Luton midfielder acknowledges the Hatters are suffering from a loss of confidence

​Midfielder Jordan Clark believes a lack of confidence is affecting the Hatters during their difficult start to life in the Championship this season.

Following relegation from the Premier League, Town set their targets as high as winning the title this term, with Clark himself revealing that was the aim prior to the action getting underway back in July. So far, Luton have looked anything but promotion hopefuls though, losing a fourth game from seven when beaten 3-1 at Plymouth Argyle on Friday night, before being held to a 2-2 draw by newly-promoted Oxford United in midweek.

Although Clark himself was on target in that contest, netting a first goal of the campaign, asked prior to the U’s clash about why he believes Town have found it so difficult to get going so far, he said: “I think that’s what it probably is (a lack of confidence). I think we’ve had it from the start of the season to be honest.

"I’ve never seen us miss as many chances, maybe not take shots and maybe not find the right pass, which is just a lack of quality and a lack of decision-making and a lack of confidence. Obviously we know strikers and attacking players thrive on goals, I think everyone needs a goal just to get them going, especially with the first goal so important, we’ll learn from it.

"We got into really good areas, it’s just that final pass, final shot, that decision making which is just something we probably lacked a little bit from the start of the season to be honest. We’ve just got to get back on the training pitch and work and work and work, that’s what we’ve got to do.”

Striker Elijah Adebayo is one player who could definitely do with a goal, as he missed a number of good opportunities at Home Park, before being snuffed out by the United defence on Tuesday night, his best opportunity slipping wide of the bottom corner. Despite his barren run, Clark has backed his team-mate to come good, saying: “He’s doing everything he needs to do.

"His runs (against Plymouth) were excellent, his link up play was good and first half, his headers, flicking people in, he looked a real threat. It’s just maybe a bit of confidence for him and strikers thrive on goals. When they get one, they come like buses, that’s what an old manager of mine used to say. Maybe one will go off his backside and bounce in for us, but he’s a great lad, he works so hard, I’m sure things will turn for him soon.”

While appreciating the Hatters need to improve their efforts in the final third, Clark also knows they need to brush up in their own half too, Plymouth joining a number of teams who have scored far too easily against Rob Edwards’ side. With the Pilgrims netting from their first attack, they then went on to add two more goals to their tally, also forcing Thomas Kaminski into two brilliant saves and hitting the bar.

It was the same against Oxford United on Tuesday night as well, the U’s unleashing 19 shots at the Hatters’ goal, Tyler Goodrham and Ruben Rodrigues on target, with Kaminski making superb saves during both halves to ensure Luton picked up a point for their troubles. Clark added: “You can say it’s one of two things, they want to defend better than us, they want to throw their bodies in the way more, or it’s just a little bit of luck.

"We’re not defending well enough as a team, helping each other out more, blocking shots, little ricochets. We’ve just got to score when the chances come across and defend for your life when they get around our box which we didn’t really do. We’re just lacking the ruthlessness at the moment which is costing us a bit of confidence in front of goal. As I said at Preston, if you don’t score at one end and don’t keep it out at the other, you’ll not win football games.”