Hatters boss not after any favours during relegation battle

Luton boss Graeme Jones isn’t looking for any favours during Town’s battle to stay in the Championship this season.

With 10 games remaining, the Hatters sit at the foot of the table, five points from safety, going into a crucial relegation clash at fifth bottom Wigan Athletic this afternoon, one of three matches containing sides in and around the danger zone.

Fellow strugglers Charlton host Middlesbrough, with Stoke at home to Hull City, but Jones wasn’t interested in how other sides will fare, or who will drop points, saying: “There’s a few supporters I’ve bumped into who have said, 'are people going to do us a favour?'

"The only favour you need is from yourself, we’ve got to keep picking up points.

"We keep picking up points, I think it’s irrelevant what other teams do, we’ve just got to keep picking up enough points to stay in the league."

The fact that Town are up against the Latics was neither here nor there for Jones either, who continued: "It’s just next game, I don’t just say this, it’s the truth, just Saturday.

“I know we’ve got Preston, we’ve got Swansea and we’ve got Leeds, but the work that has to go into one game is a lot, so I can’t afford to focus on anything else.

“The three game weeks you sort of look ahead a little bit so you’ve got a rough idea, but it’s still a game at a time.

“Ten games left, we’ve got four now until the international break and then six when we come back, a three game week in seven days and we’ve got three games in nine days over the Easter period.

“I just think every game we need to take on its own merits and see if we can get as many points as we can.”

Town’s away form has been a huge reason as to why the club have struggled so badly on their return to the Championship, with just three wins and a hefty 15 defeats.

Jones has been happy with their performances since being beaten 3-1 at Nottingham Forest in mid-January though, adding: “Without a doubt, last time out we lost to Charlton, I thought it was very, very unfair in the manner as we scored a legitimate goal to go 2-1 up.

“Then we beat Middlesbrough the week before that, so I don’t think there’s any fear going to any places any more, which I thought was there, it was very prevalent in the first six months of the season.

“I don't worry about, we just need to perform in a similar manner and see if we can take some points.”