Villa win earns LMA Performance of the Week Award
The Hatters go into tomorrow’s Sky Bet League Two game with Yeovil Town at Kenilworth Road looking to make it three wins from three this season – and with an award already in the bag following Wednesday’s stunning EFL Cup victory over Aston Villa.
The League Managers Association’s five-man panel – comprising LMA chairman Howard Wilkinson, Sir Alex Ferguson, Joe Royle, Dave Bassett and Barry Fry – chose the Hatters’ 3-1 win as the first LG Performance of the Week Award of the 2016-17 campaign.
Together with his backroom staff, manager Nathan Jones received a celebratory bottle of champagne, courtesy of Tanners Wines, in a presentation to commemorate the award at Ely Way this afternoon.
Writing in his programme notes ahead of the clash with his old club, Nathan said: “It’s been a good week to start the campaign for us. Both of our wins have been nominated for performance of the week, which is very pleasing.
“Wednesday night was a nice distraction, but now we are back to the bread and butter of League football with two massively important games.”
Looking ahead to the clash against the club where he spent seven years at Yeovil as a player and coach, Nathan told the media after Wednesday night’s game: “We’ll have to dust them down and regroup.
“We’ll use the squad again because we are keen to keep the squad fresh, and Yeovil are a good side.
“I went to watch them at Walsall (on Tuesday night) and they’ve won two out of two as well, they are a good side and the important thing for us is that we don’t just think it’s going to be any kind of a different game to the Villa one because in reality it’s going to be harder.”
Nathan’s former Glovers team-mate Darren Way led Yeovil clear of the drop zone last season after being appointed in late December. Way played 259 games for the Somerset side in two spells at Huish Park, whilst switching between first team coach and assistant manager from 2010-2015.
He took over with Yeovil bottom of the Football League with just 11 points from 20 games, but in the next 26 games, Yeovil won 37 points to comfortably stave off relegation.
Yeovil have had two 2-0 wins to start this season. Two first half goals gave them a win at home to Notts County on the opening day in the league thanks to Kevin Dawson and Otis Khan, before a pair of extra time goals from Tahvon Campbell and Tom Dolan sent them through to the second round of the EFL Cup at the Banks’s Stadium.
Tomorrow’s game kicks off at 3pm at Kenilworth Road, but if you can’t make it to Kenilworth Road there will be updates on Twitter and Facebook, as well as commentary on Hatters PlayerHD.
TEAM PROFILE – YEOVIL TOWN
Nickname: The Glovers
Ground: Huish Park
Last season: 19th League Two
Manager: Darren Way
Last league match: Notts County (h) W 2-0
HATTERS v YEOVIL
Luton wins: 2
Draws: 2
Yeovil wins: 1
LAST MEETING
Luton 1-1 Yeovil – 2/2/2016