Luton Town 1-0 Derby County: Danny Hylton winner puts Hatters in play-off places
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Danny Hylton has scored in back-to-back games for Luton
Luton Town moved into the Championship play-off places with a narrow win over relegation-threatened Derby at Kenilworth Road.
The Rams edged a cagey first half and Colin Kazim-Richards fired a good early chance over.
They went close soon after the break when Town goalkeeper Jed Steer turned Max Bird's goalbound effort against the bar.
But Luton went ahead with only their second attempt on target when Cameron Jerome nodded a header down to Danny Hylton who slotted into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
Nathan Jones' side were not at their most convincing, but a fifth league win in six lifted them into sixth place, while Derby dropped to 23rd - and stayed eight points from safety - after Barnsley beat Middlesbrough.
Derby, meanwhile, remain in administration and - as things stand - have until early March to provide proof of how they will be funded for the rest of the season.
With relegation rivals Reading and Barnsley finding form in recent games, the Rams needed to respond in kind and created the best chances of a lukewarm first half, while keeping the hosts quiet.
A great early opening went begging when Jason Knight cut the ball back for Kazim-Richards six yards out, but the recalled forward lost his footing and fired over.
Pinball in the Luton box from Nathan Byrne's corner fell to Curtis Davies who steered an effort wide.
The Rams started the second half well, but Steer's top-drawer save proved crucial as the hosts finally began to find some momentum and broke through when second-half substitute Jerome teed up Hylton's winner.
The Hatters almost doubled their lead with seven minutes left when substitute Fred Onyedinma picked out James Bree but Rams keeper Ryan Allsop denied his close-range effort.
Luton Town boss Nathan Jones told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire:
"We have taken 15 out of 18 points which is a phenomenal month to have in the Championship. We haven't gone three on the bounce before and that's all I wanted today.
"I didn't mind about the performance - it's everything about the win at this stage, and they put in massive shifts. I'm so proud of the group and of Danny [Hylton]. He's had some stick and people have written him off, but he's brilliant.
"As they went a little bit open and gung-ho we had good opportunities on the counter-attack to kill the game and I was disappointed we didn't do that, but realistically we would have taken any win today."
Derby County manager Wayne Rooney told BBC Radio Derby:
"We keep fighting, we keep going. Myself and the players are disappointed of course, but I walk out of the stadium a proud manager of Derby County.
"The players can walk out as proud players. They have given everything and we have to react well because there's still a good chance we can stay up, but we have to start turning results like today into wins."