On 8 December, Luton beat League Two side Rotherham United 3–0 in an FA Cup Second Round replay at Kenilworth Road, setting up a Third Round encounter at League One side Southampton. Four days later, Cambridge United knocked Luton out of the FA Trophy with a 3–1 win at the Abbey Stadium. A series of postponements to games due to snow and ice left a sparse fixture list for the rest of the month, with Luton's only other game resulting in a 4–1 victory over Eastbourne Borough on 28 December, Matthew Barnes-Homer scoring his first goal for the club. January Luton were knocked out of the FA Cup by Southampton, a side two leagues higher, on 2 January in a narrow 1–0 defeat. On 5 January, with the transfer window now open, Luton signed young St Albans City players Jonathan O'Donnell and Godfrey Poku on 18-month contracts. O'Donnell had previously spent time in the youth set-up at Luton's local rivals Watford and Milton Keynes Dons, while Poku was highly rated by St Albans manager Steve Castle. On 30 January, the two players were loaned back to St Albans for a period of one month. Further postponements due to the adverse weather meant Luton had played just one league game in seven weeks, leaving a further 23 games to be played in three months. In contrast, the first 23 league games had been played over a period of five months. Experienced trio Kevin Nicholls, Alan White and Kevin Gallen were placed on the transfer list by Richard Money on 12 January. White joined his previous club Darlington on loan for the rest of the season three days later. Midfielder Keith Keane, who had started his career with Luton, was placed on the transfer list on 15 January. Keane's refusal to sign a new contract, which would expire at the end of the season and effectively mean he would leave the club on a free transfer, was cited as the reason. Striker Mark Nwokeji, meanwhile, extended his loan agreement with Luton until the end of the season, while the permanent transfers of Matthew Barnes-Homer and Fred Murray, who had both previously been playing for the club on loan, were confirmed. On 22 January, York City winger Craig Nelthorpe signed for Luton on loan for the rest of the season. He made his debut one day later as a substitute in a 1–0