Jones: Town squad is 'chomping at the bit' following return from international break

Luton boss Nathan Jones insisted the Town players have returned from the international break ‘chomping at the bit’ for the final push to what promises to be a thrilling conclusion to the Championship season.

After a punishing schedule of 19 games since the turn of the year, in which a mightily impressive 13 of them ended in victories for the Hatters, the squad was given some time off following the 3-1 win at Hull City on March 19.

The players were under strict instructions to make the most of it too, as Jones said: "A lot of the players did, as they do, single, young, human beings, go away and they’ve earned that.

"We had a certain win away from home this season where we promised them a run of days and then this week we said if they could achieve a certain points level, then they would get slightly longer and we did.

"So we gave them a little bit of a reward and they’ve come back.

"They’re not going to get any fitter now, it’s about realising where we are, not abusing that fact and then enjoying the rest, so a lot of them got a bit of sun on their body."

On what he did, Jones continued: "For me, I actually went back to Staffordshire for a small break and then ended up going to back to where my wife is from in Bournemouth.

"That was brilliant for me, it was nice to charge the batteries.

"I wanted everyone to take time off as it’s physical for the players, and mental, but for the staff it’s really, really mental.

"We had a little bit of an outbreak of Covid as well, everyone was feeling it, so we cleared the building and now it’s going to be at least five weeks of real intensity and hard work.

"The way the staff work is phenomenal, so I’m glad they got to have that break and they’ve all come back in chomping at the bit for the final push."

When asked whether he had noticed a boost among the returning players following the break as preparations were stepped up for Saturday's home contest with Millwall, a side who aren't out of the running for a play-off berth either, Jones said: "It’s been a good training week but they’re a great group.

"As I said after the (Hull) game, they’re the best group I’ve ever seen, so if there was any extra spring in their step then I’d have 20-odd Easter bunnies.

"They’re phenomenal in the way they go about their work, the disjointed thing is we’ve had one or two away with internationals, while one or two had picked up injuries.

"So we didn’t have a full group training, but they’re such a good group that any extra spring in their step we just put down to a normal day."

The timing off the international fixtures couldn't have come at a better time for Luton in terms of injuries as they had been without a number of the front-line defenders, including Sonny Bradley, Kal Naismith, Gabe Osho and Reece Burke for the trip to Hull, while Peter Kioso went off with a tight hamstring too.

Whether it was the best time for the side's momentum, Town on a run of eight victories from 11 in the league going into Saturday's clash against the Lions, Jones added: "We were at full stretch, especially defensively and people were putting in big shifts.

"We didn’t start with a recognised centre-half against Hull, and we didn’t finish with one against Preston.

"A few have gone away with internationals, some have been able to get a bit more training in their legs, some have had the rest they needed, but it has come at a good time.

"We have no idea how that is going to affect momentum but Millwall are in good form as well so it’s not like it’s going to damage us more than it is them."