Luton Town 2, Hartlepool United 1.

ON the opening day of last season, Danny Wilson saw his Hartlepool United side batter the opposition and somehow end up losing the game.

Twelve months on, and in a new division, Wilson's side followed the same script as they outplayed Luton for prolonged spells and finished the first day with a defeat.

"It does feel like it did against Swindon last year,'' he admitted. "We've dominated and lost both games - but if the season has the same end product, I won't mind one bit!"

Throughout last season Pools played their football on the deck and Wilson insisted pre-season that his side would be playing more of it this time around against a better class of opposition.

And while the standard of their rivals may be better, so Pools appear to be. They pressed Luton on the back foot from the off with some tidy Willie Boland passing and a fair slice of class from Gary Liddle and skill from James Brown.

But when chances go begging - Luton keeper Dean Brill was busy without being excessively overstretched - chances are you are going to be hit sometime.

"You can judge games by the reaction of the fans,'' said Wilson.

"And for long periods it was only our fans you could hear and the home crowd was very quiet.

"We've come down here and gave them a bit of a lesson at times, but we've ended with a defeat. Luton were more like the away side because we had the possession.

"We've played so well you wonder if it's going to be one of those days. We could have put the game beyond them in the first-half.

"The only disappointing this is we didn't make their keeper work too much. But we have showed the level and ability we can play with.''

"Last time we were here Sunderland put five past us,'' moaned one Kenilworth Road mouth in the main stand referring to the Black Cats title triumph of last season.

"Hartlepool should have put five past us today,'' he tellingly added.

That quip came when Ritchie Humphreys pulled a shot across the face of goal just 20 seconds in the second half which just evaded the on-rushing Ian Moore.

By then, five goals would have been a fair reflection of proceedings.

James Brown and Ian Moore were both in on goal but blocked out. Moore saw a header roll the wrong side of the post and pushed a shot over keeper Dean Brill but wide. Richard Barker caused plenty of problems for Chris Perry, a Premiership defender last campaign.

But then came a turning point, leaving Pools furious and a goal down. Boland was bossing the midfield and kept Pools ticking over with his astute passing.

He took possession on the left side, but was hacked down from behind by Alan Goodall. Referee Matt Haywood played on, much to Boland's - and Pools - angst and Darren Currie, creeping inside from the wing, picked his spot and curled in from 25 yards.

Ironically, the area Boland patrols, with authority of a guard dog, was the spot from where Currie got in Luton's first shot on target.

And from Luton's first corner on 84 minutes, Goodall's header was met by Jamie McCunney on the line. The defender kneed the ball away and the assistant referee flagged it over the line.

Game one of the season and a big talking point wasn't how well either side played, but the performance of the officials.

"He's (referee) gave an identical free-kick not seconds before and allowed this one to go,'' said Wilson referring to the opener. "It was a great finish from Currie who has that quality.

"I hope the second goal was over the line - I don't know if it was - but if it wasn't I will be pig sick.

"We have seen a lot of advantages played and then the referee pulls up play when Gary Liddle has been fouled and we have a three on one attack.

"I don't know why they do it - human error or whatever, but it's frustrating.

"We cannot blame the referee for the defeat, but there was a big decisions made. If he (assistant referee) got it wrong - and I hope he didn't - it was a damn crap decision.

"He's looking 40 yards across the field and through the goal and through a pack of bodies.

"All you ask for is consistency. Look at the penalty we got - was it a booking? Was it a sending-off? I hope if that happens to us we don't get someone punished.''

Pools goal came in injury-time when Liddle fed Antony Sweeney who was hacked down by Perry and Barker drilled in the penalty.

"I hope you are going to get more of that kind of performances from us and exciting games,'' said Wilson.

"They knocked the ball long up to Furlong to try and play for the second balls and we got it down a lot more to try and play.

"There's quite a difference in standard in this division and we will see a bit more finesse.

"We want to play at a high tempo and we did for long periods in difficult, hot conditions."