Sonny Bradley thinks Luton will need clean sheets in around half of their remaining nine Championship games if they are to pull off the great escape.
The Hatters captain returned to the starting line-up after three games on the treatment table for Saturday’s goalless draw at Wigan, which earned him a personal hat-trick of shutout in his last three outings.
“In this division, a clean sheet, at any time, is very good,” said Bradley, adding: “It’s something we’re proud of and we’ve had a few of them in the last six or seven games and we need to get as many as we can.
“With nine games left, you feel we’re probably going to need another four or five to give us a chance.”
The result at the DW Stadium was not a game for the purists, but with Town deploying Matty Pearson at right back, to make way for Bradley in the centre and Martin Cranie filling in at left back, it was a dogged display.
The captain said: “Defensively, we’ve done really well. We’ve had to sacrifice some of our attacking moves, to nullify their chances and we’ve done that well. We’re happy with the clean sheet and, yes, it’s a point gained.
“We go away now and if we beat Preston it’s four points in two games and they’re the sort of results that we’ll need from now until the end of the season.”
The Hatters have taken 11 points from their last 18, with the weekend’s draw lifting them off the foot of the table but extending the gap to safety from five to six points.
“It’s important that we didn’t lose,” said Bradley, adding: “I think it probably keeps Wigan in the mix, and there’s a fair few teams now that are looking over their shoulder. We’ve just got to go on a good run from now until the end of the season, pick up as many points as we can and it’s a step closer.
“It’s a point closer, we just need to come into some good form now and pick up as many points as we can until the end of the season to give ourselves the best chance.”
