Hatters boss hopes it's time for Luton's season to finally 'lift-off' by beating QPR

Town boss Rob Edwards is hoping that victory over QPR at Kenilworth Road this evening will provide the ‘lift-off’ that he so desperately wants for Luton’s season.

The Hatters go in search of a first victory of the campaign against the R’s, having lost two of their three Championship games, taking just a point in the process, also going out of the Carabao Cup at tonight’s opponents on penalties too. It means that Luton are now without a win in any competition since beating AFC Bournemouth 2-1 in April, while they have only won two league matches this calendar year, a 4-0 success over Brighton in January, their only other three points.

A run of 14 defeats from their final 17 matches saw Town relegated out of the Premier League, but despite the manner in which they have begun this term, Edwards didn’t think there was a losing hangover at the club, saying: “I hope not. We’re the ones who have to put that away, there’s no talk and it doesn’t feel that way, it doesn’t feel like that’s the kind of run that we’re on. Maybe because all right last year, we understood the situation a little bit, and during that stage a lot of injuries and maybe there’s a reason. This year now we know there’s more pressure on, we’ve got to accept that and we know that’s got to change, but it doesn’t feel like there’s a cloud over us or where’s it coming from?

"It doesn’t feel like that at all. I’m sure that two things, once we get that winning feeling, that hopefully will remain and once the goals start coming, that will remain as well and it is lift-off. But we’re in control of that, our performances, our mentality, so that’s what we’ve got to make sure we focus on now and then hopefully those other things take care of themselves.

Although Luton didn’t get the win at Loftus Road in midweek, they produced a decent display on the night, having by far the better of the chances, denied a place in the third round by some missed opportunities and an inspired showing from R’s goalkeeper Joe Walsh. It meant that Edwards was still happy with his side’s efforts in general despite their meagre points return, as he continued: “We’ll all agree in the room that performance levels have been good.

"We’ll always ask for more and we’re always striving for more. There’s areas we can be better in, but there were a lot of good things there that we want to keep doing. We got 20 regains in their half, which is ridiculous numbers really. Things like that in terms of our pressing gave us a lot of good control, we averaged a lot more bodies in the box when we were crossing, three people in the box, there’s things there that are coming.

"So like I keep saying, we’re going to continue to improve and hopefully that’s always the case, but a huge effort. The intensity was better, no doubt about that. We’re going to need that at home under the lights and hopefully the supporters get behind that when they see the intensity on the pitch.”