Attacking developments are noticeable at Luton Town this season

Exceeding all expectations once more, we are currently operating just one point outside the play-off positions.

We look on course to make it a sixth season in succession where we have improved our place on the Football League pyramid, that is despite our comparatively small budget in England’s second-tier.

Last season ended with a 12th place finish in the Championship, ensuring that we finished the campaign as a top-half club, which proved to be an exciting season even though we were confined to watching the games on our computers.

The 2020/21 campaign will certainly go down as one of, if not our biggest success in recent times, however, it gave us an excellent platform to build on.

Perhaps one of the standout statistics from last season is that we only managed 41 league goals, a figure we have now equalled 29 games into this campaign.

Not only does that show tremendous progression within our attackers, but it is also a testament to the way we now operate as a collective unit.

In seasons before this one, switching to a five-at-the-back formation seemed negative and it was usually an indication of the type of game that would play out.

However, we have proven this season that you can be extremely dominant and front-footed in this system, with James Bree and Amari’i Bell having a lot of influence in the final third.

Our intensity and intelligence when pressing has also been a key change that has helped us impose ourselves on the opposition more this season, and subsequently, this is something that has been rewarded by our improvement in front of goal.

With a third of the season left to play, and the fact we saw top scorer James Collins depart, makes our efforts in front of goal that little bit more impressive.

Elijah Adebayo has chipped in with 12 league goals already this season and is surpassing all expectations in a talismanic role.

The forward’s physicality, link-up play and ability to drive at players, have all combined to see him emerge as a frightening option in our frontline, with Harry Cornick also excelling.

The lightning-quick attacker already has eight goals to his name this campaign, a major improvement from last season’s single league goal.

However, it is not just the improvement of the attacking line that has ensured success in the goalscoring department.

Our wing-backs and midfield have also played huge roles in our improved efforts in the final third, with Bree and Bell being afforded a lot of space in their respective roles.

Luke Berry and Jordan Clark have also impressed with their final-third intelligence and subsequent ability, however, they have both missed large chunks of the season through injury, and the pair are currently sidelined.

It is also important to consider that we lost real creative assets in Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, George Moncur and Kazenga LuaLua in the summer, pinning further praise on our attacking play this time out.

Another interesting development of this season is that we appear to have gone slightly more direct in our build-up play.

This notion of becoming a more athletic and relentless team means that we often try and turn defences around and work on picking up the scraps.

Jones is once again getting so much from his Luton side, and in an attacking sense, the improvements are there for all to see.