Jones: Returning Osho has a point to prove after admitting Luton defender's red card at Watford could have cost him his job

Luton boss Nathan Jones insists the returning Gabe Osho has a definite ‘point to prove’ after admitting the defender could have put his job in jeopardy with the red card he picked up during the recent 4-0 defeat at Watford.

With the game done and dusted, the visitors having already conceded four times against their biggest rivals, Osho, who was only on as a half time substitute, then slid in late on Ken Sema by the touchline with seven minutes remaining and was shown a straight red card by referee Bobby Madley.

It meant he missed the Hatters’ last three games, which has seen Town’s defensive injury crisis worsen after Sonny Bradley and Dan Potts both picked up injuries against Reading and Blackpool respectively, meaning Town have had to play a number of players out of position.

Although they have somehow managed to keep back-to-back clean sheets in that time, with Osho now available for tomorrow night’s trip to Stoke, then speaking before being installed as the favourite for the Southampton vacancy this morning, Jones said: “Hopefully Gabe is back with a point to prove as he let everyone down the other day, he knows that.

“It’s not big and brave to go and smash someone off the ball and get sent off when you’ve just come on.

“To be fair, that costs managers jobs.

"If we weren’t in a better position, losing 4-0 away to Watford and going down five or six could have been the end of me and I let him know that, so he has a point to prove now.

“He’s put real pressure on people and he knows that.

"He knows he’s been an idiot really, but he’s a good kid and thankfully he comes back in on Tuesday.”

Osho’s return is a timely one, as Luton are likely to be without Potts following the back injury he suffered after 20 minutes in the 1-0 win at Bloomfield Road on Saturday.

With Reece Burke and Bradley both missing the trip to Staffordshire too, Jones continued: “He landed awkwardly on his back and Pottsy’s been doing so well.

“We had it last year if you remember, it’s innocuous and we lost pretty much every centre half last year.

“We’ve still got three days before the game yet, who knows what might happen?

“We’ve lost Bradley and Burke and we've lost Potts today, it puts real pressure on.

"We’ve lost (Alfie) Doughty, we've lost Fred Onyedinma, Cauley Woodrow, big, big players there, (Henri) Lansbury, a real big player for us and that’s the frustrating thing.”

Despite their mounting injury list, those on the field at Blackpool didn’t let it affect them, as switching to a back four containing Jordan Clark as right back and James Bree as a centre half, they managed to fight their way to yet another clean sheet, with their one remaining fit central defender, Tom Lockyer, producing an outstanding display.

Jones added: “They just roll with the punches and whatever you ask them to do, they do.

"We don’t really play a back four, we had to play a back four and we were excellent playing a back four.

"First half if we had a little bit more quality we would have had better chances and then second half, we defended so well, got the goal, soaked up a little bit of pressure, all in front of us.

"(Gary) Madine was a threat in terms of the first ball, competing and then we really had good opportunities on the counter as in fairness we could have extended it.

“Carlton (Morris) stepped inside, so it’s one of those as then it’s comfortable, but what a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful away performance and that epitomises this group, what they do.

“We’re churning them out all the time, we’ve got two U21s on the bench in (Casey) Pettit and (Conor) Lawless, so it shows the depth has been hit severely, but they just keep rolling out performances.

“It just shows what the group does, they graft, they grind things out, they have to defend, they have to roll with the punches, whatever happens they take it on the chin and they’re that type of group.

"I’ve been with groups who would have wilted, groups who would have felt sorry for themselves, that would have moaned and groaned, but ours don’t.

"They get on with it, they work hard and they produce.”