Nathan Jones is on a mission to beat the previous best Championship finish of Luton’s 2005/06 side, even at the survival expense of his friend Paul Warne, the manager of Rotherham.
Town host the Millers tonight and a draw or a victory would see them surpass the 61 points amassed by Mike Newell’s team that last finished in the top half of the second tier 15 years ago.
That was a side full of Hatters still held in very high regard, like Kevin Nicholls, Steve Howard, Ahmet Brkovic, Curtis Davies and Leon Barnett.
“If that’s the stat then I want us to beat that. I want us to finish higher than that team did,” said the Hatters boss.
“Anything (tonight) will mean that. All we’ve always wanted to do is progress and get better. Season by season we’ve managed to do that.
“The higher we go this year, the more difficult it will be next year, but that’s the club, that’s the environment, that’s the culture here and that’s what we want to do.”
At this stage last year, Town beat relegation rivals Hull City 1-0 to set up a final day Great Escape bid, which ultimately proved successful.
That’s the position Rotherham find themselves in, as they’re three points from safety but with tonight’s trip to Kenilworth Road their game in hand on Wayne Rooney’s Derby, who sit precariously above the drop zone on 43 points.
Jones played with Warne at Yeovil, but their friendship will be on ice tonight and he said: “We’d rather be in our position than where we were this stage last year. This time last year, we had a wonderful win against Hull City away but still needed to win or to get better than other results to survive. We’re not in that position.
“Warney’s one of my real good friends. I’ve played with Paul Warne and he’s one of my best friends but I want to take our football club forward and that’s all we will worry about.
“Whatever happens, Rotherham have to take care of themselves. For us, it’s all about us and that’s what it is.
“Whatever happens there’s nothing guaranteed for Rotherham either way, whatever the result is.
“For us, we want to guarantee ourselves, so all I’m concerned with is Luton Town.
“Last season we were sitting on 47 points, 47 points keeps you up this year. We have to worry about ourselves.
“Last year, we had a goalkeeper (Christian Walton at Blackburn) that I’d worked with, that I’m friends with, that I helped, came up here in the 94th minute to try to relegate us.
“So, no-one tried to do Luton Town any favours. It’s not like we want to do anyone any favours, but we are concentrating solely on getting three points. I want us to get three points because that will cement us in a top half finish.
“In all intents and purposes, I would like him (Warne) to do well, just not (tonight).
Victory would see Luton move into 11th place and guarantee a top half of the table finish, setting up the prospect of leapfrogging ninth-placed Queens Park Rangers in Saturday’s season closer in west London.
But Jones is already eyeing progression next term, saying: “I don’t just want to be a top half team. Last year we avoided relegation and we are seen at the minute as relegation candidates. We have put that to bed in emphatic fashion, because we’ve never been anywhere near the bottom three.
“Regardless of how other people see us, we feel that we are establishing ourselves as a Championship side and to do that on our budget is a phenomenal achievement.
“We don’t harp on about budgets, or bemoan it. We know the structure we have here – because everyone else on the same budget as us is on 40 points and going into the last week on a knife-edge – so for us to be doing what we’re doing is phenomenal work. That’s a credit to everyone.
“It’s not just the players, it’s a whole club. We want to be established at this level, but we don’t want to just be established at this level – and maybe that’s pie in the sky or an unrealistic ambition – but that’s the ambition.”
