Hatters boss would like to see Championship campaign extended if possible

Luton chief has concerns over playing nine games in 29 days
Hatters boss Nathan Jones is back at the BracheHatters boss Nathan Jones is back at the Brache
Hatters boss Nathan Jones is back at the Brache

Luton chief Nathan Jones would like to see Championship teams given a little bit of extra time to complete the 2019-20 season.

The EFL announced on Sunday that the league could provisionally return on June 20 after being suspended since early March due to the coronavirus pandemic, aiming to finish all 108 fixtures in around five weeks, with the play-off final then held ‘on or around’ July 30.

Jones has no issues with the restart date but is hoping the campaign could be prolonged slightly in order to give his, and the rest of the second tier sides, the best chance of playing their nine matches.

He told the club's official website: “It’s going to be a really testing time for lots of reasons, to prepare a squad in three and a half weeks is going to be tough, but then to prepare for nine games in 29 days that’s very, very tough.

“We’ve been asked for our feedback and no problem starting on the 20th but maybe if we could just extend it a little bit, as to play nine games in the proximity you have to do, you'll do very well to have continuity in your team and that’s everyone, not just Luton, it’s very, very difficult.

“We want to make sure its competitive and I think sense should prevail, so we'll see.

"It is good having that provisional start date as you can work backwards from what you want to do.

"We’re cranking up the sessions, they're not at the level they need to be but they're getting there very quickly.”

One thing that will make it slightly easier for Jones to get his squad up and running is the familiarity that he has with them from his first spell in charge.

He signed a number of the players at his disposal during his three years in charge and admitted that was one of the main reasons behind his desire to return.

Jones continued: “It was nothing that I didn't expect as I know this is a good group.

“I remember speaking to Graeme (Jones) when we played West Brom last year and I think he'd been approached by Luton and I said 'one thing, you've got a great group to work with.'

“So I knew coming back it would be a great group, it's been brilliant to be back.

“I've missed the group and it's been everything I expected.

"A good intensity, a real good attitude, an openness to do the things we ask them to and that’s all you can ask from a footballer, so I'm delighted to be back with them.

“A lot of these I built a relationship that was more than just manager, player, we had a real bond.

"That's why there was the difficulty of leaving, but it was a great bond we've got.”

Even the players that have arrived since Jones headed to Stoke City won't be as mystery to him either, as the boss said: "I played with Martin (Cranie) and I know him, he's from Yeovil, during my time there, he was around, either with us or with Southampton on loan.

“I had Cameron (Carter-Vickers) at Stoke and then I've known people like Jacob Butterfield, Moncs (George Moncur), who I bought in just before we left, so I know a lot of them.

“(Luke) Bolton and (James) Bree I’d watched, so I know pretty much all of them.

Simon Sluga is probably the only one I didn't know anything about but I'm quickly learning about him.

“So it's just about, with a lot of them, slipping back into the old way of doing stuff and with others, just about getting them into the environment we create.

“I wanted to come in as early as possible if I could once I found it was an option to come back as I wanted to create our environment, not anyone else's, just our environment and we've been able to do that.”

It’s not just the squad that Jones had an affinity with either, but the coaching staff too, as he was happy to leave the team in their capable hands to be at the birth of his first child this week.

He added: "That's part of the decision for coming back, the familiarity, I know what I'm going to get.

“When you go to a new club, sometimes it’s new and it can be fresh, but ultimately you don't really know.

“I know what I'm getting here and that was a big pull for me to come back with the board, I know the board, I was close to the board, close to staff here, close to players, so that was a real big pull.

“When I missed a day the other day, I was sent a session by video and you could see they just stepped it back up.

“Mick (Harford) is used to being in charge from last year and Forbesy (Adrian Forbes) and the sports scientists have done really good work in my early days here.

"The familiarity was really good and that was a big reason for coming back.”