Jones targets a top 10 finish and play-off push for Luton next season

Hatters chief determined to keep making progress at Kenilworth Road
Nathan Jones gives out instructions during Saturday's 1-0 win over WatfordNathan Jones gives out instructions during Saturday's 1-0 win over Watford
Nathan Jones gives out instructions during Saturday's 1-0 win over Watford

Luton boss Nathan Jones is targeting a top 10 finish in the Championship this season with his eyes on a potential push for the play-offs next term.

Going into tonight’s clash against Reading at Kenilworth Road, the Hatters are sitting 13th in the table, three points behind QPR in 10th, still with a game in hand too.

Town are on 56 points following their 1-0 win over Watford on Saturday, but Jones felt that tally should have been higher due to some missed opportunities along the way.

He said: “If I’m honest, and I make no bones about it and say this with the greatest of respect, we should’ve beaten Birmingham at home, Forest at home, should’ve got something out of Middlesbrough away, should’ve beaten Swansea, Brentford we should’ve got something out of.

“Those are not games, where everyone says ‘shoulda, woulda coulda’, we were dominant.

“If you add six more, seven more points to that, we’re not far off play-offs, the top six.

“Our goal is to be top 10 now. If we can do that and recruit well, keep hold of players, then the goal next year is to be closer to the top six than we are now.

“A lot of people would laugh at that and say, ‘how can you have a bottom three budget and expect that?’

“That’s what the club’s built on, that ambition, that desire to do well.

“We only believe we’re going to get better and we’ve always believed that from the time I was fortunate to come into the club in 2016.

“We’ve improved every single year and that’s the continual goal.”

Standing in their way of a third successive victory for the first time this term, is a Royals side who themselves need to win to try and break back into the play-offs.

The Royals ran out 5-0 winners at Kenilworth Road last campaign, Jones’ only defeat in the final nine games of the season, while they also won 2-1 in the reverse league fixture at the Madejski Stadium on Boxing Day.

However, Jones wasn’t too fussed about previous contests, as he continued: “We are not thinking about anything else, just getting to 59 points, that is our only focus.

“Nothing to do with Reading’s positioning, nothing to do with anything else in the world apart from Luton Town attaining 59 points, that is our total focus.”

Jones might have to make a change from the 1-0 win over Watford on Saturday, with striker Elijah Adebayo going off with an ankle injury after winning the decisive penalty late in the game.

The Town boss added: “We will have to wait and see on a few, one or two – people like Harry Cornick, Dan Potts have picked up little bumps so we have to wait and then make a call late on or we might not be able to do.

“We will make the right choices in terms of moving forward, not just for one game so let’s see.

"(Sam) Nombe missed out with illness, he has had a day or two training but hopefully he is available for selection with no adverse reaction, we will wait and see.”