Portsmouth skipper: Luton result won’t make or break season

Brett Pitman has dismissed thoughts Luton outcome will decide the league. Picture: Joe Pepler

The Blues tonight head to Kenilworth Road (7.45pm) to face the team which last weekend removed them from the top of League One.

With Kenny Jackett’s men in FA Cup action against QPR, they lost a hard-earned position occupied for almost four months.

Saturday’s 1-0 league win at Southend handed momentum to the Hatters, who now stand two points clear.

This evening Pompey travel to their fiercest promotion rivals, who are still unbeaten at home in the league this term.

But skipper Pitman is convinced the outcome will not dictate where the sides will finish upon the season’s conclusion.

He said: ‘They’ll be a lot made of it being between the top two, and rightly so, but it is only three points.

‘And obviously we’ll be trying to get them.

Brett Pitman regards new leaders Luton as one of the best sides Pompey have faced this season. Picture: Andrew Fosker / PinPep

‘It's no surprise to me that Luton are right up there, they have been one of the best teams we’ve played and maybe on that day we were slightly fortunate to get a win. We are under no illusions they are a good side.

‘Of course it’s top of the table, first v second, and a lot gets made of that, but that’s probably more the media side of things rather than us.

‘We know it’s three points, that’s what it is, it’s the same in every other game against top, bottom or middle.

‘The Luton match is not going to decide a season – but it will be nice to get a positive result and a positive performance.

‘If we perform like we did against QPR, we shouldn’t be too far away.’

Now with caretaker boss Mick Harford in charge following Nathan Jones’ departure for Stoke, Luton remain League One’s in-form side.

They are undefeated in 16 league matches, winning 12 of those, in a run stretching back to October.

But Pitman is adamant Pompey’s own progress shouldn’t be underestimated.

He added: ‘After coming back for pre-season, had you offered this position to us at this stage of the campaign then everyone would have taken it.

‘We are still in the FA Cup, in the semi-finals of the Checkatrade Trophy and are second in the league.

‘You have to take stock of what we have done so far.’