Nathan Jones says Luton must not overreact to a 5-0 drubbing at home to Birmingham, but bounce back against hotly tipped Sheffield United.
Town have won two and lost two in the Championship so far this season, but they go into the final game before the international break off the back of a worrying capitulation against City at Kenilworth Road last week.
However, Jones believes things will start to level out once his defenders return from injury and Covid. Sonny Bradley has missed the start of the season after being struck down with the disease, but is now back in training, as is Reece Burke who has been out with a thigh strain.
Tom Lockyer has suffered both from Covid and injury, but has played in the last two games, including that chastening reverse against Birmingham.
“It is the manner of the defeat really but we have a lot of people out, a lot of people coming back, a lot who are lacking match fitness,” said Jones.
“This thing where we are having two away games and you don’t get many more intense teams to play against than West Brom and Barnsley and because we haven’t got players in every position to freshen everything up. We have to make sure we don’t overreact but that we get a reaction.
“We have to bounce back, we can panic, worry and fear but that is not us. We don’t often have real adverse results, that was one last week and it came at the end of a big week with two away games.
“We had one similar to that at Swansea, Leeds, and then against Reading (after football returned from its Covid hiatus last year).
“It can happen in the Championship and there is enough quality in the Championship to punish you when you are not at it, and we weren’t at it.
“Credit to Birmingham but we have to bounce back. We’ve had a week now to work and plan and get back on it but we have to make sure we bounce back.”
Six points from 12 has Town sitting in 11th position, though they were top after their opening day victory over Peterborough United, albeit for a few minutes, as Hull scored a late fourth against Preston to leapfrog Luton on goal difference.
Jones said: “It is not a disastrous start, just the manner of the last defeat has got everyone twitching a little bit. We didn’t get carried away when we were comfortable against Peterborough, we didn’t get too down when we lost to West Brom, and we didn’t get too high when we had a wonderful win away.
“This is the championship and until everything irons out after 10 games, then you won’t get a clear picture. It is one of those things, part and parcel of being a manager and being a Championship football club.”
But Town’s task doesn’t get any easier this afternoon with the visit of newly relegated Sheffield United, even though they’ve taken just one point from their opening four games and currently sit in the relegation zone.
“They have got promoted from the Championship, had two years in the Premier League and they’re one of the favourites to go back up,” said Jones.
“They are in a false position at the minute but we have to make sure we don’t give them a helping hand in climbing the table.
“All I’m concerned about is us being the best version of ourselves, if we do that, we will be in a better position. We had chances last week from set plays, the games could have ended up 3-5, 4-5, but you can’t concede five and expect anything from the game.
“That is where we need to brush up on certain things and if we are back to being us, we have been very good for a long period of time so that is all I’m concerned about.”
