Hatters boss: Anyone can see Luton are a different side now

Luton boss Nathan Jones believes that the Hatters evolution on the pitch this season is there for all to see.

Under the Welshman, Town have transformed from a team battling against relegation and almost going under, to a mid-table side that has a top 10 finish well within their grasp.

Recent matches against high-flying Watford and play-off hopefuls Reading have seen the Hatters step up another gear too, with some high-tempo performances, particularly from the start, some eye-catching passing football and a touch of controlled aggression to their play too.

Jones believes that the work done on the training pitch since he returned and kept them up is coming through, saying: “We should be higher we think.

"There’s a lot of games here that if we just had a bit more belief, a bit more cutting edge, but a lot of sides have spent a lot more money than us on real quality and they take half chances.

“At the minute, we haven’t always taken half chances, or chances, but to have the defensive record we have, to be evolving and moving forward at the rate we are and into the team we are, shows that we’re doing good work.

“They’re buying into everything, they’re a hungry group and it’s fantastic to see, because we are evolving into what anyone would see is a different side now.

“A more aggressive, more front-footed, better passing side with real threats everywhere, competition in every position.

"It’s a good place to be in and we’re very happy with that.”

The next chance for Town to show just how much they have progressed comes at Bristol City this afternoon.

The Robins have been in a downward spiral recently, dropping to 18th in the table and without a win in seven Championship matches.

They appointed former Leicester and West Bromwich Albion boss Nigel Pearson recently though to try and steady the ship, as Jones continued: “Nigel is very experienced, recently down the road at Watford and did a good job, while with the job he did at Leicester too.

"It'll be good to see him, I haven’t seen him for a while since the Leicester days and Bristol City are such a good club as well.

"It’s a great club, I know the club really well, really good fanbase, excellent stadium, good owner, so it will be good to go down there, but it will be good to go down there in the form we’re in and in the position we’re in.

"It’s not we go down there and relax, we go down there hungry, and that’s the thing.”

Meanwhile, the Luton boss will no doubt have a very different style to his opposite number on the touch-line, often kicking every ball from his place in the dug-out and seen slamming the advertising hoardings when things don’t go right on the pitch.

When asked about his antics, Jones added: “It’s my life, I sacrifice quite a lot as my family do to me and I’m very driven in what I want to achieve and what I want us to achieve.

"I have to drive that on, so if I’m too relaxed and too laid back, but if they see me, not panicking, but if they see me driving something on then I hope that rubs off on them.

"I have to control myself sometimes, but I want us to win, I want us to get better and I feel we’re doing that.”