Manager Nathan Jones is hoping his side can take confidence and belief from Saturday’s derby win against Watford into the remaining five matches this season.
Starting with Reading tomorrow night, the gaffer's aim is to accumulate a third win in succession, a feat the Hatters have yet to manage during the Sky Bet Championship campaign.
“Results breed confidence and belief and here’s not a lack of belief,” Jones said when speaking to the local press this afternoon. “To achieve something special you have to have consummate belief and we’ve achieved a lot at this club and it’s been built on confidence and that belief comes from when they see that work put into practice and we’ve always had a real good mentality here. With a bottom three budget, to be doing what we’re doing, then there must be something happening and it isn't just good work, it’s good work with good people, with talented players, that believe and want to achieve something, and that’s what we have done in relative terms.”
One of many players who has made a significant impact this season is Leicester City loanee Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, somehow who the manager singled out for praise in regards to the way he has handled himself this season.
“Kiernan was at a certain level and we knew the work that we do if he bought into it, which he has done tenfold, he would be a success here and he has been, and for me he’s just consummate. He’s everything you’d want in a player, a lad, a pro, and a human. He’s been a wonderful addition and we don’t like taking loans here, but he’s why we do.”
The Watford performance was one that really pleased the manager and he admits the challenge is now to replicate that same level of quality throughout the duration of a season.
“The challenge is doing that over 46 games, to do that and to have that belief, drive, aggression and quality as we showed every aspect of our play. We put our bodies on the line and defended. It was everything about it, the start, the control in our play, the variation in our attacking play, the way we defended, the way we pressed, the way we saw out the game, everything about it had real control about it. It is now about doing that over 46 games, but that’s difficult to do whoever you are, that’d difficult to do if you’re Man City. With us competing in the league nowhere we are severely outgunned, it’s difficult, but that’s a work in progress and that’s what we want to attain to.”
Tomorrow is the fourth meeting of the season against play-off chasing Reading, to which Nathan said: “Ironically we have played them four times since I have been back, won two and lost two. 50/50 at the minute but we are not thinking about anything else, just getting to 59 points by midnight tomorrow. That is our only focus, nothing to do with Reading’s positioning, nothing to do with anything else in the world apart from Luton Town attaining 59 points by tomorrow. That is our total focus.”
