Jones: I'm looking forward to Stoke clash far more as Luton boss than when in charge of the Potters

Luton chief Nathan Jones admitted he is finally looking forward to walking out as a manager at Stoke City this evening when he takes his Hatters side to the bet365 Stadium.

The Welshman controversially left Town for the Potters back in January 2019, which was the start of a difficult tenure in Staffordshire, sacked just nine months later following a run of six wins from 38 games.

Jones returned last season when no fans were present due to coronavirus restrictions, with the Hatters well beaten 3-0, giving one of their poorest performances of the campaign in the process, while they have lost both home games as well, 2-0 last term and a 1-0 defeat at Kenilworth Road back in November.

When asked about the clash which, after last night’s games sees the Hatters in 10th, four points above their 13th-placed rivals, Jones said: “I’m looking forward to it, I really am.

“Hopefully we can put in a better performance then we did last year and I’m looking forward more to going there as an away manager than I did as a home manager, which is kind of ironic.

“I know them well don’t worry about that.

"We’ve got an extra day to prepare as it’s a Wednesday, but it’s a tough game, as is every game.

“It showed as Birmingham are in the lower echelons of the league, 17th, but we were totally inept, so we’ve got to make sure our performance levels are better than they were at Birmingham.”