Mike Simmonds gave the lowdown on Luton Town
- Experts view on Luton Town
- Details what he expects from Luton Town
- Gain insight into Nathan Jones’ side
Luton Town reporter Mike Simmonds gave his thoughts on the Hatters ahead of Huddersfield Town’s visit to Kenilworth Road!
Luton’s recent home form has seen them take 11 from possible 18 – why do you think that is?
The Hatters had produced some decent performances at home ahead of their good run of form, but didn’t get the results they deserved after missing some excellent chances in the matches. Having fans back for the Norwich contest really helped them defeat the Canaries, and then they were also present against Preston, where Luton were magnificent throughout.
They then carried that level of performance into the Bournemouth fixture, getting a fine draw, before beating Bristol City, with the only time it slipped coming under the lights against QPR, in what was a rare midweek defeat on home soil.
Do you think we’ll see any debuts from Luton’s new January signings?
I would expect Tom Ince to get an immediate chance to show just how good he is for Luton after arriving on loan from Stoke City on deadline day. He has vast Premier League experience under his belt and having played for Nathan Jones at the Potters, Luton's manager knows just how good he can be.
Fellow new addition Elijah Adebayo might have to make do with a place on the bench to begin with after joining from Walsall, but could well be introduced during the game for Hatters fans to get their first glimpse of him.
This is the second time the two sides have met this season – how do you think Town could hurt Luton this time round?
Luton have been fairly strong in all areas recently, although goalscoring remains an issue, only netting once in their last four league clashes, that coming in a 1-0 win at Bournemouth.
If Huddersfield can keep Luton quiet upfront, then as the Hatters commit players forward to get a breakthrough, it might leave spaces available for the visitors to exploit.
Where do you see key battles in this game?
The key battles in this game will be whoever is tasked with going up against Luton’s on-loan Leicester City midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall who has been in excellent form since joining. If he can dominate proceedings then it will give Luton a real chance of getting a result, as he has been an influential player.
The Hatters centre half pairing of Sonny Bradley and Tom Lockyer are forming an excellent partnership and should they be on top of their game it could make for a difficult afternoon for the Terriers attackers.
If Tom Ince starts, then he could be a big player on his debut, while striker James Collins will be determined to get back on the scoresheet after not scoring since early December, so his clash against the Huddersfield back-line will be one to watch out for too.
What do you think Luton’s aim for the second half of the season is?
Luton’s aim for the second half is to make sure they are in no way drawn into a relegation battle again after what was an excellent opening few months.
They are currently seven points above the drop zone, but the gap had been double figures recently and the Hatters will want to get back to that kind of buffer again, with Jones making it clear he doesn’t intend to be fighting to stay up at all this term.
The Play-Offs have been spoken about as an aim, but realistically, that might be just a step too far this season, with most supporters more than happy with a mid-table finish.
