Hatters striker James Collins has said wants to see the Town’s home form improve as they prepare to take on Charlton Athletic this evening.
Having suffered four defeats in eight league outings at Kenilworth Road, the Hatters will be looking to restore the winning mentality that has been key to the success the club has enjoyed in recent campaigns.
Collins explained: “Our home form needs to improve, but we are good at home under the lights in front of the crowd. We know all about Charlton from last year, they’re a very good side and for me, the three best sides went up last year.
“We know all about them, we watched them this morning [Monday morning] and we’ve got a plan and we need to execute it to get three points on the board.
“I have never played at the level before, so I love every minute of it, I look forward to every game more and more, because I have always wanted this chance to play in the Championship. But I am sure the rest of the lads that haven’t played in the Championship before, they feel the same and it’s a great league and I am looking forward to seeing how it pans out.”
The game comes on the back of a great performance, but ultimately disappointing result against highflying Leeds United at the weekend, which Collins is hoping to see built on tonight.
“All the lads were disappointed – the staff as well,” he continued. “We put so much into the game and we worked on Leeds all week and I think the game plan went well for 90 minutes, but when you’re up against a team like Leeds, you have to be at it until the final whistle. Unfortunately they punished us right at the end.
“I think when you look how they played and the strength of their squad, everything else, the manager, the fans – I’d be very surprised if they didn’t get promoted this year. I thought we more than matched them during the game.
“It’s worlds apart, but that’s what we wanted to get promoted for. We wanted games like that and for me personally I always look forward to the games more when you’re playing against the bigger teams and I am sure that’s the case for the rest of the lads.
“It is [mentally tough], but that’s part of being a footballer. You might have got away with it in League Two and League One, but we have seen this year, if you don’t switch on for 95 minutes you get punished and I think once we do get to grips with that, I think we will be fine.”
The Addicks head into this one having also not won in their last five, but have picked up good points away at West Brom and at home to Cardiff City.
A strong start to the campaign – in which they won four out of their opening six league fixtures – saw Lee Bowyer’s team ascend the table in remarkable fashion, but their recent form has seen them slip down to 13th in the second tier.
James is anticipating a tough evening, but is expecting the Town to be up for the affair.
He said: “I think they have got great players, they have got a good manager and they have got a structure that works for them. It’s not going to be an easy game, but you still need to go out there, 11-against-11 and see who comes out on top. I am sure we will be ready.”