Graeme Jones said he had nothing but pride in his side, despite a later Bobby Decordova-Reid leveller, which snatched victory from Luton.
Three times Town took the lead through Kazenga LuaLua, James Collins and Harry Cornick and on every occasion the west Londoners pegged them back, with the scorer of the game’s sixth and final goal bagging a brace either side of Aleksander Mitrovic’s header.
The loss of two late points saw the Hatters fall into the Championship relegation zone by virtue of goal difference, after Stoke’s late winner against Sheffield Wednesday, but Jones said: “We would have got beat six weeks ago – there’s enough negatives out there if you want to go searching for them.
“I was absolutely proud as punch for 97 minutes at our display in every single aspect and we’re unfortunate at the end, but we weren’t capable of getting a positive result against Fulham last time we played them.
“I think we played them nine weeks ago – the gulf is huge, the financial gulf that’s there. I think we bridged the gap with effort and quality at times, I would rather take the positives.
“You’ve got players, staff, a board of directors and supporters all pulling in the same direction, every single one of us. And that’s how you get out of this situation.
“All I have asked the boys it to take ownership for the same level of performance every time we play and we have got to go and do the same thing at Bristol City.
“We get that level of performance again, we are going to get points, that’s what is reassuring to me.
That performance inspired me. I saw a real maturity; I saw a lack of respect to the opponent that I love.
“Nine weeks ago we weren’t capable of that. I’m so pleased with the progress and now we have to have that consistency and that level of performance and I know we’ll be OK.”
