Luton Town manager Nathan Jones has quipped he doesn’t care if he never speaks to Kal Naismith again, as long as the Hatters can beat Bristol City at Ashton Gate tonight.
Naismith’s bitter departure from Kenilworth Road at the end of last session is an overriding narrative of the contest in BS3 with Luton twice complaining about the Robins conduct, claiming they didn’t know their Player of the Year had decided to leave Luton for Bristol until he was unveiled in a City shirt.
It’s provided some added needle to the encounter, although Naismith has spoken warmly of his time with the Hatters in which he was successfully developed into one of the best centre-backs in the Championship on Nathan Jones’ watch.
There is some pressure on the Scot to deliver a performance after a mixed start to life in a City shirt but Jones insists Naismith’s presence in the opposition XI is of no relevance to him with Luton, like the Robins, searching for their first league win of the season.
“It’s not about Kal Naismith, it’s about Bristol City, I don’t really care who plays for them as long as we win the game,” Jones told Luton Today. “I don’t care if my dad plays for them, all I’m concerned about is winning the game.
“It will be nice to see Kal for a moment, I’ll speak to him after I’m sure, but I’m not interested in reacquainting myself with anyone.
“I want to win the game, so if I never speak to Kal Naismith again but win the game, I’ll take that and that’s nothing on Kal, I really like Kal, and he did excellent for this football club.”
Jones, never a shy figure on the touchline or in speaking his mind, has experienced a testy relationship with the Robins faithful, while games with the Hatters have been eventful down the seasons, particularly with the presence of Rovers hero and pantomime villain Tom Lockyer in their defence.
The Wales international looks set to once again miss out on a place in the starting XI having not featured in any of their league contests so far as Jones has opted for a back three of Dan Potts, Sonny Bradley and Reece Burke.
There is some common ground between Jones and City, however, with the manager joining Nigel Pearson in his frustration over the inconsistencies of Championship officials.
City have been on the receiving end of some questionable decisions which have influenced results at Hull City and Wigan, while Jones has been aggrieved at the timewasting tactics of Birmingham City and Preston North End in two of their games so far.
Coincidently, Dean Whitestone - who awarded Hull a controversial penalty after penalising Naismith for a foul - took charge of Luton’s 1-0 defeat to Preston on Saturday in which the visitors were constantly looking to slow the game down and frustrate the Hatters.
“I think it’s a really difficult job for them and sometimes I don’t get what they say,” Jones added. “They’re (the opposition) not going to be in any rush to do anything and rightly so, that’s up to them. It’s up to others to be able to deal with that, but it’s just frustrating at the minute.”
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