The Hatters face Stoke City in the Sky Bet Championship tomorrow afternoon looking to continue their fine start to the league campaign.
Before the international break, Town claimed three wins out of their opening four games of the season, most recently beating Wycombe Wanderers 2-0 at Kenilworth Road.
Stoke themselves have only been beaten once in the Championship this season but are four points behind the Hatters before kick-off in 13th place.
Nathan Jones said:
(Please note these quotes are taken from Nathan’s press conference on Thursday – you can listen to the full version by clicking here)
On facing his former club: “I’m not looking to get one over on Stoke for any reason other than the fact we get three points and that is genuine. I’ve got no malice, no vendetta, no bitterness whatsoever, it is just another game and I actually went into the Wycombe game feeling real pressure.
"I thought it was a game we needed to win because without being disrespectful, we beat Wycombe at lower levels consistently and I felt we needed to do that again. This is slightly different, but I want to win the game exactly the same, it’s not anything on the game apart from three points and I genuinely mean that.
“I can say that hand on heart. It will be nice to see a lot of people, it will be nice to win but it will be nice to win because I enjoy winning.”
On relationship with Stoke owners: “It’s stellar, as good as it can be. First of all, I was very grateful to them giving me the opportunity, they could have chosen anyone and the list they interviewed was a very strong list.
“I felt very privileged to get the job but throughout it, we had a great relationship. Even walking out the building, it was a fantastic relationship, they gave me opportunity, they gave me every bit of time that was deserved so absolutely no malice towards them.
“They are wonderful people and I really do respect them. I get on with them and as I said I really wish Stoke all the best, apart from when they come up against Luton and that is genuine.”
Who?
Stoke City occupied a position in the Premier League for ten consecutive seasons, spanning from 2008 until 2018 when they were relegated to the Championship.
The 1972 League Cup winners have remained in the second tier for the last two campaigns and will look to build on their 15th place finish this time around.
The manager – Michael O’Neill
Michael O’Neill succeeded Nathan Jones as manager of Stoke in November 2019 and at the time juggled the role whilst continuing to take charge of Northern Ireland.
He resigned from the national team in April and helped the Potters win four out of nine matches to avoid relegation after the season restarted.
Main threat – Sam Clucas
Midfielder Sam Clucas was Stoke’s top scorer with 11 goals last season and has captained the side in three of their four league matches so far this campaign.
The 30-year-old joined the club in 2018 from Swansea City and has been an integral part of their team ever since.
When and where?
Kick-off is 3pm at Kenilworth Road on Saturday 17th October.
Man in the middle?
The referee in charge for the game against Stoke City is Jeremy Simpson. He last refereed the Hatters in the 3-2 defeat against Queens Park Rangers last season.
Played before?
The two sides last met in February and drew 1-1 at Kenilworth Road after the Hatters rescued a point with a late James Collins penalty.
Our Town
The digital version of the Hatters’ matchday programme, Our Town, will continue to be sent free to season ticket holders an hour before kick-off in the build-up to home matches.
Non-season ticket holders will be able to purchase a digital version of the programme for £2.
In addition to the e-programme options, supporters who wish to buy a hard copy of the match programme after the match has taken place can do so for £5 via our online shop Hatters World.
Full information on how to purchase your digital or hard copy can be found by clicking here.
Follow the action
Match passes to watch the 3pm kick-off live on iFollow Hatters are now available to purchase by clicking the image at the foot of the page.
Season ticket holder iFollow codes for the Stoke game have been distributed by email. For full details on how to redeem your code, follow the instructions here.
