Football / Round-Up: Hatters mad at topping return

MARK PEMBRIDGE, Derby County's pounds 1.25m summer signing from Luton, yesterday effectively removed the Hatters from the FA Cup before an hour was up. He scored a hat-trick in 13 minutes against the club which nurtured him. There's gratitude. Paul Telfer gave Luton the lead with a header after 24 minutes; County's centre-back Craig Short equalised five minutes later. Then came Pembridge. The Welsh international midfielder scored twice in three minutes at the end of the first half and completed his hat- trick 10 minutes into the second half. County ran out 5-1 winners.

STAN COLLYMORE'S two goals in seven minutes either side of half-time put Southend, two places off the bottom of the First Division, through to the fifth round at the expense of Huddersfield, bottom of the Second. Graham Mitchell put the Terriers in front at Leeds Road after 27 minutes but Southend took Route One to an equaliser on the stroke of half-time. Collymore flicked a long goal-kick past the defender Peter Jackson, rounded the goalkeeper Tony Elliott and slipped the ball into the empty net. His 52nd minute winner was equally unexpected, turning past Jackson on halfway and powering 30 yards before curling a shot past Elliott.

IN YESTERDAY'S league action, a crowd of almost 30,000 at the Hawthorns saw Stoke extend their lead at the top of the Second Division to 10 points with an excellent 2-1 win over second-placed West Brom. Nigel Gleghorn gave City an 11th minute lead. Four minutes later, Bob Taylor's 18th goal of the season put Albion level. After 69 minutes, the Stoke striker Mark Stein went one better - his 19th goal of the season was the Potters' valuable winner. Leyton Orient moved above West Brom on goals scored helped by yesterday's five without reply against Exeter. Robert Taylor claimed three in 17 minutes.

In the Third Division, third-placed Wrexham beat Walsall 3-1 to narrow the gap on the leaders Barnet to six points. The Bees scored both goals in yesterday's 1-1 draw at Hereford, Gary Bull's 65th-minute strike cancelling out Richard Huxford's own goal.

LEICESTER'S pretensions to Premier promotion received an unexpected jolt against bottom- of-the-table Notts County at Filbert Street. Julian Joachim's fourth-minute chip gave City an early lead but Mark Draper's second-half equaliser robbed them of a win bonus and allowed Portsmouth, who narrowly beat Brentford at Fratton Park, to leapfrog City into fifth place. The Cambridge/Oxford match, United not gown version, ended all square at 2-2. Three goals came in a frantic three-minute spell just after the half-hour. Mike Ford scored both Oxford goals in two minutes.

FURTHER evidence of life after the bailiffs was provided by Aldershot Town, the remnants of Aldershot FC. They lead the Diadora Third Division by 14 points after yesterday's 1-1 draw with second-placed Collier Row. The crowd was 2,863, the highest Diadora attendance this season.

NORTH LONDON'S fourth- round challenge is spread over two days. At Carrow Road this afternoon, Spurs, FA Cup-winners for a record eight times, hope their favoured trophy will revive a mediocre season against Premier pacemakers Norwich. Their striker Gordon Durie, out for a month with a strained attitude, and full-back Pat van den Hauwe are in line for a Spurs recall; Norwich's former Tottenham centre- back John Polston is fit again but the midfielder Ian Crook, who also started at Spurs, is doubtful.