Osho 'grateful' to Jones as former Hatters boss is ready for his next job after Saints exit

Town defender Gabe Osho expressed his gratitude for the work that former boss Nathan Jones did for the club after Luton reached the Championship play-off final with victory over Sunderland on Tuesday night.

The Hatters had started the campaign under the tutelage of the Welshman, following a season in which they had also made the play-offs, when besieged by injuries, they were harshly beaten by Huddersfield over two legs.

With Jones bolstering the squad during the summer, including adding Carlton Morris for a club record fee, plus bringing in other players such as Ethan Horvath and Cauley Woodrow to add greater depth, Luton made a decent fist of a second attempt at breaking into the top six, sitting in 10th place after 21 games, three points away from the dotted line.

However, the former Brighton full back was tempted away from Kenilworth Road for a second time, taking over at Premier League Southampton in November for a difficult spell at St Mary’s, sacked after just four months in charge, with the Saints going on to be relegated back to the second tier.

Luton meanwhile appointed Rob Edwards and went on to flourish, finishing third in the regular season and going on to reach Wembley following a 3-2 aggregate win over the Black Cats in midweek.

Osho, who was given his chance at Town by Jones, signed in November 2020 after leaving Reading, said about his former boss: “I don’t know where we were exactly in the league when Nathan left, but the work he’s done from League Two, League One, Championship, has been incredible for the club.

"We’ve just managed to keep it going and really accelerate our progress, so everyone’s happy, but we’re grateful for what he’s done for the club.”

Asked if Jones has been in touch with the players much since his departure to wish them luck in their battle to reach the Premier League, the centre half continued: “He’s just a bit more respectful.

"He’s left the club now and it’s Rob in charge, so he’s kind of left us to our devices.

"I’m sure if we go up, he’ll congratulate a couple of the boys, so he’s just been respectful and left us to it.”

Jones himself is now looking to get back into work having been out of a job since February, linked with the Cardiff City vacancy recently, as he told Sky Sports: “I’ve had a it of time to reflect on a disappointing time, but a real good learning curve.

"If you’re not successful you’ve got to make sure you learn and that’s one thing that I have.

"I really enjoyed my time, it taught me a lot and a lot of things about football and also being a human, a good human as well.

"So I’m refreshed and looking forward to the next challenge.”