Jones: It's game on in Town's battle to stay up

Luton boss Graeme Jones insisted it’s ‘game on’ in the battle to stay in the Championship this season after the Hatters made it two wins in a row by winning 1-0 at Middlesbrough this afternoon.

Ryan Tunnicliffe’s 17th minute winner at the Riverside ensured Town ended a miserable run of 12 straight defeats on the road and are now just four points behind fourth bottom Stoke City with 13 games still to play.

Jones said: “We’re right in the ball game.

“Somebody came in and said ‘what did Wigan do? What did so-and-so do?’ I’m not interested.

“It’s about us winning football matches and it’s game on.

“It’s very different when the momentum is going that way (upwards) than when it’s coming that way (downwards).

“I said to you that when we had everybody fit, we’d be competitive, and that’s what’s happened.

“Brentford away (7-0 defeat) has hurt us a lot, it hurt us a lot.

“But we’ve kept level-headed as a club, we’ve recovered from it, and let’s see where it takes us.”

Although the win was Luton’s first on the road since September 28, well over four months ago, Jones thought the end to that run had been in sight during recent performances away from home.

He continued: “I feel like it’s been coming.

"I think I look an absolute idiot sometimes when I speak at Nottingham Forest after a 3-1 defeat and 2-0 at West Brom and say I’m pleased with the level of performance, pleased with the control off and on the ball, but I think we saw a result of those performances today.”

Jones had made four changes for the contest, the influential duo Izzy Brown and Glen Rea dropping to the bench, with it being Town’s third game in seven days.

James Bree was also among the substitutes, with Harry Cornick not included due to a slight knock, meaning Cameron Carter-Vickers, Luke Berry, Kazenga LuaLua and Martin Cranie came in.

On his decision to freshen up the side, Jones said: “There is always a plan and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

“I’ve got a group of players that I believe in. I’ve got a group of players that understand that in these three-game weeks, everyone wants to play but you need everybody.

“I don’t care about making decisions. That’s what I’m paid to do.

“I think I work hard enough to make a measured decision, as if you’re guessing, then you won’t get football results.

“It’s the first time I’ve had everybody available, apart from losing Harry Cornick a little bit with his hamstring.

“So I’m really satisfied, but remember that the players have to come in and perform.

“You think about Cameron coming in, I know I got heavily criticised for leaving him out and we got a clean sheet on Wednesday night.

“Then you think about Matty (Pearson) playing right-back, think about Martin Cranie’s level – I’ve said for a long, long time, how much we miss Martin.

“Glen’s contribution over recent weeks has been magnificent, then you think about Luke Berry, Kaz and that’s the definition of a team, that’s the definition of a squad.

“People are coming in, prepared to contribute, that’s all I spoke about at this football club at the beginning, and that’s where we are at the minute.”

Despite Town's woeful form on the road ahead of the contest, Jones denied it had been playing on his mind, adding: "I don’t think like that.

"I just think, ‘next game, let’s win it,’ I don’t care where it is, I don’t believe in all those hoodoos.

"I think if we are measuring today, I tried to go a little bit more solid with Matty Pearson – a centre-half – at right-back.

“Matty’s somebody I know can play three games a week, like Pelly-Ruddock, like Ryan Tunnicliffe.

“Sonny (Bradley) played two, Cam played two. Dan Potts was a bit of a gamble at three, I couldn’t risk Glen, couldn’t risk Izzy, so it’s getting the balance of your squad right.

“But it’s about people contributing, James Collins is robust.

“The satisfaction with the level of performance, effort and the mentality, is really satisfying."