Jones: Personnel or tactics might have to change as wasteful Town fall behind once more

Hatters boss Nathan Jones - pic: Gareth OwenHatters boss Nathan Jones - pic: Gareth Owen
Hatters boss Nathan Jones - pic: Gareth Owen
Hatters chief frustrated by defeat at the Vitality Stadium

Luton boss Nathan Jones has declared either Town's personnel or his tactics will have to change after the Hatters went down to a 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth on Saturday.

Despite starting the game brightly and creating the best opportunity, Elijah Adebayo somehow missing from three yards out, the visitors then found themselves trailing 2-0 inside 32 minutes when Philip Billing and Dominic Solanke netted.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It’s the third successive away game that Jones' side have conceded first, although against Blackburn Rovers and Bristol City, they managed to hit back in stoppage time to earn a point.

They gave themselves a chance of repeating the feat when Lloyd Kelly diverted Luke Berry's cross into his own net midway through the second half, but there was to be no grandstand finish on this occasion, Adebayo putting a free header wide with five minutes to go.

When reflecting on the result, Jones said: “The character is never in question with players at this club, they wouldn’t be here if they didn’t have character.

"Teams are scoring with pretty much every chance. We conceded three from outside the box the other day (against Swansea), not inside our own box, three shots on target, three goals and that’s what’s happening to us at the minute.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"Something has to change, whether that’s personnel, whether that’s tactics, something has to change and then we have to be clinical.

"As they’re not missing chances from 20 yards where they duck inside and curl it in, these are gilt edged chances that we’re missing and that’s costing us points.

"We’re not giving ourselves a platform.

"Whether we come right off and be really negative, shut up shop, or do we want to turn into the side that’s front-footed, that’s bold and was second half.

"As these are a fantastic side, probably one of the favourites to get promoted, but we’ve penned them in second half.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"If we’d only hadn’t conceded or scored at least one of those chances first half, then it might have been a different game."

In Luton's last three matches, they have seen the opposition, Bournemouth, Swansea and Bristol City, have a combined nine shots on target, with worryingly six of them ending up in the Town net.

It's a situation that Jones is desperate to rectify, as he continued: "If I’m honest, if I look at the amount of shots on target that people have, pretty much everything goes in and that’s just quality as there’s not really goalkeeping errors, that’s just the level.

“At the minute we’re getting punished for every single chance, but that can’t continue, because we have to nullify them better.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“You can’t give Solanke a free header seven yards out, we let Billing run off the back of us when there’s a job to do.

“He (Gabe Osho) wants to do something else, he wants to come in and press, he doesn’t need to as we’ve got three round the ball and we left him and he just dinked it over as that’s the quality they have as it’s a difficult chance but a wonderful finish.

“We had clear-cut chances, but that’s the thing you get punished at this level.

“We’re not getting away with anything at the minute, Blackburn away the other day, they had two chances first half and scored two, we’re 2-0 down and we think we’ve played quite well.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Then we’re having to change, chase the game and we managed to do it, as we create enough chances, so that’s got to start with me.

"I’ve got to make sure I get it right, personnel, everything as we have to be better.”

News you can trust since 1891
Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice