Bloomfield feels his bond with Luton Town supporters is growing

Luton manager Matt Bloomfield believes his bond with the Hatters supporters is starting to grow in exactly the manner he always hoped it would.

Having replaced Rob Edwards back in January, the former Wycombe Wanderers boss, as expected when taking over a club who had lost their last five games and were in the doldrums, facing a battle to stay in the Championship having been plying their trade in the Premier League last term, took a while to get his feet underneath the table, with some fans fairly lukewarm to his arrival.

Having failed to win any of his first eight matches, a number began to accept relegation to League One was imminent, but to his credit, Bloomfield remained exceedingly positive that the work on the training ground would start to show out on the pitch. A 1-0 success over Portsmouth finally saw the new man up and running, as he then led Town to back-to-back away wins at Cardiff City and Hull City, plus an excellent performance when held to a goalless draw by Middlesbrough, which saw the belief in the terraces begin to grow.

It was no more evident than during Saturday’s 1-1 draw with title-chasing Leeds United too as ahead of the contest, and for the first time since he was appointed, the boss acted as a cheerleader for the home fans prior to kick-off, calling on every ounce of noise for the contest against the promotion-hopefuls as he made his way out on to the pitch.

With the Kenilworth Road crowd responding, in fine voice for the entire encounter, the Hatters more than holding their own against the Whites and picking up what could be a crucial point in their battle for survival, Bloomfield and his players were then loudly applauded off after the final whistle, the Town chief enjoying a rousing ovation from the supporters behind the tunnel, as he reciprocated accordingly. Asked if he now felt the relationship he had been determined to build with the Town followers was beginning to grow, he said: “Yes, I do. I really felt it at Hull, I felt it on Saturday.

"They're incredible supporters, they get right behind the boys and they back this football club through thick and thin. There's been some tough moments here over the years and the fans have lived it and seen a lot more than I have, but I’m starting to feel like that bond is growing. I want it to, I'm really desperate for it to grow and they need to see performances and results on the pitch, that’s the only way it grows. I want to get to know the guys more than what I do right now, so I do feel like it’s growing and I want it to grow even more.”

Bloomfield knew it was always going to be a difficult stage of the campaign to come in and get a new manager bounce immediately, with Luton having struggled for results over the past 18 months. However, he has managed to make the Hatters far to break down in recent weeks, by keeping a settled back three, with goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski rediscovering some of his best form too, also going five games unbeaten now with the 1-1 draw at Stoke City on Tuesday night.

On what he and his coaching staff have managed to do so far, the boss added: “It’s only been recently after the wins when you guys have given me some stats. When we first came I think it was five games losing, there hadn't been a clean sheet, hadn't been an away win. We got back to back away wins and there's been some other things that have been really pleasing. It was a lot to turn around, but I was really confident in the job we could do.

“I absolutely believe that we could have got a win quicker than what we did and there’s loads of games in amongst that where it could have, but the first win did seem to spring a little bit of belief and confidence. Off the back of it we've had a couple more and it fuels your hunger for more. We are really hungry for more points, more results. There’s plenty more work to do, but there's been some good signs and we want to use that momentum as we put on a performance that the supporters could be proud of.”