Jones felt his return to Stoke helped boost the Potters and lift the 'mute' home crowd during midweek defeat

Luton manager Nathan Jones thought his return to Stoke City gave the hosts the boost they needed to end a run of three straight home defeats with a 2-0 victory over the Hatters last night.

Going into the game, the Potters were struggling badly under recently appointed Alex Neil, sitting 19th in the table and just two points above the relegation zone.

However, rather than frustrate the home side, as they did during last season’s 2-1 victory, and turn the majority of the 18,095 crowd against their own side, Luton found himself 2-0 down in the blink of an eye to Nick Powell’s free header and then Tom Lockyer’s own goal.

That saw the home supporters spend the rest of the game taunting Jones, who had a difficult eight month spell in charge at the Bet365 Stadium back in 2019, although nothing too vociferous, with chants of ‘he’s leaving again’ at the end with news that the Welshman was heading to Southampton for talks over the managerial vacancy today only emerging near the final whistle.

Speaking afterwards, Jones said: “I thought we were the better side, considerably the better side, it was just there were two moments where we didn’t defend our box well.

"We allow Nick Powell a free header from eight yards and he doesn’t miss from there as he’s a quality player.

"We didn’t do the basics there and then they put a good ball in which Tom Lockyer has turned into his own net, which can happen.

"But we’ve had more crosses, more shots, more possession, more situations and just didn’t find the quality to do that.

"The performance level was excellent, how we moved the ball, we were brave, we were athletic and we’ve had far, far more opportunities.

"We just needed to get a goal, as I think if we got a goal it might have changed it, as the crowd here are ready to go at any point.

"They needed something tonight, the club coming into the game were 19th, they’ve been struggling at home, they’ve needed something and we’ve given them something tonight.

"Probably me coming back gave them the lift that they needed as the crowd here is pretty much mute with everything, but me coming back gave them something to sing for, so probably I gave them the lift that they needed.”

Although trailing 2-0, Luton still had plenty of opportunities to get back in the game, none more so than when Carlton Morris could only volley Amari’ Bell’s cross straight at keeper Jack Bonham on the half hour.

The visitors then had an even better chance in the second period as with 58 minutes gone, the unmarked Lockyer sidefooted James Bree’s corner against the post from six yards out.

Jones continued: “if we got a goal it would have changed it, it’s just we didn’t and then we didn’t show enough quality.

"The performance level was there in terms of energy, athleticism, effort, it’s just a little bit more guile as we’ve had so many more opportunities.

"Morgan Fox has put two balls in that they've scored from, but even Alfie Doughty has come on for a cameo for 11, 12 minutes and he's had more opportunities than any player in the Stoke team to put quality in and we haven’t quite found that.

"That’s the tale of tonight, we haven't defended early on and then no matter how much we huffed and puffed and we really did, I look at it and if you take the goals out of it, I think it’s an excellent performance, but it's all about goals.

“We’ve had better chances, more chances, we just didn’t show a clinical edge.

"They needed a lift and we gave it to them tonight.

"If we had got the first goal I think the whole place would have gone, but we didn’t, we gifted them one really early and that’s not like us.

"You can't let a runner go, can't let them put it into your box as that’s what happens.

Having played on Saturday at Blackpool, and then needing to go again on Tuesday night with another lengthy trek north, Jones didn’t want to make any excuses, even though they were also without seven first team players, Dan Potts and Ethan Horvath both missing out with injury and illness.

The boss added: “I don't think it was anything to do with energy, I thought our energy levels were really good.

"They didn't play, didn’t have much possession, didn't really create anything in the game, so I can't say it was down to that.

"Yes it’s not going to help, all the way to Blackpool, come back, all the way to Stoke and so on and then everything around the game is tough for them, but they've given me everything and they’re a wonderful group.

“We’re missing loads, but we roll with the punches and they gave me everything.

"We’re missing so many defenders, missing frontmen, missing midfield players, we’re missing plenty and that’s the shape that we’re in.

"But it’s the Championship, you have to keep going, this is a rearranged game from where it was before and we just haven’t shown enough quality tonight.

"We should have drawn the game 0-0 tonight, if we didn’t show enough quality, we should still defend the goal a bit better and we didn’t.”