Luton Town's Alan Sheehan has said his side need to 'separate the boys from the men' after last night's 3-0 defeat at Stoke City in the Championship.

Sheehan, 33, captained Luton last night on what was only his second Championship appearance of the season.

It was the Hatters' ninth away defeat of the season and 13th of this Championship campaign but they remain a place above the drop zone, and with three points still separating them from Stoke in 22nd.

Goals from James McClean and Joe Allen gave Stoke a 2-0 lead at half-time, with Allen adding a third after the restart.

Speaking to Luton Today after the game, Sheehan spoke about manager Graeme Jones reaction to the players in the dressing room:

"He has had very strong words, but it’s expected," said Sheehan on Jones. "We’re all men, you take it on the chin and you get on with it, that’s what you have to be.

“We have to be men and get on with it, we’re representing Luton Town, it’s not good enough, it’s as simple as that.

“We win together, we lose together, we’ve been through too much together to start pointing fingers at each other - It’s too easy to do that, I think that’s a weak mentality of pointing fingers at each other."

Luton have had a tough season in the second-tier so far but with two wins in their last four, both of them coming at Kenilworth Road, Hatters' fans will believe that they have every chance of securing their Championship status into next season.

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“There’s no hiding place, you’re in the Championship, a very tough league," added Sheehan. "We have to dust ourselves and go again as nobody is going to feel sorry for you, you’ve got to stick together and separate the boys from the men."

Last night gave Luton their sixth-straight defeat on the road having conceded twenty goals in that period, half of those coming in their last two away fixtures.

The verdict

Luton have shown glimpses of what they're capable of this season but they just seem so toothless, and so down on confidence when they play away from home.

Stoke, judging by the Championship table have had a worse season than Luton so far, but managed to play them off the park last night. It should ring alarm bells for Jones and Luton who are in desperate need of some solidity on the road to keep their chances of survival high.