Nathan Jones hailed his makeshift Hatters as they survived yet more injury turmoil to move back into the Championship play-off places with a clinical win over Preston.
Luke Berry bagged a brace – including a cheeky back-heeled flick – and Fred Onyedinma another before half time, with the latter introduced after centre half Reece Burke limped off, leaving Luton with a defence full of full backs.
Kal Naismith and Tom Lockyer were both missing through injury, while club captain Sonny Bradley has been absent since January, so Dan Potts took over captain’s duties. His partnership with Peter Kioso was exemplary with the latter temporarily credited with the third goal until the interval when television replays showed it was Onyedinma that had got the final touch, to mark a man-of-the-match display.
“I’m so, so happy,” said Jones, adding: “Luke Berry does what Luke Berry does very, very well. I just thought we were excellent in the first half.
“The second half, we’ve got a benchmark or a watershed, where Swansea came here, we were three-up (at half-time) and cruising. It should’ve been four or five but we ended up drawing it.
“So, now, we don’t do a Swansea. We didn’t, and the energy we showed in the second half was quite frightening, especially because everyone’s having to do massive shifts.
“We’re losing people left, right and centre. Us and Middlesbrough have had the most hectic schedule in the Championship, because of our cup exploits and Covid, but we’ve been simply scintillating, we really have.”
Indeed, after the break, Town were relentless, and extended their lead when Preston keeper Daniel Iversen punched the impressive Amari’i Bell’s cross-cum-shot onto the head of the beleaguered Bambo Diaby for an own goal fourth.
Luton could’ve had more, but it was a resounding response to Sunday’s slip-up against play-off rivals QPR, whose winning goal was shown to be offside.
“We we robbed on Sunday. We were good on Sunday,” said Jones, adding: “Tonight, we defended our box better and we were far more clinical. I thought that was as good a performance as we’ve had here.”
Town swapped places tonight with QPR though, and they now sit in fifth place.
Luton’s shutout was also their 16th of the Championship campaign, and that lifted them into a class of their own this season, with Jones saying: “Another clean sheet, and we’re top of the clean sheet charts now. There’s no-one else there. Fulham and Huddersfield were there but they’ve conceded goals over the last two nights.
“So, we’re on to 16 clean sheets, which shows we’re in a wonderful place, with a makeshift back five. With an electric right winger and left wing back. With four full backs effectively playing as a back five.
“To roll with the punches, I’m so proud of the group. Let’s not forget, these are a real good side. They’ve lost one in ten.
“With the greatest of respect, it’s not like we’ve done that to somebody that’s already down. It’s a wonderful performance.”
4 Trackbacks / Pingbacks
Comments are closed.