Read what Nathan Jones had to say in his press conference ahead of the Hatters' match against Doncaster Rovers
The Hatters face Doncaster Rovers this Saturday at Kenilworth Road, a team Nathan Jones has praised for being a ‘very strong side at this level’.
Town have lost their last two games after a blistering start to the campaign, which saw them sit top of the tree prior to their loss against Grimsby Town just under a fortnight ago.
That was followed by last Saturday’s defeat to Crawley Town in which Town rotated their squad and saw Jones’ side denied a goal late on for an apparent foul, one the Hatters manager wasn’t so sure should have been given.
“I can see why the referee has given it, but for me it’s the wrong decision.” Jones said. “Those are the sorts of things that go against you, the result would have been different, but we have to swallow that and move on.
“We have to test the squad, we thought it was the right time to do it, obviously the result will say differently, it wasn’t down to the front two or anything like that. We didn’t play well as a team, we didn’t defend well as a team and that’s what cost us the game.
“At the moment it’s about getting back to winning ways and to building again from there, because we have had a fantastic start, we have just stuttered over the past two games, but with three games in a week that can quickly turnaround.
“It was a calculated gamble, but like England found out in the summer, when you make changes and they don’t go for you, you’re open to criticism.”
Alan Sheehan has started both of our last two matches after returning from injury, a player of which Jones was happy to see recover from a calf problem.
Jones continued: “The thing about Sheehan is getting him back to the level he was at, he was my first loan signing, he was my first permanent signing, he is someone that I trust and someone that I know makes us better and that’s why we gambled on bringing him back early.”
After the Hatters’ defeat to Crawley, Olly Lee said he has been focusing on the defensive side of his game in training, something that Jones said he still needs a little bit of work on.
“They are a diligent group of players and Olly is part of that. He is a fantastic footballer but defensively he needs to improve slightly,” Jones said. “But I could name any part of any player’s game that they need to improve on. But he isn’t in the side for that, he is in the side because he is a ball-playing defensive midfielder.”
Town’s match against second placed Rovers is one that Jones thinks is going to be a difficult one, as he knows they are looking for a quick return to the Sky Bet League One.
Jones said: “Doncaster have kept some important players and added some good ones. They’re a good side and we know we are going to have to be right at it if we are going to win the game and that is what we are going to try and do. They’re very strong at this level and I am sure they are looking to bounce straight back up as soon as possible.”
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