Sink Sutton
fully, made a doublesubstitution to bolster their midfield as play resumed – although County launched the first attack of the new half after five minutes, culminating in a low Bailey shot that took a deflection past the left post.
From the resulting corner, delivered by Ibby Touray, Madden made it five with a looping header inside the near post to put himself on a hat-trick alongside Croasdale. And, on the hour, the skipper looked to get there first with a cheeky punt from outside the box that hit the right side-netting.
County introduced shortly afterwards a quartet of substitutes – including Olaofe, who almost immediately came back to haunt his old club with a low shot on the turn that Bouzanis dived to smother.
The U’s had a gilt-edged opportunity to reduce the arrears when Aiden O’Brien squared from the left for Josh Coley – but, with the goal at his mercy, Coley fired wide of the near upright from close range.
The Hatters, almost immediately following that, netted their sixth, as Cotterill got off the mark with his first-ever County goal – converting into an empty net from distance, after Bouzanis had advanced out of his box and mis-hit his attempted clearance of a long ball.
Cotterill then turned provider, as he crossed from the right for Oalofe – who struck the crossbar with his first-time shot. And, at the other end, Ben
Hinchliffe jumped to catch cleanly a long-range attempt by O’Brien.
Five minutes from time, the Hatters were in seventh heaven, as Touray crossed from the left for Olaofe to left-foot home.
And in added time, after substitute Jayden Richardson had hit the woodwork, and Ryan Jackson had handled on the rebound, Madden stepped up to put away a penalty that completed his own three-goal haul – as well as one for County which had last been seen shortly after Easter 1956 in the form of an 8-1 triumph over Carlisle at EP.
Up next comes the Friday night visit of Notts County to Edgeley Park (22nd December), in The Hatters’ final action before Christmas. This biggest of wins guaranteed Challinor’s men will sit atop a league table on Christmas Day for the first time since 1966.