Clean sheets are not the priority for Luton manager Graeme Jones, who says winning games must comes first.
Town host Hull City this afternoon in the Championship, still without a first league shutout in a campaign where only rock-bottom Stoke have conceded more.
Yet, while the Hatters have conceded 13 goals in seven games, including three in last week’s defeat at Queens Park Rangers, they are the division’s joint top goalscorers with 12, netting in all but one of their matches so far.
After beating Huddersfield prior to the international break, Jones said his side had finally gotten over a psychological barrier.
Asked if keeping the goals out might be the next big hurdle, the manager said: “Darren Moore is a clean sheet expert as a player and as a coach, we got our first clean sheet (for West Bromwich Albion) in October last year, at an ex-Premier League club. So, I don’t know the stats, but it’s not easy to keep a clean sheet in the Championship.
“We said we want to keep a clean sheet in every game, but the most important thing is winning the game. If a clean sheet is the result of that then great. If it’s not and we win, I’ll work at it the following week and try to work towards keeping a clean sheet, but I’d rather win a game of football and that’s where always the priority is.”
Jones is preparing for Town to face Hull for the first time in 12 years, with the Tigers in a similar vein of scoring eight but conceding 13.
They’ve drawn their last three games in all competitions and their only victory in the Championship this term came six weeks ago. But Jones expects a tough test against a manager, in Grant McCann, who swapped Doncaster Rovers for the Tigers in the summer.
“I’ve not come up against Grant,” said the Hatters boss, adding: “Obviously Donny’s (Doncaster) one of my old clubs, so I’ve followed their progress. They were a challenge, tactically, I watched them in the play-off game last season and they were really competitive with some good players.
“I watched them in detail, watched their last game against Wigan, watched them against (Nottingham) Forest, and they are capable of hurting you, like every single Championship club, us included.
“Hopefully on Saturday they won’t and we will and we’ll win the game, but Grant knows Luton, he’s been here with Doncaster, so he’s got a bit of experience of what’s the come, so we’ll have to wait and see.”
