Cheltenham Town staged a gallant second half fightback but it was not enough to overturn a 2-0 half-time deficit in their first ever match against Luton Town.
Paul Hughes and Carl Griffiths put the home side ahead with two goals in seven minutes just before half-time, but substitute Neil Howarth gave the Robins hope with a header 19 minutes from the end and Michael Duff hit the post from a goalmouth scramble in the closing minutes.
New signing Tony Naylor was named on the bench along with Neil Grayson, who returned from a one match suspension, while the Luton side contained seven players making their home debuts.
Chances were at a premium during a cautious opening to the game and the first chance of note didn't arrive until the 22nd minute when Luton left-back Matthew Taylor fired over the bar from 18 yards out.
It was a fast, competitive game and Luton had both Steve Howard and Kevin Nicholls booked for strong challenges, while Cheltenham's Hugh McAuley was forced to limp off following a heavy midfield tackle by Nicholls.
Luton had not posed much of a threat in the opening half-hour but they found a way through in the 30th minute when Taylor's ball down the right found Carl Griffiths.
He pulled it back for Paul Hughes who scored with a carefully placed left-foot shot from the edge of the area.
Mark Yates drove Cheltenham's first shot of the game wide when Russell Milton's corner was half-cleared to him, but Luton grabbed a two goal advantage from the boot of veteran goal-grabber Carl Griffiths in the 36th minute. Goalkeeper Carl Muggleton cleared the ball to Steve Jones wide on the right but Gloucester-born midfielder Lee Mansell nipped in to steal it from him. Mansell fed Hughes and his cross sailed over Muggleton, who was struggling to get back into position, and Griffiths was left with a touch-in from close range.
Naylor emerged from the bench for his Cheltenham debut in the 51st minute but two minutes later it was Martin Devaney who almost brought the Robins back into it.
Devaney beat a defender with a neat swerve inside and his deflected shot was goal-bound until Taylor somehow managed to head it off the line.
Grayson sent a header just wide but Muggleton was forced to make saves from Taylor and Adrian Forbes as Luton, roared on by a partisan home crowd, searched for a third.
The game turned, however, in the 71st minute when Howarth was brought down to the right of the penalty area.
Russell Milton delivered the free-kick to the far post where Howarth appeared unmarked to head past Carl Emberson.
Cheltenham threw everything at the Hatters in the closing stages and Grayson blasted high after good work from Mark Yates and Duff. A frantic goalmouth scramble then finished with Duff smacking a shot against the post from a position lying on the ground.
Luton were struggling to contain the Robins in the final minutes and acting captain Nicholls was sent off for a second booking with six minutes left. But Luton held on to claim their second win from two games, although Cheltenham can take plenty of heart from their second half performance.
LUTON TOWN: Emberson; Hillier, Perrett, Boyce, Taylor; Forbes (George 74), Hughes, Nicholls, Mansell; Howard (Fotiadis 61), Griffiths (Locke 85). Other subs: Ovendale, Dryden.
CHELTENHAM: Muggleton; Jones (Howarth 66), Banks, Walker, Victory; M. Duff, Yates, Milton, McAuley (Grayson 28); Alsop (Naylor 51), Devaney. Other subs: Higgs, White.
REFEREE: G.K. Hegley (Hertfordshire)
ATTENDANCE: 6,177