Jones: I’ve never felt hung out to dry by Luton players

Hatters chief Graeme Jones declared he has never for a moment felt hung out to dry by his players at Kenilworth Road this season.

After a recent run of 13 defeats from 16 league games, Town found themselves seemingly anchored to the bottom of the Championship, some 10 points adrift of safety.

However, the Luton boss has now led the team to three victories from five matches, including crucially, two in the space of four days to cut the gap to just four points.

Despite receiving criticism from some sections of support, particularly after the 2-1 home defeat to Birmingham last month, Jones believed the support inside the dressing room has never wavered, saying: “The belief has always been there, it’s not been on the outside, but it’s been there in the dressing room.

“It’s been there from me because I think I’ve been around enough to assess what I’ve got.

“I know when a group of players are fighting for you and I know when a group of players are hanging you out to dry and that’s never been the case.

“We’ve had to learn valuable lessons along the way, and nothing gives me greater satisfaction than when I see improvement.

“We work hard in every single area and the boys have to carry that out.

"They have done for the vast majority of the season, learning and growing in this league but taking a battering and taking punches on the chin.

“Monday morning comes, they stand there and present themselves, ready to train, ready to learn and ready to go again."

Ryan Tunnicliffe's only goal of the game on Saturday at the Riverside saw Luton triumph 1-0 over Middlesbrough and has given Town’s supporters renewed optimism that their side can remain in the Championship.

Asked if he hoped fans now believed their side can pull off what would be a great escape, Jones added: “I hope so, but a week ago they didn’t, and I said there are key moments where we all need to stick together.

“Against Sheffield Wednesday on Wednesday night, they did.

"As a club there’s unity there, off the pitch and on it.

“The game rewards you, but sometimes you have to go to the depths of despair in order to get to that point.

"You heard it in those moments and we certainly did on Wednesday night and that carried through to today.

“I said to them before the Sheffield Wednesday game, ‘if we don’t give the same level we did against Cardiff, how will we ever know if we’ve learned and improved?’

"We did, we’ve done it again and the game’s rewarded them."