Luton boss remains confident results will turn despite winless start to the season

Luton boss Rob Edwards remains confident that results will turn for his side following their winless start to the Championship campaign.

The Hatters head to Millwall this afternoon having taken just one point from their first four league games, that coming after a battling goalless draw with 10 men at newly-promoted Portsmouth last month. Having lost to both Burnley and Preston North End, Town then let a winning opportunity slip against QPR last time out, conceding twice in quick succession during the second half to suffer a hugely frustrating third loss.

With a squad in place that should be doing far better than it is, Edwards doesn’t think too much needs to be done differently in order to get the Hatters back on the winning trail once more though, as he said: “We haven’t got the results that we wanted, but the feel around the place is good. I still think confidence levels are high, the lads believe in what we’re doing.

"I’m pretty confident that results will come if we keep going the way we are, brush up in a few areas where we’ve made some errors or not been sharp enough but overall there’s been a lot of encouraging signs as well that things will turn. We feel that with the group and the way they train as well. We’re better than the results show, but it doesn’t matter as in the end it’s only results that matter.

“We made mistakes in the first one, we put some of those mistakes to bed. Second game down to 10 men, in my opinion were the better team in the next two games as well and should have taken something from them. So it’s four games, but a lot will be made of it as we haven’t won in those four and we’ve got to take it. Whatever people say or whatever stats or data say, that kind of thing, it doesn’t matter, it’s what we do and we need to get the results.

"The boys know that, we’re all in this together to try and find a way to do it. So hopefully that can start, but there’s only one way that we’re going to get those results, by working extremely hard, doing the basics well and then both ends of the pitch being pretty ruthless. We just haven’t won and we could easily have and then we’d be having a very different conversation. I don’t think loads needs to change, so no, I believe in what we’re doing, just do it better.”

One thing that does need to improve for the Hatters is in front of goal as after netting against each and every Premier League side last term, Town have managed to score just twice so far. One of those came from Tahith Chong against Burnley, the other when Rangers defender Jimmy Dunne deflected into his own net, as the Hatters are yet to find the net on their travels in the second tier.

Edwards knows that has to be better, but won’t flog his players in his attempts to do so, as he continued: “That will be stuff we work on every day. We try and work on every part of the game every week, at both ends of the pitch. In the Championship there can be a limited time to work on that sort of stuff but sometimes when you go overboard on everything and put too much pressure on people as well, people can become edgy and some panic and worry more as well.

"So I don’t want to go overboard, as I don’t believe that would be the right thing to do either. Believe in what we’re doing, give the players a lot of confidence and belief that they’re good players, which they are, show them stuff that we’re doing well. We’re arriving in that final third very often, getting into good areas a lot, with good numbers and the stats will back that up as well as seeing the clips. It’s just that final bit, we just want to be a little bit sharper. I’d be concerned if we weren’t creating the chances, we weren’t looking like creating, but we are, so it will come.

Meanwhile on facing a Millwall side who had struggled themselves, winless from their opening three fixtures until beating Sheffield Wednesday 3-0 on home soil last time out, he added: “A very difficult game. Neil’s (Harris) a really experienced manager, knows that club and what that club is about really well. They can mix it and play in a number of different ways, but you know the one thing you have to do when you go there is you have to fight, you have to battle, you have to run, you have to win duels, all of those things, same as any football match.

"So that will be our main message, along with then how we think we can find spaces and try and hurt them as well. They’ve got a number of different threats, they can attack quickly, they can be direct. If you allow them to play, like any team, they’ll be able to take the ball as well, so a difficult game, but one we’re ready and prepared for.”