Isiah Jones thinks Luton will not have “an issue in the long run” with relegation if they deliver eight more performances to match the one against his former side Middlesbrough – but admitted Town have to start taking their chances.
The Hatters dominated Boro on Saturday but missed a series of sitters where Thelo Aasgaard and Elijah Adebayo should have put the game to bed as early as the 20th minute. But they didn’t and it ensure a goalless draw and fourth blank in six games under new manager Matt Bloomfield to leave them five points adrift of safety at the foot of the Championship.
“We just didn’t take our chances when they fell to us, but [there are] many positives to take and hopefully we just build on confidence from the game and momentum and take us to the last eight games,” said Jones.
“There’s 24 points to play for. Our aim is to take all 24, but if we put in performances like that I don’t think it’ll be an issue in the long run.”
While Aasgaard at least scored the winner in the basement battle at Cardiff last Tuesday, but Adebayo hasn’t scored in 18 games since September and when a wayward backpass put him one-on-one with Boro goalkeeper Mark Travers, it should’ve been the ideal opportunity to break his duck. Instead his effort was aimed straight at the stopper and that stretched his league leading number of big chances missed to 27 for the season.
Wing back Jones, who is also yet to score for Luton since signing from Middlesbrough in January, said: “I just think, at least with creating the chances and getting into positions, maybe it’s just down to confidence in front of goal. Eli had a big chance when they gave him basically a free shot, but I think it’s down to confidence really with Eli.
“But he’s a top player and we’re just trying to build everyone’s confidence up again in front of goal because it’s not going for us at the moment. But hopefully, after the international break, when everyone’s back from internationals, we can just work on that maybe a bit more and hopefully start taking our chances more in games.
“If you’re getting in the [goalscoring] areas you’re doing the right thing. But as a striker you’re judged on scoring goals. At least he’s getting in the right positions to take the shots, it’s just putting the ball back in the net.
“I think he’ll take a scrappy goal to build confidence. I think any striker will take a tap-in or come off the thigh or whatnot, so I think he just needs one to fall his way when the goals will start coming again.”
While Town had 19 shots, they managed just five on target, however, at the other end Middlesbrough didn’t register a shot on Thomas Kaminski’s goal.
“I think it’s probably our most complete performance from back to front and we were unlucky not to take three points. But we can take many positives from the game and look forward to again off the international break,” said Jones, who will travel for international duty with Guyana this week
“It’s frustrating we didn’t take our chances when we did, but I think there’s many positives to take. Hopefully we’ll gain momentum and confidence from this performance and take it to the next games.”
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