Luton Town currently sit 13th in the Championship table with three wins, five draws and three defeats to their name from their 11 games to date.

They’ve often impressed; outplaying their opponents on a number of occasions, though could be accused of not converting this domination into wins and valuable points.

The club have only lost one game in their last seven, but have also only won one, which has pretty much been the story of their campaign so far.

Their recent 5-0 drubbing of Coventry City showed what Nathan Jones’s men are capable of on their day, but with the Hatters second in the Championship for xG and xG points, not to mention fourth for goals scored – is it a case of could do better?

Charlie Gregory caught up with Ian Robertson from We Are Luton to try and get to the bottom of what is going on at Kenilworth Road…

After 11 games, you’re sitting 13th in the table – how would you assess your start to the season?

“We’ve had a tough start to the season, we’ve had a vast number of injuries and illnesses that have hampered our ability to gel a newly assembled squad.

“They have reacted to that situation well and I’ve been impressed with our ability to find a way to have consistent performances under a string of roadblocks.

“I feel we could have and should have had more points on the board.”

Although you’ve only lost 1 game in your last 7, you’ve only won one, too – has that been the story of the campaign so far?

“The performances and growth of the squad have been evident to see; we haven’t seen any reason to be concerned in that regard.

“We’ve looked like a very competent Championship side that teams have struggled to beat and, like I said, we should have had maybe at least four more points than we have.

“But that is part of the acceptance that we are in transition from Nathan Jones’ mark one Luton Town into mark two!”

 

What’s been the difference between drawing and winning those games? Ultimately, where have you been falling short?

“Taking chances ultimately. We’ve missed some glorious chances to win games or change the course of the game.

“But again, we’ve been pushing the squad to the max with the way we play and lack of additional bodies due to injuries.

“The Swansea result in particular was a result of fatigue.”

📈 “I think this is going to be a launchpad for them to go onto bigger things.”

👏 “Their performances have been that of a top-half, even play-off chasing team.”@RyanDilks1 says #LTFC could be ones to watch… 🎩👀

📺 The Stopwatch w/ @secondtierpod: https://t.co/y6HuUI8NxG pic.twitter.com/T1z0qPXWwu

— FansBet (@FansBet) October 2, 2021

What did your 5-0 hammering of high-flying Coventry show? Was it a fluke result or does it show the quality of your side? 

“It wasn’t a fluke.

“It was a combination of a build-up of momentum in chances we create and Coventry trying to press too high up the pitch.

“We took advantage of that and ultimately they didn’t adapt to the game and took a beating.

“I’d said in the car on the way up that we’d hammer someone soon; I didn’t think it would be that evening but it had been coming.

“I’m mentioning the Swansea game again but if we’d taken our chances after half-time then it would have been similar there, too.”

Should you be competing higher in the division? You’re fourth in the standings for goals scored and 2nd for xG – is there a confidence amongst the group and supporters that you can challenge for the play-offs at least this season?

“Absolutely, we should be higher in the table.

“I honestly think there is a chance to be taken for the play-offs for Luton, but most see this season as a transition season with a newly assembled squad which in all honesty hasn’t had time to gel on the pitch so far.

“The xG will naturally drop a little, but I think we’ll start taking more chances and start seeing a reflection in our points tally.

“The season has all the makings of another very tight Championship table and could end up anywhere between 14/15th to the play-offs with only a small handful of points between those places.

“Hopefully, we can be on the positive end!”

Are the fanbase united behind Jones – is he a manager capable of taking Luton to the next level?

“We do have a splattering of supporters that won’t ever forgive Nathan Jones for leaving for Stoke, even if he won the Champions League with Luton!

“That’s fine, let them get on with that. But in the broad sense of the question we are, we know the drive and hard work Nathan Jones puts in – you can see it.

“I think there’s an inevitable feeling that he’ll take us to the Premier League – it’s just when will that happen.

“We have zero pressure to achieve that; we know we need to have the new stadium built at Power Court before we can push on with our trajectory as a football club, but we are going in the right direction and we’re all just enjoying our club and football at the moment.

“We’re in a fantastic position on and off it.”

What’s your hope for the season, and then your expectation/prediction?

“The top-half of the table is where I’d expect us to be.

“Before the season started I predicted 8/9th in the table and I think we are on our way to be in that position.”

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