Fine style

looked to to create a wonderfully worked second just after the hour mark – the club captain barrelled down the right hand side to collect a deft flick by Minihan, crossing on the move to the waiting Jimmy Ball, who planted a perfectly placed header into the very top corner past Deasy.

In truth, the visitors – backed by 410 hardy travelling fans - had been treading water long before Ball’s textbook header, and the Robins’ back-line soon resorted to hacking the ball back to the Hatters midfield shortly after in what had become a game of attack vs defence.

Substitute Damian Reeves did flick a Gary Jones free-kick well wide of Hinchliffe’s goal shortly after his introduction, but it was Lloyd and company who looked certain of grabbing a third with ten minutes left on the clock.

After a number of fixtures this season where the Hatters have been punished for not taking their chances, the promising aspect for the Hatters support was undoubtedly the clinical nature of the County attack against an admittedly poor side.

Deep into stoppage time, McDonald clumsily halted substitute Courtney Meppen-Walters - but a good advantage by referee Glenn Hart allowed Lloyd to run at goal and pick up that fifteenth assist of the campaign as he rolled into the path of Minihan, who powered into the top right corner from the edge of the area.

There was still time for Odejayi’s replacement Josh Amis to shrug off Hannigan before drilling just wide of goal as County showed no sympathy, but official Hart soon put the struggling Robins out of their misery, with The Hatters’ neighbours looking set for a second successive relegation.

But boss Gannon later described the win as a “great afternoon” for his side, with almost 4,000 in attendance to witness County’s Edgeley curtain call for 2016.

The Hatters now sit well-placed just three points off the final play-off position heading into a festive double-header against mid-table Harrogate - with County travelling to Wetherby Road on Boxin Day, before bringing their Yorkshire opponents back to Edgeley Park on 2nd January. Park