Doncaster Rovers v Luton Town: The Opposition View

We spoke to Mike Simmonds, sports editor of The Luton News, to get the lowdown on the Hatters.

Q: How do you reflect on Luton’s start to the season?

MS: Luton have made a decent start to the campaign so far, unbeaten in four league and cup matches after beating Brighton U21s on Tuesday night.

Although they failed to win their first three matches, they were against some of the toughest sides in the division, Portsmouth, Sunderland and Peterborough.

Back to back wins over Southend and Shrewsbury got the club up and running and with a bit of luck, they might have had a third victory when drawing 1-1 at Wycombe last time out.

Q: What are the expectations for Luton this season?

MS: Expectations within the camp are that Town can challenge for a second successive promotion after going up from League Two last term, such is the confidence among the players.

Most fans would be happy to see Luton consolidate their position in the third tier of English football this term and if possible, make a push for the play-offs during the second half of the campaign.

Q: I imagine Nathan Jones is held in pretty high regard?

MS: He is hugely popular at Kenilworth Road after getting Luton out of League Two last season while playing some brilliant attacking football and scoring 94 goals while doing it too.

He’s destined to manage at a higher level during his career and the hope is he can do that while still with the Hatters.

Q: What style of play and system does Jones favour?

MS: Jones will usually set Luton up to play with a diamond formation, as it is a system that has worked well for him since taking over.

They favour a passing style of football and are also excellent on the counter attack.

Q: Who are the danger men for Luton?

MS: With Danny Hylton remaining a doubt for the Hatters, Elliot Lee is one of the biggest threats.

Joint top scorer with two goals so far, he has impressed in both a striking berth and also at the tip of the diamond as well.

Midfielder Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu has caught the eye, continuing his excellent form from the back end of last season too and displaying a real consistency to his performances this term.

Q: Match prediction?

MS: I’m going to sit on the fence and go for a 1-1 draw.