Stimson pans Poppies in defeat

And he is looking for a response when the two sides meet again in the return match at Nene Park on Sunday.

He said: “It was a bad day and when you fill your team sheet out and you only have 13 players you know it will be touch and go.

“You want your players to do their best, especially against a team like Luton, but we didn’t hit any of our targets today.

“I asked the players to go and win their individual battles and at least I got a bit of honesty afterwards when I asked them if they did that and they put their hands up and said no.

“Now they get the opportunity in a few days’ time to go and do better and we need to do better and help get us away from the dreaded bottom four.

“It wasn’t good and picking up an early injury with Jerel (Ifil) wasn’t good for us, it made it a whole lot harder.

“I have to be constructive in my criticism and you have to be constructive even if you win.

“I hope the players take it the right way.

“Some will, the better ones will and the ones who don’t really care will twist it and make something up.

“But you could see who the ones were who were up for the fight and you can see the ones who have gone through the motions.

“The positives were the young kid (Ollie Jones) and Stephen O’Leary both coming through 90 minutes, but that’s where the positives stop.”

Ifil is definitely out of Sunday’s rematch, while Town are hopeful that Jake Howells, who was forced off, will have recovered in time.