Hatters hold a meeting to set out promotion goals

Luton boss Nathan Jones revealed he held a meeting with his players this week to drum into them just what can be achieved this term.
Hatters boss Nathan JonesHatters boss Nathan Jones
Hatters boss Nathan Jones

Town head into the final eight games of the season, trailing the automatic promotion places by five points after a run of one win in seven and three straight draws.

However, Jones still remains confident they can go up without needing the play-offs, as on what was discussed, he said: “We’ve had a meeting in terms of not our usual debrief meeting, but about certain things.

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“Now it’s an eight game mini league if you like and we know what we need to do to do one thing, we know what we need to do to do another and we know what we’ve got to try and avoid.

“So we’ve just set those goals in motion and what we’re asking for is just a little bit more ruthless streak about us.

“I’ve asked them, not been critical, but said, we’ve said we want to get promoted, so you don’t get handed it, you’ve got to take it. So that’s what we’ve got to do, bit more Carpe Diem if you like.

“Whatever they want to do, they’re capable of doing. Because we’re a good side, we’ve proved that and we’re in such a much better position than we were last year, in terms of can we maybe do it?

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“We’re in a great position, now we have to capitalise on that and not just let things coast.”

After a 1-1 draw with Newport in midweek on a shocking playing surface, there will be no such worries in Town’s final matches, starting at Colchester United this weekend.

Jones is expecting that to lead to a different Luton side taking the field for the remaining fixtures, as he added: “In terms of what we’ve had to do lately, going away to Carlisle and looking after players Saturday, Tuesday, they are a youngish group, we’ve had to compensate a little bit in terms of certain things. Now we haven’t got to do that.

“We’re clear in our goals, eight games, clear in what we have to do, nothing will change. We’ll go back to Luton now and hopefully we can put that run together.

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“I had to pick a side on Tuesday to cope with the pitch, so we couldn’t be ourselves, that won’t happen now.

“We’ve got eight games now where no pitch will come into it. No team is incredibly one way that we have to compensate for that, we just have to be ourselves and that’s the message I gave.

“As I don’t like losing football matches but if we lose or we draw and we’ve played our way and done everything we can then that’s all I want as we have a process here that we do.

“On Tuesday, because of the pitch, the conditions, we had to adapt and good sides do that. If that pitch was there and it was November that wouldn’t have been a bad point, it would have been a ground out point, but because of the situation it changes things, now we’ll be us.

“We’ll be positive, on the front foot, all the things we do well, just bring it all out and see where we end up.”

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