Town boss happy with second half aggression as Hatters see off Cobblers

Luton boss Nathan Jones was pleased with the aggression on display from his side during the second half of their 2-1 pre-season friendly win at League Two Northampton Town on Saturday.

An opening 45 minutes saw the hosts, with former Town striker Danny Hylton leading the line, move ahead thanks to Mitch Pinnock’s close range finish, while they had other opportunities to add to their tally, keeper Ethan Horvath denying Hylton from close range, as the Hatters struggled to really get going, Alfie Doughty coming closest with a cross-shot that was tipped over.

However, after the break, the visitors quickly levelled the scores when Elijah Adebayo caught Jon Guthrie in possession just outside the area and went through to easily beat Lee Burge, with Dan Potts making it 2-1 moments later showing quick reactions following a cross by Doughty.

The Hatters then had a number of chances to extend their lead, Carlton Morris, Cauley Woodrow, Jordan Clark, Admiral Muskwe and Harry Cornick all going close as they dominated the majority of the second period, with their extra quality beginning to show.

Speaking afterwards, Jones said: “I didn’t think they looked stronger (in the first half), I thought they had a decent shape, they tried to catch us on the counter, but I thought we had an element of control.

"We moved the ball well, a bit of penetration was lacking, but second half we tweaked the shape slightly and we were much more aggressive in our play in terms of how we went about everything and it was much better.

"A real good run-out, we had to find solutions to get a grip of the game but that’s what pre-season is all about, because it’s all good muscle memory for when we go into the league.

“Pre-season has been a bit disjointed for us with a few things, the play-offs, coming back late, flights getting cancelled, so we’ve had to readjust.

"But we’ve had another good run out, no injuries which is a real bonus, everyone’s got minutes into their legs, a real competitive game, we knew that, we saw Danny Hylton again, and another win which is important as well.”