Clark urges Luton to handle the extra pressure after 'sloppy' Preston defeat

Hatters midfielder Jordan Clark has urged his side to handle the extra pressure they have been saddled with this season after what he called a ‘sloppy’ performance in the final third at Preston on Saturday.

With Luton tipped as one of the favourites to win promotion from the second tier and retake their place in a Premier League they were relegated out of last season, they continued their frustrating opening to the campaign with a 1-0 defeat during their trip to Deepdale at the weekend, making it two losses from their opening three matches. Easily the better team, Town created by far the better chances on the afternoon, but just couldn't take any of them, as Will Keane’s 39th minute goal was enough to separate the two sides.

Carlton Morris tested home stopper Freddie Woodman in the first half, while after the break, the North End keeper repelled Elijah Adebayo’s first-time attempt, also saving well from Clark himself too, following a driving run forwards. With Shandon Baptiste and Alfie Doughty putting decent opportunities wide of the target, speaking afterwards, the long-serving midfielder said: “One point from three games is not the best reading.

"There’s a lot of expectation on us but we've got to handle that and if we want to achieve what we want to achieve at the end of the season then we’ve got to be coming to places like this and getting something from the game. I thought we played really well to be fair, I thought it was a good performance, just barring the final third which was a bit sloppy.

"We didn’t pick the right pass or the shot was off target which is a bit disappointing as we work hard on it in training. So disappointing final third stuff, but on the whole I thought the performance was really good. We were dominant, had more corners, chances, getting into their box but it doesn’t count for anything if you don’t put the ball in the back of the net.

“It's frustrating for the fans to come a long way and not get anything from the game, so we apologise for that, but we’re still upbeat. One point from three games is not the best reading. We'd be a little bit more worried if we weren’t playing well, but it’s very early on in the season.”

One plus that Luton did have was the return of Reece Burke and Mads Andersen to the squad, the pair on the bench but going on to get 45 minutes each against QPR in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night. They were also able to welcome new signings Mark McGuinness and Liam Walsh into the fold too, as Clark continued: “You can see the squad today looking a lot more healthy.

"We’ve got the lads coming in from the summer and I thought Mark was brilliant, you could see his quality and he'll be a great addition for us. We know they had a new manager, so it was going to be a big crowd, give them a bit of a lift, but we had to handle that and I thought we did. We were the dominant team and on another day we could have scored three or four goals. No excuses though, you’ve got to put the ball in the back of the net and stop it going in our net, that’s what football’s all about isn’t it.”

Town didn’t have long to dwell on the result though as they were straight back into the action in midweek, losing on penalties in the cup to a side that they welcome to Kenilworth Road this evening for a second tier contest. Aiming to go into the international break with a victory, Clark added: “We’ve got to be positive now and that’s the best thing about this league, there’s always another game, Friday night at the Kenny.

"It’s always a funny one playing the same team twice in one week, so it’s working on what we can improve on and then getting the first win under our belt as that’s the main thing. In this league when you get one win it gives you a little bit of momentum and you can go on a little run and that’s what the Championship is all about, because it's so relentless. You’re playing week in, week out, here, there and everywhere. We just know we need that first win under our belt and the confidence will keep coming.”