Luton Town boss Nathan Jones says a quick turnaround for his team could prove “a hindrance” against Nottingham Forest on Friday.
The Reds have managed valuable time on the training ground this week ahead of their trip to Kenilworth Road, following Saturday’s 2-0 win over Birmingham City. But their next opponents have had a shorter preparation time for the lunchtime showdown.
The Hatters played on Monday night, losing by the same scoreline at Huddersfield Town to go a third game without a win. They are still right in the promotion mix, however, sitting a place and two points below Forest in the table.
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The clash between the two sides will be shown live on Sky Sports. But, in addition to suffering a couple of injuries against the Terriers, Jones feels his team will go into the match at a disadvantage because of the fixture schedule.
“It’s a quick turnaround and it’s a bit unfortunate because we’ve had all our games switched,” he told the club website. “We haven’t had a 3pm kick-off for a while, we’ve been on Sky a lot recently and they must like us.
“It’s good to have them but Forest have had a full week to prepare, and we’ve only got two days, so it’s difficult. It is a hindrance, but if we were near the bottom or mid-table then we wouldn’t be on Sky, so the fact we’re in the top six is a good thing.”
Steve Cooper’s men will once again be backed in big numbers, with what could be a big match at the top end of the table being a sell-out. There is plenty at stake for both teams at the business end of the campaign.
Jones said of the home crowd: “We have given them everything and together we have been really good all season. Now we can’t stutter, we have to be stronger, be together and go out and get the results we need. It’s tough but we have to get over that because there is still plenty to play for.”
