Paddy McCourt will play '˜big part' for Luton says new manager

New Hatters boss Nathan Jones said the former Derry City and Celtic star, and unused substitute Craig Mackail-Smith, will get their chances - but that his first priority against Cambridge last Saturday was to “stop the rot”.

The pair were with Jones at Brighton last season, where he was first team coach.

“I like Craig, I love Paddy, I like these players, these are good players,” said Jones.

Northern Ireland international, McCourt came on for the final 15 minutes, but with Mark Tyler and Danny Green forced off early due to injuries, it meant Mackail-Smith wasn’t called upon.

However, Jones said: “They’ll have big parts to play as well, I’ve picked a side, I needed certain elements, but I like Craig, I love Paddy, I like these players, these are good players.

“I brought Paddy into Brighton as a Championship player, so don’t worry about that. It was a side we picked to make sure we stopped the rot and picked up something from the game and gives us a start.

“We’ll play a lot more fluent than that in the future, but for now I’m happy with that as commitment-wise, work-rate and attitude, they were excellent.”

Jones admitted it will take him a bit of time to evaluate all of the players he inherited from former manager John Still, after being in charge for less than a fortnight.