Hatters boss knows just how difficult a test the Lilywhites will be for Luton

Luton boss Nathan Jones knows full well just how tough an opponent Preston North End represent for the Hatters this afternoon.

The Town chief was in charge of Stoke City when the Lilywhites ran out 3-1 winners at Deepdale earlier in the season, one of a number of defeats that eventually saw Jones sacked from his job with the Potters.

Alex Neil's remain firmly in the battle for a play-off position, sitting sixth in the table, although just a point ahead of the chasing pack.

Ahead of the game at Kenilworth Road this afternoon, Jones said: “Preston are a good side.

"Without being disrespectful, I think the biggest respect I can give them is they haven’t got superstars, they are just a real good hard-working group that are talented and know how to win games.

"They beat my Stoke side from just doing the basics right and to be fair, they are a very good side to play against because very rarely do you catch them on an off day, because they’re consistent in what they do.

"Yes they can lose games but I watch games that they’ve lost and they are right at it so it will be a tough game, it really will.”

One thing that is for sure is Town won’t approach the game with any fear under Jones, who is back at Luton for a first match in charge since January 2019.

He continued: “Any time a Luton Town side came up against a Championship side, we went into the game with confidence – Aston Villa, Leeds, Ipswich, Sheffield Wednesday – we never feared anyone.

"It’s not about just adapting, it’s about making sure we are aware of people’s strengths and weaknesses and then we can impose our game on people.

"That’s what we want to do, that’s the mentality here and that’s what I try to instill.

"We are very respectful of everyone we come up against, we don’t fear anyone, we’re just very respectful of people because they have earned that, especially at this level."

With the game being played in front of an empty stadium and both sides dipping their toe in the water of competitive action after over three months out due to the coronavirus pandemic, on how he Luton can create the kind of intensity needed to win a game at this level, Jones said: "I think there’s a lot of elements that will dictate the pace of the game.

"One, they’ve had 10 weeks without competitive action and training, which is a first for so many, as unless you've been injured, you never have that time off.

"Secondly, after that time off you've had a short, short period to get up to speed, which is pretty much impossible to get people up to speed, while keeping them injury free and getting the games in as well.

"So that’s been a challenge, that dictates a lot of the pace.

"Yes, the crowd, as the crowd demands certain things whether that’s home or away, so there’s a lot of factors that dictate the pace of the game.

"What we've got to do is make sure we're ready and we can adapt to whatever is thrown at us.”

Just being back and playing again though after spending three months in lockdown will give everyone connected to the club a real boost though according to Jones, as he said: “If I’m honest, the whole world has changed.

"The world has changed how you think, shop, socialise, every single thing you do.

"Some things have happened for good, at no point is this a good thing to happen to the world, but certain positives have come out of it.

"There’s so many things that have happened that have changed peoples lives, personalities, the way they do things, I think football can be a positive coming back as it gives people a focus, something to cling to if you like.

"It's going to be strange as it’s different, the training on a day-to-day basis is different from what the beginning of March was, February was.

"But we have to move past that and try and re-establish society and the world and how we go about our daily lives.

"The sooner and safer we can do that, the better.”

With nine games left, Luton face an uphill battle to avoid going down, with Jones once more reiterating a realistic goal has been set to give them every opportunity.

He said: "We have a points total that if we get to we will give ourselves a chance.

"If we don't get to that points total, it will be very, very difficult, if we exceed that then we would pretty much definitely stay up.

"We have that, that will stay in-house, we set goals, mini goals, we have a three game goal and then leading into the next group of six games.

"It’s chunks of games that we’re going to have to stay competitive in.

"We do have a points total that if we do get there, then we give ourselves a chance, no guarantees, but we'll give ourselves a chance.

"If we win nine we’ll stay up, eight, seven, you'll stay up, but those are real tough targets.

"So what we've done is set a realistic target, we've spoken about it and then if we do get that, we will give ourselves a chance.”

Meanwhile, having become a father for the first time recently, Jones believes attempting to keep Luton in the Championship will be far easier than the first days of fatherhood.

he added: "We’ve got a very good support network, my wife’s an absolute rock with everything she does.

“She’s had to go through a lot, she’s had to go through as much as I do, but without the accolades, so she’s phenomenal.

“We’ve also got a good family support network, our bubble, if you like, has been established for a long time, so we knew if something like this happened, then we had that.

"Being a football manager is tough, keeping a team in the league is tough, but parenthood, in the early days, can be tougher than the lot.”