Luton chief knows his side won't have any risk of complacency at struggling Peterborough

Hatters boss Nathan JonesHatters boss Nathan Jones
Hatters boss Nathan Jones
Hatters boss discusses this evening’s trip to Posh

Luton boss Nathan Jones is more than confident his side won’t be taking anything for granted when they head to bottom of the table Peterborough United this evening.

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The Posh go into the game teetering on the brink of relegation straight back to League One after just one season in the Championship, as they trail fourth bottom Reading by eight points with just seven games to go.

Grant McCann’s side are without a home victory in the league since December 11 too, with six defeats from their last eight matches, taking two points from a possible 24, scoring just five goals in that time.

They were handed another hefty reverse at the weekend, hammered 4-0 by Luton’s fellow play-off rivals Middlesbrough, pushing them even closer to the drop.

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However, despite Town having far differing aims this term, Jones didn’t expect his players to have any kind of complacency going into the contest, saying: “We haven’t got the type of group that thinks we can just bowl into town and think we can do this, do that.

“We’ve got to do the basics right and if we don’t do the basics right we’ll get punished.

“It’s a real tough game for us, they’re fighting for their lives, so we've just got to make sure that we’re us and if we’re us, that’s all I can ask.

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“It’s a Championship test and that’s all you need to know as a Championship test is tough on every level.

"There’s no easy games going away there, we’ve had some tough battles with them.

"It’s going to be as tough a game as we could have envisaged, it’s the toughest one as it’s the next one.

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"They’re all different in the Championships, but all equally as difficult.”

When asked if he thought the Posh players would be desperate for a response in front of their own fans following the thrashing at the hands of Chris Wilder’s in-form Boro team at the weekend, Jones continued: “I can’t second guess what Grant and what people would be feeling, but they’ll not want to roll over.

"We know that they’ll maybe want a reaction and we’ll be wary of that, but all I can affect is how we play.

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"I can’t affect how they prepare and what they do and what they emotionally are feeling, all I can do is prepare our team and they can’t have any more motivation than us.

"We’ve been in their position, and we know how tough it is to get points, but we fought and we got those points and we came up against some sides who were going for promotion in Leeds and Swansea.

"So we know it’s going to be a tough game, but we know it’s going to be a tough game for Peterborough as well.”

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Oppose number McCann has only been in charge at the Weston Homes Stadium for eight after being sacked as Hull manager when the Tigers were taken over back in January.

It’s the former Northern Irish international’s second stint in charge of the Posh, something Jones can relate to, as speaking yesterday, he added: “I really like Grant, I’ve known him for a number of years.

"He’s done some wonderful jobs and was really unfortunate to lose his job at Hull.

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"To be fair to Hull they came out and said they wanted their own person in, but he did a good job at Hull.

"He took over and were in the play-offs, got relegated, bounced back in fantastic style, had a tough start, then had really gathered some momentum and were in good form.

"Surprisingly he lost his job but that’s what happens, he bounced straight back and going to a place he knows, Peterborough.

"It’s reminiscent of what I did really, so it will be a tough game, but Grant’s an excellent manager, a real good guy and I hope he does really well after tomorrow night.”