Nathan Jones has said to panic as they prepare to face league leaders Norwich after their heaviest defeat of the season.
The Hatters were handed a 4-0 drubbing at Cardiff on Saturday, which saw them two goals down in the opening nine minutes.
Their first defeat in four, after three consecutive 1-1 draws, saw Town drop from mid-table to 15th, but with a nine point cushion from the Championship drop zone.
Tonight, as well as welcoming 1,000 fans back to Kenilworth Road for the first time in nine months, Luton host a Norwich side that is on a ten-game unbeaten streak and is sitting pretty at the top.
Jones said: “We can’t second guess anything that Norwich are going to do and I can’t wish for this, wish for that.
“What I really want is for us to put in the level of performance we did in the last two home games with a slightly different result in terms of us getting more positive points.”
The manager admitted on Saturday that the defeat in the Welsh capital was one of only two times as a manager he’s felt embarrassed by a performance.
Asked if that gives him a selection headache, Jones said: “What you can’t do is panic, we’re in a relatively decent position, what we can’t do is let our early season form (go), as we’ve only lost once last month.
“It’s just we’ve drawn games that we shouldn’t have, in terms of the Birmingham game, and it hasn’t been a bad haul If we’d have just got what we deserved in the Birmingham game, it would have been a good month.
“Yes, we’re going to get the odd result where we get punished as we’re at a level that can do that to you.
“We know that we have to be at our absolute maximum, we can’t get away with that. Some teams will get away with it as they have a certain level of player.
“Bournemouth were two down at half time the other day. If we’re two down, it’s very difficult to come back from. Without being disrespectful to us, Bournemouth have spent £100million on strikers and front men, so they can afford to do that, we can’t.
“So, when we have an off day, we know we’re going to get punished. What we have to do is be at our maximum, so we have more good days than bad.”
Norwich are another team that do not seem to have suffered despite a growing injury list, but the Canaries will be without striker Teemu Pukki, goalkeeper Tim Krul, Kieran Dowell, Todd Cantwell and Lukas Rupp, though former Hatters Academy product Max Aarons will be fit to face his former club.
Luton beat them 3-1 in the Carabao Cup first round to open their season, and Norwich then had to play a much-changed side. Asked if this is another good time to face City, Jones said: “I hope so, but I won’t know. If they have one of their players out then that’s a bonus for us, because they are a very, very good side, and a side that we are, financially, a long way away from.
“With that financial clout they can bring on international quality players and they’ve got a wonderful squad that’s been together for a while. It’s been promoted in the Premier League and then it’s dropped back down with aspirations of going up, so we know that they’re full of quality. And whoever they play, they’ll be full of quality.
“You could say it’s a good time to play them but they’re in a winning habit, they’re very difficult to beat and they can punish you, so we’ll have to be at our best to get something out of the game.”
