Luton boss Nathan Jones said Watford caught his side “on a really bad day”, exacerbated by a “sickness” bug that struck down three of his players before the game and forced captain Sonny Bradley off at half-time.
Jones had just watched the Hatters humbled 4-0 at Vicarage Road – the largest Watford home win in the history of derby matches – but said it will be “totally different” in the return fixture at Kenilworth Road: a match due to take place on April Fool’s Day.
“It was a disappointing afternoon. Congratulations to Watford and an apology to our fans as I didn’t want them to go through that today. They stuck with us and were brilliant. We’re really disappointed we let them down today,” he said.
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“There was real context today. A sickness bug has decimated us today. We lost Henri Lansbury, we lost Dan Potts, we lost Luke Berry. They were on the bench but they weren’t in the dug-out, they were on a bed in the changing room.
“We lost Sonny Bradley but he had to play, and it’s gone through the team. It was real context.
“But our defending today was stuff we hadn’t done. Their last two goals were balls we turned over in our own half. We’ve only done that once in six years, and we’ve done it twice more today.
“It was really out of character today for us, that performance.”
When asked more about the sickness big, Jones said it had forced him to change his team.
“It was literally this morning. Henri Lansbury work up with it this morning and we had to change the team because three of them went down with it. With travelling and everything we didn’t have enough to fill the bench. It was really frustrating.
“Then everything seemed to be compounded as we started really badly and didn’t defend well enough for the first two or three minutes. That settles them down as they’re probably under a little bit of pressure to come back. They’ve bounced back, they’ll be happy but let’s not lose perspective. We’ve been on a wonderful run and had a great week.
“Our last four games, we’ve had three away to West Brom, Norwich and Watford. They are three ex-Premier League teams. We’ve stayed unbeaten in three of the last four games and beat QPR at home.
“We’re not in the worst position it’s just today hurts because of who it is, and the manner.”
The Hatters boss said the only thing he could criticise his team for was the two “disastrous goals” they gave away in the second half.
“The two second half goals were disastrous goals to give away,” he said.
“That’s the only thing I can really criticise our players for because they put in massive shifts. They’ve done some wonderful things. But today we’ve been poor.
“There were two elements of our defending today which were really poor which over a massive period of time we’ve done really well. We have to get that out of our system and we have four or five games to go into the international break, at least three of them at home. We have to take advantage of them.
“We’ve been to tough places, it’s been a tough month. West Brom away, Norwich away, Watford away, and to put in the shifts we have shows we’re in a good place.”
Jones claimed his team had opportunities of their own that they failed to take.
“We’ve had really good chances, Elijah’s chance, Gabriel Osho is right at the back stick and puts it over from point-blank range. Carlton then has a chance from the middle of the goal, if he directs it.
“There’s been chances, it’s just we weren’t ourselves today. We’re playing balls into midfield and getting robbed when normally we’re really front footed.
“It’s a really disappointing and an out of character performance and result for us.”
The threat that Watford pose going forward was something Jones was well away of, and he said the Hornets have perhaps the best attack in the Championship.
“We turned the ball over too easy in positions where we know what they do. They leave four up and really can have a gamble. They’ve got potency – they’ve got arguably the best front four in the division in terms of the quality they have there.
“When you give them opportunities they take them. We needed to be really defensively solid today and we weren’t. That’s cost us.”
There was no defence offered for Gabriel Osho, who was sent off for his foul on ken Sema.
“We spoke about discipline,” said Jones.
“He’s a young boy, the game’s dead and he doesn’t need to give the referee a decision, whether it is a red or not.
“He’s just come back from injury, he’s learning his trade. To do that is just so stupid and we’ll deal with that.”
Jones and his staff were often jumping around in their technical area, especially during the first half.
“We didn’t lose it on a refereeing decision today but you’re starting not to know the rules anymore now,” said the Welshman.
“Our boy (Bradley) got the ball, it should have been our throw-in and he gets booked for it. I think it was something to do with the aggressive manner he went in.
“Then Cathcart puts in a great challenge, but to be fair the aggression was outrageous. It was a great challenge to put the ball into the stands, so I’ve no idea what the rules are anymore.
“There’s no point me arguing. One, I’ll get in trouble, and two, I’m actually not sure what I’m on about.”
Jones was asked if there were positives take away from the game.
“I take the positives from my group, that they don’t give up. We’ve had to take one on the chin today. It’s the worst place to come to take one on the chin, but we’ve taken more points than any EFL team in 2022.
“It shows we’re in a decent place. And yeah it’s a hard one to take today and there’ll be a lot of bitterness and anger. But we have to have a bit of perspective and make sure we don’t get carried away by this defeat, and bounce back. That’s the only way.”
The Luton fans didn’t turn on their team, despite the fact it was a derby and the scoreline.
“With the greatest respect we do give them plenty to get behind,” said Jones.
“There was wonderful support at Norwich and we beat them away, arguably one of the best sides in the league. We beat QPR at home. We’re not in the worst place.
“We’re eighth in the league I think and it’s so close. Now we’ve got five games before the international break to really cement us and to give us a real bit of impetus moving forward.
“It’s disappointing today but we won’t get carried away. We’re hurting as much as anyone else because we do hours and hours and hours. We’ll go back to the training ground now and dissect that so we can put it to bed.
“This group give me everything and we’ve been in a real good place, just today is the worst type of result for us because of who it is.”
After the final whistle, Jones was seen to be involved in quite an animated discussion with some Watford fans near his dug-out.
“I said enjoy it. They enjoyed it,” he said.
“Watford fans haven’t had that many great days in a year and a half or whatever it is. So I just said enjoy it. It won’t affect us.
“Whatever I get called and however much abuse I get, we’ll bounce back because we’re a good group. The honesty we have in the group and the type of group we have – I’m proud of our club and I’m proud of what we do.
“Football fans enjoy it, and they’ll be abusive. I got a young woman with kids around her, giving us the worst type of foul language. If that’s what they want to do, then fine.
“We will be back, it’s a long season. Ironically we’re above them in the table and I think they would swap places with us in a heartbeat for what we’ve got. So I’m very confident we’ll bounce back from this.”
A question was put to Jones asking whether he was surprised by the quality Watford displayed after having played so poorly at Millwall in midweek.
“We had to start the game well because they are under pressure. I’ve been here: the fans are ready to go at any point, blaming the owner, blaming whatever,” he said.
“We had to start well but we gifted them a goal after three minutes. It’s not good defending because we defend the box better than that.
“That settled them down and then good players, Pedro, Sarr, they are filled with confidence.
“They wilted in midweek and couldn’t handle it. It’s a totally different game going to The Den. And it’ll be a totally different game when they come to Kenilworth Road.
“We know they’re a good side when they want to play. When they turn up they’re a good side, and they should be because they’re ex-Premier League. I mean if you count the cost of some of their players. I think they turned down £40m for Sarr.
“They should be good, it’s just we didn’t perform today as we should. If we did it would have been a far closer game, and a better game. We just never gave ourselves any chance today.
“And there is context, as I said, behind that because we needed full energy today, and we weren’t. That’s not an excuse, and I congratulate Watford. They’ve just caught us on a really bad day.”
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