NJ speaks to the press ahead of Cambridge
Hatters boss Nathan Jones takes his team to Cambridge United tomorrow as the Town return to Sky Bet League Two action looking to build on the confidence gained by pushing Championship opposition all the way in the midweek EFL Cup tie with Leeds United.
A single goal from Leeds left-back Tyler Denton midway through the first half saw the second tier side through, but the Hatters took the game to the Yorkshiremen and had several chances to draw level and go on to claim a second major scalp after beating Aston Villa in the previous round.
Perfect passing from Jonathan Smith and mazy movement from Jack Marriott really caught the eye, and Jones thought Town wouldn’t have looked out of place playing Leeds in a league match.
Speaking to the media at his pre-Cambridge Press call yesterday afternoon, Jones said: “I thought we were excellent, we had some really good chances. There are some things we need to improve on, to get a real cutting edge, but it looked like a Championship game to me.
“Jack Marriott showed Premier League movement. To do that to a Championship centre-half, to get in from clean movement is top end stuff. Jonathan was outstanding, he really was in terms of how he went about his work. I keep telling him he has more quality than people give him credit for.”
The Cup run, following on from the pre-season victory over another Championship side, Brighton & Hove Albion, has led to Jones’ side earning plaudits from fans and managers alike, with opponents knowing they are going to have to play a certain way in order to get a result.
Jones continued: “It was a great two games for us against Villa and Leeds and from speaking to managers afterwards, teams including Leeds set up against us because they knew if they came out and played expansive football, we could hurt them.
“That is a phenomenal thing from a League Two side to have coming up against a Championship side.
"We like to test ourselves, pre-season gave us that opportunity when we beat Brighton and then played Walsall."
Luton make the trip to Cambridge United this weekend, with Shaun Derry’s team starting the season with mixed results.
After two defeats in a row for his side, despite playing extremely well in both, Jones is keen to see August end on a high after a fantastic start to the campaign.
He said: “It is a massive game, well every game is a big game. We want to finish the month off well. We want to put in a good performance, we want to win the game. They’re all spicy now, every league game has an edge to it.
“It is early days and not many things are won in August. They have recruited a number of players so sometimes it takes a bit of time to gel and it is about putting runs together in this league. They have had an indifferent start, but they are a decent side.”
Tickets for the game are available online and from the ticket office until 3pm today.
No tickets will be available on the day, so please do not travel unless you have a ticket.
If you can’t make the game, we’ll be tweeting live from the Cambs Glass Stadium as well as posting a match report and gallery after the game with interviews with management and players in due course on the official website and Hatters Player, where you can also listen to live commentary from Simon Pitts.
The match will also mark the first time Luton Town have worn the new white away shirt. If you wish to purchase one, they are available at our club shop in the Mall and online at http://ow.ly/tU7W303BCFE.