Luton boss 'a little disappointed' not to emerge victorious during goalless draw against Bournemouth

Luton boss Nathan Jones felt his side deserved more than the point they picked up against title-challenging Bournemouth this afternoon.

Although the Hatters had less possession on the day, with just 40 per cent of the ball over the 90 minutes, it was they who created the best chances throughout.

Firstly, fit-again striker Danny Hylton was denied by an excellent save from Asmir Begovic in the first half, his left-footed attempt looking like it would nestle into the bottom corner until the Bosnian international and former Chelsea keeper stuck out a strong right hand.

Then with time running out in the second period, substitute Sam Nombe, who had only just come on, was released by Luke Berry’s through ball, with Jones screaming to referee Dean Whitestone that his forward was being impeded by Cherries captain Steve Cook before Begovic came out to deny him.

In stoppage time, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s cross was diverted inches over his own bar by defender Josh Simpson, as when asked afterwards if he was happy with a point, Jones said: “No, before the game probably given the calibre of the team that we came up against because they’re free-flowing, they’re very fluent, they have outstanding individuals for the level, they’re full of Premier League players, but at the end, no I’m a little bit disappointed we didn’t take all three.

“Asmir’s pulled off a great save first half, we’ve had so many situations as well where we’ve got in behind them and haven't quite shown that quality and that composure just to pick that right opportunity.

“We’ve had more shots, right at the end, the boy’s put one over his bar.

"Then it’s probably not a penalty, because he’s outside the box, but it's a sending off and a foul which would have given us a chance to have shot from 19 yards, so I'm very proud of the performance.

“Let's not be too disappointed, for us to be competing with a side like Bournemouth shows we’re in a decent place.

“We were excellent, we went pressing them, we didn't sit and say 'okay, let's take it on the chin.'

"We allowed them to play one pass and then we went after them with real aggression.

"I thought we were excellent, first to deny them the fluency and the amount of play they had shows we've played well because they are a fantastic side for the level.”

Going into more detail on Nombe’s chance, Jones continued: “He’s going through, he’s just grabbed him and thrown him off balance, so it’s a foul.

“If that goes to VAR, it’s a foul and a sending off and it's not a penalty, it’s a foul outside the box, but we had the better of the opportunities.”