Nathan Jones hailed his Luton side’s performance, despite a stalemate against Huddersfield where they dominated the opening period to show they are “are evolving into a very very potent Championship side.”
Coming off the back of Wednesday’s thumping 5-0 win against Coventry, Town showed more of the high-pressing, high intensity style that is becoming their trademark.
They fashioned 21 crossing opportunities in the opening half, but all too often the final delivery is what let them down, despite Harry Cornick spearheading the attack superbly.
High on confidence after his first ever Hatters double in midweek the attacker crafted Luton’s best chance and, for once, a cross found its target, though Amari’i Bell’s flashing finish crashed off the post.
The full back had earlier had Town’s first chance when former Hatter Matty Pearson got his aerial angles all wrong and nodded a long ball into his path, only for the defender to pull his shot wide.
But the hosts couldn’t make their pressure pay and after the break the Terriers rallied more, without threatening regularly bar a Harry Toffolo blast over and Danel Sinani’s curler, which had Simon Sluga scrambling across his line, only to see the effort sail just wide of the upright while the Croatian was in mid-flight.
But the result secured Luton’s fifth clean sheet in 11 Championship games, and second on the spin.
Manager Jones said: “We were the more dominant ones today, in terms of aggression, press and everything else. I’m very pleased because it shows Luton Town are evolving into a very very potent Championship side.
“I’m relatively pleased. Not with the draw, but the performance. I thought we were totally dominant in the first half and it just shows the respect we’re building.
“They’re normally an aggressive side that want to play and are dominant and we didn’t allow them that. We went after them, forced them to kick and I thought we were totally dominant in the first half.
“We missed a glorious chance to take the lead and then we probably didn’t show enough quality in the final third.
“We had 21 crosses in the first half. One did land on (Bell), but just a little bit more guile (was needed).
“I’ve spoken to people I know on their staff and they were fearful coming here today, so that’s the reputation that we’re now building.”
Perhaps wary of the five-star drubbing Luton dished out to Coventry on Wednesday, Huddersfield were more compact at the back and that ultimately proved frustrating.
Jones said: “We have to have a new facet to us now. We’ve got to learn to break that down. We knew how to do it in League Two and League One because every side did that to us, but I’m so pleased that those are the levels we’re attaining and the level of respect that we now have.”
The draw saw the Hatters drop to 13th in the league, but they now go into an international break where Jones expects to get Allan Campbell, Admiral Muskwe, Fred Onyedinma, Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu, Danny Hylton back from injury lay-offs.
And considering the turmoil that has caused in the early months of the season, Jones is philosophical about his side’s future.
“Obviously, I think we should be higher than 13th but we are in a good place in terms of the squad, the style, the aggression we’re showing, how they’re learning, how they’re evolving. And, look, we are different.
“When I first came back here, we had to do a job. Last year we were a certain team, but now we might not have the points we probably deserve, but performances and how we are evolving, I’m really pleased. I think we’re in a good place.”
