THE local bragging rights were all Watford's tonight (Wednesday) as their young guns levelled local rivals Luton Town with two quick-fire first half strikes.

A feisty, frisky performance from the teen-aged squad saw them brush off the challenge of their more practised opponents with goals from Marvin Sordell and Lewis Young enough to send Town crashing to their first defeat of the season in the Totesport.com Combination East Division.

Despite Luton's second half repost from Ian Roper, reserve boss Malky Mackay was happily able to watch his fledgling side see the game home in a fairly comfortable manner.

The Hornets came into this mini-local derby with a young threadbare squad, not least due to the knock-on effect of the injury crisis that has hit Aidy Boothroyd's first team squad in recent times.

That meant that the most senior player on show, in terms of first team appearances, was Cedric Avinel - with three starts to his name and that was enough to earn him the captain's armband for the evening.

Dale Bennett had only last night made his first team debut whilst Young could boast of just one start and two sub appearances for the 'Orns.

Luton meanwhile fielded the vastly experienced ex-Walsall defender Roper, former Colchester man Kevin Watson and Northern Ireland international Paul McVeigh.

Luton's experience was certainly being felt in the opening swathe of action as their sheer physicality told against their young Watford counterparts.

That said Watford looked the more dangerous of the two opposing sides, Young and Bennett combining to good effect down the Hornets' left on more than one occasion, with the latter causing Luton to panic with one particular in-swinging centre.

A quarter of an hour into this tie Watford might have taken the lead when, following Michael Bryan's excellent right-wing cross, Sordell saw a powerful low drive blocked by the feet of Town 'keeper Conrad Logan.

The threat continued some moments later when this time Sordell was fouled just inches form the edge of the Luton penalty area after good work from a combination of Young and Fabrice Otshudi.

Stepping up to take the set play Young watched as his effort looped up off the wall and wide for a corner.

Watford were in cruise control and it was only a matter of time before the net rippled, and when it did, it signalled a siege.

Some 25 minutes in Jonathan North's long clearance from his goal was neatly controlled by Sordell, who placed the ball into the path of Otshudi. Aware of his team mates' blistering pace Otshudi laced a through ball into the area where Sordell simply took a touch before side-footing it past Logan.

One became two just three minutes later when a break down the right saw Bryan freed inside the Town area; nicking past the challenge of stricken Ed Asafu-Adjaye he found Young with a square ball which he couldn't miss, as an empty net gaped in front of him.

It may have been their early cushion that then led to a moment of madness for the 'Orns, with an element of complacency creeping in to their performance.

Having won a corner on the right Young inexplicably knocked it downfield to Matty Whichelow who, near the centre circle, missed his header to allow Scott Sinclair to touch the ball past him and burst through one-on-one.

With the whole half to himself and bearing down on Jonathan North he seemingly had just too much time on his hands as he eventually put his shot into the feet of Watford's Welsh 'keeper.

The second half got underway with the Hatters looking for more purposeful, as their manager Mick Harford watched from the stands.

This upturn in the visitors' performance saw them yield a free-kick 25-yards from goal, which North saved well down to his left from the boot of Ryan Charles.

The young players were certainly getting plenty of learning from the fixture as touchline coaches Mackay and Sean Dyche issued instructions aplenty to their rookie charges.

Young narrowly missed from a free-kick just after the hour mark after Roper fouled Bryan to earn himself a yellow card.

Luton made the first personnel switch of the night as Watson was deemed expendable, being replaced by Mark Farthing.

The Hatters' influence on the game began to increase as the fixture ticked well past the hour mark, eventually leading to their opening goal of the night.

Having conceded a free-kick on the left-edge of the area the Hornets also managed to concede half of their lead with it, as Roper met the ball at the far post to bundle it home past North.

Credit Watford though, as their attacking players looked to restore the advantage in positive fashion, with Bryan going close with a low shot and a Young corner then zipping across the face of goal in dangerous fashion.

Young was again in the thick of the action as in the final throes of the game he fed Otshudi, who in turn found Sordell in time for the front man to shoot - his effort blocked out for a corner.

The win was Watford's second in league competition this term, bringing them level on points with their previously unbeaten opponents, Luton.

WATFORD (4-4-2): North; Hodson, Avinel (c), Oshodi, Bennett; Bryan, Brooks, Whichelow, Young; Sordell, Otshudi. Subs not used: Antal (gk), Angus, Yiadom.

LUTON TOWN (4-4-2): Logan; Deaney, Asafu-Adjaye, Roper, Davis; Plummer, Watson (c) (Farthing 65), Howells, Sinclair; Charles, McVeigh (Taylor 76). Subs not used: Fletcher (gk), Osusu, Wood.

BOOKINGS: WATFORD; Sordell (ungentlemanly conduct, 38), Bennett (ungentlemanly conduct, 85). LUTON TOWN; Roper (ungentlemanly conduct, 64).

SENDINGS OFF: WATFORD; none. LUTON TOWN; none.

GOALS: WATFORD; Sordell (25), Young (28). LUTON TOWN; Roper (72).

ATTENDANCE: tbc

REFEREE: Mr P. Melin