Nathan Jones says he’s got no malice towards Stoke City or their fans but insists he and Luton Town are now reaping the benefit of his short-lived managerial spell at the Potters.
Saturday visit to Kenilworth Road of his former side will be the first encounter with fans present after last year’s matches behind closed doors due to Coronavirus restrictions.
Jones left Luton controversially in 2019 to join Stoke but was relieved of his duties 11 months later with the former Premier League staring down the barrel of relegation. The Welshman made a surprise return to Luton in the middle of last year, guided the Hatters to a great escape and is now establishing them as a top half of the Championship side.
He’s back in favour with Luton fans, as the scenes at the end of their last two home games has demonstrated, though his departure has arguably long since been forgiven.
He’s yet to come face-to-face with Stoke supporters, but Jones said: “The ironic thing was I had a good relationship with the fans. They saw what we were trying to do, it’s just we didn’t get results. We did good work at the club, but didn’t get results. It’s one of those things.
“I’ve no malice against the club. The owners, I get on well with. They gave me enough time, so there’s no malice, but I’m back where I love being.
“Ironically, it was a great learning curve for me, so I’m a better manager now. I think I reaped the benefit of my time there and, ironically, so did Luton.
“It’s all water under the bridge. It’s an old club. When I was a player I loved playing against my old clubs. Now, as a manager, I love playing against my old clubs, but I’m in a place I want to be.”
The Hatters were leapfrogged by Stoke last night having spent 24 hours in the play-off places, but they’re only one point behind. Last season, Town failed to score in either league fixture against the Potters, conceding a total of five goals.
Jones said: “I think they demonstrated more quality in those games, but we’re a different team now. This time last year, we played them at home and there was very little in the game but Fletcher and Powell were the two outstanding ones and punished us.
“We put in one of our worst performances away from home and we really were inept. Now and again, we have a performance like that. We had one of those against Preston last week, or Birmingham. But we don’t do that very often, so we are different.
“It’s a game and I’ll take no more pleasure winning on Saturday than I did on Tuesday night, but I’ll take great pleasure in winning because we always do.”
Luton will be without midfielder Henri Lansbury due to suspension after he picked up his fifth booking of the season in Tuesday night’s 3-1 win over Middlesbrough.
Jones said: “It is (frustrating). Whether he would’ve played is another thing. It just takes an option away. We brought him in for his quality on the ball, but energy-wise, especially out of possession the other day, I thought he was excellent.
“He would be a miss but we might’ve freshened it up anyway. Henri’s played one and half games in the last six days, so we might’ve freshen it up anyway, but it would’ve been nice to have the option.”
Amari’i Bell missed the midweek win against Boro with a dead leg and on his chances of returning on Saturday, the manager said: “We have to assess Amari’i as well. We can’t risk going in half cooked against Stoke because they’re a good side.”
Jones also gave an update on Luke Berry, who injured his knee against Hull, saying: “When you open up a medial (ligament) it’s not a bad injury, but when you do come back, you can run, you can sprint, you can do everything, it’s just when you’re hitting and bending balls, and he’s a good technician, so he uses every conceivable shot and pass, so it doesn’t help that he is that, as that’s what opens up the knee.
“He won’t be back before the international break and praise the lord, he’s got two weeks of the international break where he doesn’t miss anything, so hopefully he’ll be back by the QPR game or the game after.”
