Versatile Naismith is applauded for the manner in which he has changed roles during Luton's run-in

Defender has taken the holding midfielder role for Town’s last two games
Town defender Kal Naismith has played in central midfield recentlyTown defender Kal Naismith has played in central midfield recently
Town defender Kal Naismith has played in central midfield recently

Town defender turned midfielder Kal Naismith has been praised by boss Nathan Jones after becoming the latest Hatters player to have to switch position at short notice due to the club’s ever-lengthening injury list.

The 30-year-old had carved out a regular place as the left sided centre half of Luton’s back three, with some magnificent performances over the campaign, unsurprisingly one of the favourites for the club’s Player of the Season award.

However, a raft of injuries to Town’s midfielders in recent weeks, with Gabe Osho, Luke Berry, Jordan Clark, Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu, Henri Lansbury and Glen Rea all out for differing periods, meant that Naismith has had to step forward into the holding role.

The move didn’t have the best of starts, Huddersfield scoring the very second Naismith had left his defensive role on their way to a 2-0 win at the John Smith’s Stadium earlier this month, but Jones kept the Scot there for the Easter games against Nottingham Forest and Cardiff City, Town returning a mightily impressive six points.

The former Portsmouth and Wigan player admitted following his match-winning penalty over the Reds on Good Friday that his new role was an energy-sapping one, but he has still managed to produced some high-class displays, as Jones said: “With Kal, we knew he had real versatility, he’s either a left side centre half or a really attacking right winger.

“We know he has that, so now we ask him to do something a little bit in-between, but we’ve got good footballers here, good athletes and we have a system, a way of doing stuff, that people know what they have to do.

“It’s phenomenal what they have achieved this year, especially with some of the things that have gone on.

“I just put that down to a wonderful group.”

It’s not just Naismith who has been asked to change roles in recent weeks, with James Bree and Amari’i Bell both moving into the back three at times, as has Peter Kioso, with Fred Onyedinma playing both right and left wing-back, and even Danny Hylton deployed as an attacking midfielder.

Jones felt it just showed the humility and eagerness to do well within the squad, as he continued: “It’s just the group, the environment, how they work.

"We are very regimented, they know their jobs, we do a lot of repetitive work, in terms of in and out of possession.

"So when we put some in midfield, or full back, or wing-back, or an offensive position, they know their role.

“It’s tireless work really, and then they accept it.

"They accept that they have to sacrifice certain things for the greater good.

“I pulled Harry Cornick the other day and had a wonderful conversation.

"I said, ‘look, how do we get the best out of you?’

“The game before he’d toiled and worked so hard for little reward, but he said, ‘this is bigger than me, you do what you need to.

"’Us doing something is bigger than me, so if you think I’m better coming off the bench, I will be ready’.

“That’s a humility and a group of players that’s just a joy to work with. That’s what we have.”

Despite the rotten luck with injuries, it hasn’t seen Luton’s play-off challenge falter either, anything but, as they need just one more win against Blackpool this afternoon to all but seal a top six place.

Jones added: “They find a way to win.

"We had centre-halves out, four full-backs and a winger playing there, then we had another injury, another full-back in, you couldn’t really write it.

“But we’re getting people back and fortunately not everyone has a serious injury.

"It’s unfortunate because you want to keep your best eleven, best seven and then even more ready to go.

"We haven’t had that so we’ve had to roll with it.

"It’s such a hectic schedule we haven’t had any time to cry about it, we’ve just had to get on with it.”