Hatters boss couldn't quite believe Berry missed open goal against Swansea

Hatters boss Nathan Jones couldn’t quite believe midfielder Luke Berry wasn’t on the scoresheet against Swansea City yesterday.

With Town trailing 1-0 after Connor Roberts’ deflected effort beat James Shea inside two minutes, Berry had a glorious chance to equalise midway through the first period.

The Swans gave possession away in a dangerous area, allowing Jordan Clark to escape on the right, his cross cleared as far as Berry just eight yards out.

However, with the goal gaping, he could only lift his left-footed attempt over the bar, in what was a glaring miss, as Jones said: “You've got to take your chances.

"If you have an opportunity from four yards out, you have to put it in, it’s an open goal, just literally put it.

"Luke would put that in 100 times out of 100, it's just somehow it didn't.

"Then we've hit the post, we’ve had one cleared off the line, Harry Cornick had a chance later on that if he gets in there earlier he scores.

"So in terms of a level of performance, I was very, very pleased, but it's difficult to say that when you've lost 2-0.”

Town had Matty Pearson sent off after the break for picking up two cautions, conceding a second to Andre Ayew's late strike, making Berry's miss even more crucial to the outcome.

Jones added: "I don't feel sorry for him, I want him to score, but he's been brilliant for me Luke.

"He's a key part of what we do and sometimes that happens.

"He didn't try to do it, but those are the things you've got to take when you come here.

"You’ve got to be clinical, we've come here and had more chances today than when we came here last year and we’ve lost the game, whereas last year we won the game.

"So that’s the learning curve, but as I said we’re evolving, we are getting better week in week out in terms of the levels.

"We came here, pressed the life out of them once we changed shape, so we’re showing we’re growing and this level, Swansea are an ex-Premier League.

"They’re expected to go up, they’ve had three years at this level, growing, gathering, we're in a good place.

"We deserved more and that's the thing that frustrates me.”