Jones: Hatters fans are vital

Hatters host Hartlepool this weekend in front of their supporters who have only witnessed three victories so far, the last back in November, some six games ago.

However, Jones hopes they are starting to see signs of where the team are heading under his stewardship, saying: “The fans are vital to what we do here. They come and they pay their money and they’ve been fantastic for us.

“The away support has been outstanding, the home support been outstanding. We understand certain frustrations at times, but we just ask them to turn out and support the team as they have.

“What I keep saying is we want to give them a team to be proud of. I can’t defend the team from last Saturday but what I can do in the games before is I think they’ve had a Luton team that they recognise and we want to continue to make those steps.

“Because ultimately we want to get to a place where Luton fans are proud of their team and get behind their team and only we can do that.”

Although well aware of the poor record at Kenilworth Road this term, the boss didn’t think they needed to approach today’s game with Hartlepool any differently and go all guns blazing in search of success.

He continued: “It’s important to start quickly every game, important to be on the front foot and that’s the type of football we want to play.

“I’m sure if we do the right things for long periods of time then fans will be on our side, so I’m not too worried about doing this, or doing that to get people on side.

“We have a way of playing, have a philosophy and we believe in that and we want to get to a place where the fans do as well. We’ll be looking for a reaction on the weekend and hopefully it’s a positive one.”

Like Luton, Hartlepool have changed managers recently with former Middlesbrough winger Craig Hignett taking over from Ronnie Moore, who was released with the side battling to avoid the drop once more.

Jones said: “I knew him from having some good battles with Middlesbrough and Brighton and so on when he was alongside (Aitor) Karanka. I know him through that and Curtis (Weston, first team coach) was there as well, I know he’ll want to put his own stamp on things.

“He’s been in there a week and a half so he’ll be looking to take steps forward as well as we have.”

Hignett has won one and lost one since taking over, as although Hartlepool are still nervously looking over their shoulders, just three points above the drop zone, Jones knows his side can’t afford to have any complacency.

He added: “We know it’s going to be a hard game, a hard test.

“Hartlepool have had two games now under the new manager, they beat Yeovil, and it was a real game of two halves in midweek (losing 3-2 to Notts County).

“They were 2-0 down and possibly could have been more, then they were 2-2 and possibly could have nicked it.

“It was a strange game, so it will be a difficult, difficult test. They’ll come here and will have probably looked at our game last week and be hope that we turn up in the same mindset.

“I know their players, played against a lot of them, know a few of them have dropped down, Matthew Bates who was at Middlesbrough and barring injuries, probably would have had a fantastic career.

“It would be wrong for me to single out any, they’ve got decent players, for whatever reason things haven’t quite happened for them this season.

“But on the end of last season, they went on a great run and managed to secure their league status.

“It hasn’t quite happened for them this year and what we don’t want to let happen is that we give those a bit of a lift on the weekend.”