Meet the opposition | Luton Town
As Swansea City prepare to take on Luton Town this weekend, we take a closer look at the form and history of the Hatters.
What's their story?
Luton achieved a second successive promotion in 2018-2019, ending a 12-year absence from the Championship.
They were among the relegation battlers for much of last season, but their fortunes were revived by the return of Nathan Jones and they eventually finished three points clear of the bottom three with 51 points.
Luton were in the top-flight as recently as the early 90s, but slid down the divisions and briefly lost their Football League status before beginning their revival.
How's their form?
Up and down. Luton have won three, lost three and drawn one of their last seven league games.
Wins have come against Birmingham, Nottingham Forest and Sheffield Wednesday, but there have been heavy 3-0 defeats against Stoke and Norwich during that time.
They have proven hard to beat at Kenilworth Road, losing just four league fixtures there all season.
Who’s the boss?
Nathan Jones. Welshman Jones returned for a second spell as manager of the Hatters back in May and guided them to Championship survival.
Jones had a spell as a player at Luton in the mid-1990s in a career that took in stints with Numancia, Southend, Brighton and Yeovil among others.
He got his managerial break with the Hatters and led them to promotion from League Two in his second season, and had them on course for another promotion when he left for Stoke in January 2019.
Who’s the captain?
Sonny Bradley. Centre-back Bradley, 29, joined Luton in 2018 after an impressive spell at Plymouth.
Having come through the ranks at Hull, Bradley had loan stints with Harrogate, IK Frej and Aldershot, before making permanent moves to Portsmouth and Crawley.
The switch to Plymouth followed in 2016 – where he was named in the EFL League Two team of the season – and his fine form attracted the interest of the Hatters in 2018, and he went on help them win promotion to the Championship in his first season.
Who are the key men?
Powerful striker James Collins again tops the scoring charts for Luton with the Republic of Ireland international have netted 10 goals so far.
On-loan Leicester midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has been an impressive and exciting performer with two goals and four assists to his name.
Harry Cornick is another dangerous attacking threat, while skipper Bradley and Wales international Tom Lockyer have been steadying presences at the back before recent injury troubles.
