days now to think about it, regroup and go there with a positive attitude.

“We’ve got to try and score first and if we can get one early on then it will be game on.

“But I can’t see many people having a bet on us, the odds are going to be stacked against because we let this game slip away from us.”