Sorba Thomas says Huddersfield Town's fitness is paying off as Championship play-offs loom into view

Goals from Jon Russell and Naby Sarr either side of Elijah Adebayo's penalty against a post sent the Terriers back up to third in the Championship.

Nottingham Forest have two games in hand to overtake them, but more importantly with five matches to play for the rest of the challengers (apart from eighth-placed Middlesbrough, who have six), they have a six-point margin to seventh.

Sarr scored his goal at an 89th-minute Thomas corner, and the Wales international felt Huddersfield's conditioning was crucial against a Luton side who, like them, have exceeded expectations this season.

"We want to make it so teams don't want to come here and I felt like in the first half we started off well, then they got into the game a bit," said Thomas.

"I felt like in the second half they tried to high press us and I felt like our fitness showed, that we were fitter than them. I felt like they blew out and we just got stronger.

"You could see that in the game. Towards the end we could have got threes and fours.

"Three points are massive and for us to get them against a team in and around us is amazing because it puts a bit of a gap between us and them.

"We go again Friday (when they entertain Queens Park Rangers).

"It's definitely not done yet. For us it's about going game by game, getting three points or (single) points on the board and just solidifying our place in the play-offs."

Thomas was pleased for Sarr, who has tended to be fourth-choice centre-back this season, with Huddersfield using two more often than not in recent weeks.

But he came off the bench to good effect on Monday.

"Naby's a close friend of mine and he's had a tough time where he's been in and out of the team," commented Thomas. "Credit where it's due, he came on and make an impact defensively and he's got that big presence and he deserved his goal.

"He's been amazing for us and off the pitch and hopefully there's a lot more to come."

Thomas deserves huge credit too because whilst his football has been of a very high standard at times this season, he has not stinted in his work either. He has also shown a willingness to adapt, playing on the left of a front three against Luton having usually been used at right wing-back or right wing this season, although he has also played as a centre-forward.

"Wherever the gaffer wants to put me I leave it all out on the pitch," he said. "I work hard and on Monday I felt I did that - off the ball, helping the team, on the ball doing what I could.

"At the end I probably should have passed it to Duane (Holmes) but it's a learning curve for me, I'm stll learning and I feel I'm just getting better and better."