Disappointing Luton fall to defeat at Stoke in what could be Jones' last game in charge of the Hatters

A disastrous opening 15 minutes saw Luton fall to defeat at Stoke City this evening in a game that may well be the last one in charge for manager Nathan Jones.

With the Hatters granting the Welshman permission to speak to Premier League Southampton about the vacancy at St Mary's, Jones was only allowed to do so once this fixture had been completed.

Applauded out of the tunnel by the near 800 travelling Luton fans, he was also clapped off at the full whistle with those in attendance from Bedfordshire giving him a warm ovation.

The boss, for now, made three changes from the battling 1-0 win at Blackpool on Saturday, goalkeeper Harry Isted in for his first start of the season following an illness to on-loan Ethan Horvath.

Gabe Osho and Harry Cornick also returned, Luke Berry dropping to the bench, with Dan Potts missing out completely through injury.

After keeping the Tangerines out by hook or by crook at the weekend, with a defensive display that saw Luton's back-line put their bodies on the line in pursuit of a clean sheet, such is the way in football, the visitors conceded to Stoke's very first attack, and in the softest of manners, with just three minutes gone.

Morgan Fox was given time to deliver a cross from the left, but there was no excusing the lack of marking that allowed Nick Powell to stroll into the box and power his downward header beyond the despairing dive of Isted.

Town didn't appear too bowed by the goal, winning a number of corners, one that was hooked over the top by captain of the night Tom Lockyer.

The Hatters continued their decent response, Carlton Morris with the trickery before delivering to Jordan Clark, whose header hit an offside Cornick and bounced wide.

After a starring role at the weekend and in recent weeks, Lockyer then showed what a fickle game football can be on 13 minutes,

Stooping to try and clean yet another excellent cross from Fox, the Welsh international could only succeed in diverting his header beyond Isted and into the net for Stoke's second of the night.

Weirdly, Luton hadn't actually been playing that badly, it was just a chalk and cheese defensive performance to the thou shall not pass approach they displayed at the weekend, two crosses from the hosts leading to two goals.

You got the feeling the next goal would decide what was still an open contest, and Stoke almost had it on 24 minutes, a long ball headed across his own area by Osho, Powell slicing wide when he really should have found the bottom corner.

Clark tried to halve the deficit, his low drive from range easy Bonham, as with Jones shifted formation, with Clark moved into an attacking midfield role, Town adopting a back four, Osho alongside Lockyer in the centre, Bree and Bell the orthodox full backs.

It almost saw the Hatters back in the game with 32 gone, Elijah Adebayo who had come out to the left, teeing up Bell, his first time cross seening Morris shrug off the attentions of his defender only to scuff a volley straight at Bonham from eight yards.

With referee Oliver Langford the latest official to fail to endear himself to the Town fans, booking Osho harshly and then Lockyer correctly, the guesswork he came up with to give a decision against Bell helped earn him a chorus of boos as he exited down the tunnel at half time.

It was imperative Luton not only made a good start to the second period, but also found the net quickly if they wanted to get something from the game, Morris's backheel taken on by Bell, who engineered a neat one-two with Clark in the area, his cross-shot flicked over by Bonham.

You got the feeling it wasn't going to be the Hatters' evening when Cornick flighted a cross in from the right and with Bonham not getting enough on his punch, Morris returned it with interest, his volley deflecting over.

Luton then fashioned their best opportunity from the corner on the hour mark, and it was a glorious one, Bree's delivery met by the completely isolated Lockyer just six yards out, but he could only volley against the post, Cornick slicing the rebound over.

Stoke almost made Town pay instantly, Osho spreading himself bravely to block Liam Delap's close range blast.

Try as they might, the Hatters just couldn't create anything meaningful in the closing stages, even when throwing on former Potters duo Cameron Jerome and Alfie Doughty for the final 10 minutes.

The closest they came was when an increasingly frustrated Bree let fly with a hopeful angled drive that saw the advancing Berry fail to make the required connection with his attempted backheel.

Isted's fingertips prevented Stoke adding a third with minutes to go, arching his back to just get enough on Delap's 22-yard thunderbolt.

Luton still pressed, Bree's corner hitting two Stoke defenders and falling wide, before Jerome met Doughty's set-piece only to direct his downward header off target, as the visitors left empty-handed.

Potters: Jack Bonham, Harry Clarke, Morgan Fox, Harry Souttar, Lewis Baker (C), Dwight Gayle (Jacob Brown 75), Ben Wilmot, Liam Delap, Will Smallbone, Tarique Fosu, Nick Powell (Josh Tymon 86).

Subs not used: Joe Bursik, Aden Flint, Tyrese Campbell, D'Margio Wright-Phillips, Connor Taylor.

Hatters: Harry Isted, Jordan Clark, James Bree, Tom Lockyer (C), Gabe Osho (Alfie Doughty 80), Amari'i Bell, Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu, Allan Campbell (Luke Berry 69), Harry Cornick (Cameron Jerome 80), Elijah Adebayo, Carlton Morris.

Subs not used: Matt Macey, Louie Watson, Casey Pettit, Luke Freeman.

Referee: Oliver Langford.

Booked: Osho 28, Lockyer 43, Clark 52, Brown 78.

Attendance: 18,095 (784 Luton).