Hatters boss determined to change the record against bogey side QPR

Luton boss Nathan Jones is determined to finally change the record against QPR at Kenilworth Road this weekend

The Hatters go up against their Championship rivals on Saturday with a dreadful recent history, having only taking one point from their six meetings since being promoted back to the second tier.

At home, Town haven’t won a league clash since January 2006, when goals from Markus Heikkinen and Steve Howard sealed a 2-0 victory, that success ending a 13-game winless run home and away that stretched back to the old Division One days in 1988, when a Danny Wilson penalty and Steve Foster strike secured a 2-1 triumph.

Town have fared better in the FA Cup, winning a third round replay in 2007 and then drawing 3-3 in another third round clash in 2006, although went on to lose the replay.

Jones is also yet to beat Rangers in his seven attempts in total, with his two meetings when in charge of Stoke ending goalless and 2-1 to Rangers, as on trying to finally end both his and Luton's woeful run, he said: “We’re up for changing records.

“We haven’t got a good record against Queens Park Rangers and that needs to change.

“It’s the perfect chance to do that, we’re both unbeaten in five, they are in wonderful form, they have very good players so it will be a tough game, we know that.

“It’s another Championship game against tough opposition, it’s the same every week.”

Asked if he could put his finger on why Town have found it so hard against their West London opponents over the years, Jones continued: “One they’re a good side and two, when we do give them opportunities or we don’t do things right, then they take it, they take that opportunity.

“They’re decent, they have good players, lets bear in mind, we’re relatively new to the division in recent years.

"They’ve been pretty much established in this division and the Premier League, so they’re a good side and sometimes you come up against sides who have got quality.

“But we finished above them last year, so it means that we’ve closed the gap on them.

“We would have finished on the same points as them the year before, but we lost on the final game to them, which was a tight game, so we have been getting closer to QPR and last year, we were one of the best six sides in the division.

“Some sides you have that, we haven’t beaten certain sides, some sides we beat every time we play against them, that’s just the way it is.

“But we’re not up for revenge or anything, we’re just up to win a football game so hopefully we can redress that trend.”

Although none of Luton’s current squad will have beaten QPR while wearing the orange of Luton, with Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu the only player to start all three matches, Sonny Bradley and Dan Potts on two, Jones didn’t think it would affect them in an adverse way.

He said: “It should give them more motivation, they shouldn’t fear them, they’re a brave group ours, we’re bold, we go up against teams.

"Since I’ve been at that club we’ve always had that mentality that we want to go up against sides, good sides that are in higher leagues than us, sides that are classed as big clubs and we’ve never feared that.

"Yes we've come unstuck on a few occasions, but by going and being as bold as we have been then we’ve managed to close the gap on these ex-Premier League, established, top Championship teams.”

Meanwhile, when asked if he had any particular bogey sides throughout his career, Jones added: “Nothing really stands out when we played against certain teams.

"Portsmouth we played three times against them, so not really, as with the greatest of respect, I had a 23-year career, so I never came up against Man United or Liverpool on a regular basis.

"Other teams, I had a Championship, League One and the occasional foray into League Two career.

"A lot changed and with the standard, it was much of a muchness, so I lost to whoever it was sometimes and then beat some teams other times.

"I don’t think there was ever one that really stuck out.”