Saints slipped to their first pre-season defeat last night when Luton came from two goals down to win 3-2 at Kenilworth Road.

Goals from Chris Marsden and Jo Tessem had given Saints a seemingly comfortable lead but the Second Division side struck back with three goals in 25 second-half minutes to earn their scalp.

Saints boss Gordon Strachan put the defeat down to the chopping and changing of the line-ups - but admitted there were lessons to be learned.

He said: "I was happy with what I saw. We thought that we were alright and making chances, their goalkeeper was their best player and we had them playing the way we like them to play.

"But we then made one or two changes to give other players a game, which we wouldn't have in a real game - but if players travel to the game and it's a friendly you have to give them a game.

"That caused us a wee bit of a problem and we then weren't communicating with each other.

"If we would have kept to the same back four we wouldn't have had that problem but we changed Claus at half-time and Doddsy later on and conceded.

"If we wanted to win the game we could have done by shutting up shop.

"We got several reminders from the game, like you can't take your foot off the pedal.

"But if you're the manager and you're making chances and keeping it tight at the back then you're doing a lot right.

"It's given me answers to a lot of questions and that's what it's there for."

Saints looked solid enough in the first half against a decent Luton side who are looking to climb the divisions under the guidance of Joe Kinnear.

The south coast team were rewarded for their pressure and possession when Marsden stole in on the end of a beautiful right-wing ball from Fabrice Fernandes to side foot home the first goal on the half-hour mark.

Alan Coombe, Luton's trialist goalkeeper, was kept well occupied all night and produced several great saves to keep the Hatters afloat, but he couldn't prevent Saints from stretching their lead in the 57th minute when Anders Svensson's cross was cheekily backflicked home off the far post by Tessem, playing as a striker.

Then it all went wrong.

Just two minutes after the goal, Luton decided to try to break down Saints by sucking the defence up the pitch and chipping the ball back over their heads for an onrunning player to get on the end of.

It was that turning of the Saints defence that won Luton the first of their three goals when, just two minutes after Saints had doubled their lead, Kevin Nicholls thumped the ball up the pitch for Tony Thorpe to chase. Paul Jones came out to clear but was challenged by Thorpe, leaving the striker to slot home.

With 81 minutes gone - and six substitutions having just been made - Luton levelled when Steve Howard flicked the ball on to Andrew Fotiadis whose first touch was to slam the ball into the bottom corner.

Three minutes later, the Hatters went mad as another sub, Peter Holmes, lashed in a shot from the edge of the box after Saints had failed to clear an Emmerson Boyce cross from the right.

Luton: Coombe, Boyce, Bayliss (Perrett 45), Coyne, Kimble (Hillier 80), Robinson (Brkovic 80), Nicholls (Holmes 80), Hughes (Forbes 45, Fotiadis 80), Thorpe (Crowe 61), Howard.

Saints: Jones, Dodd (Telfer 80), Williams, Lundekvam (M Svensson 45), Benali, Fernandes, Oakley (Draper 80), A Svensson, Marsden, Davies (Ormerod 45), Tessem.

Att: 4,746