Crawley Town were dumped out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle for a second season running after a last minute defensive howler handed Luton Town a 2-1 victory.

The Reds were heading for a replay when Josh Yorwerth headed a clearance against team-mate Christian Scales and the ball dropped for Josh McQuoid to lash home a 90th minute winner.

It was frustrating for Crawley who had got back into the game in the 63rd minute thanks to Matt Harrold’s header, cancelling out McQuoid’s opener nine minutes earlier.

The Reds made two changes from the side that won 1-0 at home to York City in League Two a week earlier.

Christian Scales came in at left-back for fellow loanee Mitch Hancox, who was not given permission to play by parent club Birmingham, while Roarie Deacon replaced Shamir Fenelon.

Luton were without former Albion striker Craig Mackail-Smith, who failed to recover from a hamstring injury in time for the game.

The hosts made a bright start and could have gone ahead in the tenth minute but Deacon’s left-footed strike was deflected wide for a corner.

Four minutes later Reds goalkeeper Darryl Flahavan was at full stretch to push behind a 25-yard strike from Jonathan Smith.

Crawley had the better openings of the first half, the pick of them just before the half-hour mark when Jimmy Smith burst into the penalty area but sliced his shot wastefully wide from a good position.

They breathed a sigh of relief, though, seven minutes before the break when Luke Guttridge dragged a shot just past the near post after some slack defending.

The breakthrough came nine minutes into the second half with Crawley temporarily down to ten men with Deacon off the pitch getting treatment.

McQuoid received the ball in an area where Deacon might have been and the Hatters forward curled a shot from 25 yards over Flahavan.

Within nine minutes the Reds were level as Harrold headed home a corner from the right by Simon Walton.

Moments later Rhys Murphy scooped another good chance over the crossbar, then soon after skipper Bradley headed into the side-netting from Walton’s cross.

It remained that way until the 90th minute when McQuoid grabbed his second of the game to settle the contest.

Crawley: Flahavan; Young, Yorwerth, Bradley, Scales; Deacon (sub Fenelon 88), Walton (sub Rooney 84), Smith, Edwards; Harrold, Murphy (sub Barnard 83). Subs not used: Ashton, Jenkins, Tomlin, Preston.

Luton Town: Justham; Long, Cuthbert, Wilkinson, Griffiths; Lawless (sub Green 69), Lee, Guttridge, Smith, McQuoid; Marriott (sub Benson 60). Subs not used: Potts, McGeehan, McCourt, O'Brien, Tyler.