BRENTWOOD Town Ladies’ debut in the South East Women’s Combination League ended in a 4-3 defeat at Luton Town, despite a gutsy performance in which Blues twice took the lead.

Dannielle Robertson, in her first appearance for the club, put the visitors in front after just two minutes.

Defender Emma Hooker later gave Blues a 3-2 lead, while Nikita Whinnett also got off the mark for the 2011/12 campaign, but Luton eventually emerged as the victors.

Manager Ian Bent said: “We’ve now experienced our first 90 minutes of Combination football, and I’m delighted with how we acquitted ourselves and gave Luton a real game.

“Ultimately, a couple of mistakes have counted against us, but that’s football. It’s important we take the positives, learn from the mistakes and then put them right quickly, and that’s the challenge that lies ahead over the coming weeks.”

Blues made the best possible start in the third tier of English football as they took the lead with less than two minutes on the clock.

Danielle Butler picked out Whinnett and the forward’s cross found teenager Robertson, who made the difficult finish.

Unfortunately Blues were dealt a cruel blow ten minutes later as Luton equalised thanks to Nicole Manning’s own goal. Despite a strong game, including three goals, Brentwood could not find the extra goal that would have earned a draw.