Kioso insists Town 'love to defend' as Luton's patched up defence climb to the top of the Championship clean sheet table

Full back Peter Kioso believes the entire Town's team's love of defending is the main reason why the Hatters climbed to the top of the charts for clean sheets in the Championship on Wednesday night.

Luton's 4-0 win over Preston North End was the 16th time they have not been breached this term, which puts them one above Blackburn, Huddersfield, Sheffield United and West Bromwich Albion.

It is also one more than they managed last year and more than double the amount they had in their first season back at this level during the 2019-20 campaign, when they racked up a mere seven.

Kioso, who was part of the back-line in midweek, was eager to praise the entire XI for their role in securing a latest shut-out, saying: “We love to defend, it’s not just the defenders, it’s from Eli (Elijah Adebayo) all the way back.

“You can see how hard the strikers work, even out of possession, they make our job easier.

"Defending starts from the front and that’s what this club shows, what this team shows, that before it even gets to us defenders, that Eli, H (Harry Cornick), Hylts (Danny Hylton), all the strikers, Cam (Cameron Jerome), Carlos (Mendes Gomes), Ade (Admiral Muskwe), already go full out.

"You always see the strikers are one of the most tired on the pitch because they always put in a shift that helps us out.

"We love defending, that’s what you’re going to get from this club.

"We love defending and working hard and we’re always going to keep doing that.”

Wednesday's effort was done with a back three that not many would have predicted a few weeks back either, with Sonny Bradley, Kal Naismith, Tom Lockyer and Gabe Osho all missing due to injury.

It saw Kioso himself begin on the right, his first league start in almost two months, with Reece Burke central and Dan Potts, making only his fourth league start of the season, on the left.

With 23 minutes gone, there were further changes required, Burke pulling his hamstring when chasing back, which moved Kioso into the middle and James Bree dropping back alongside him.

Despite the makeshift nature of the defence, they still managed to restrict the Lilywhites to very few efforts on goal, as the former Dunstable youngster continued: "The boys trust in each other and we know that Breesy going in right centre back, Breesy can do a job there.

"He's a great player, so if he's asked to do a job there he’ll always do a great job.

"Onye (Fred Onyedinma) comes in right wing-back, it’s just about shifting, just about concentrating on the job ahead.

"It’s unfortunate for Reece, he’s great guy, hopefully it's nothing too serious, but we’re worried about doing a job, making sure everybody on the pitch is ready to get the result and that’s what we did.”

Boss Nathan Jones was also quick to point out the efforts of the entire team, as Town's current crop drew level on 16 with the Hatters side who won the old Division Two title in 1981-92 and are now one off the previous best of 17 managed in the second tier back in 1970-71 when Luton finished sixth.

He added: "Another clean sheet and we’re top of the clean sheet charts now, that’s 16, there’s no-one else there.

"We’ve gone to 16 clean sheets, which shows we’re in a wonderful place, with a makeshift back five an electric left winger as right wing-back, with four full backs effectively playing as a back five.

“To roll with the punches, to go like that, I’m so proud of the group and let’s not forget, these are a good side, a real good side.

“To do that (keep so many clean sheets) you have to be a group, you can’t be an individual or be a good goalkeeper, it has to be a group.

"So you have to train as a group, and a load of that group hasn’t played regularly.

"So to come in and have the freshness to do that, shows that our training regime is good, our preparation is good, shows that their attitude's good and the levels that they're showing at the minute is phenomenal.

"I’m really proud of the group as this was a really tough game, a real tough team.

"Preston are so experienced at what they do and they have real talent at this level, but I thought we were reasonably dominant.”