Bloomfield insists he is relishing further final day drama at the Hawthorns

Town boss Matt Bloomfield insists he is relishing the opportunity of leading Luton to safety in front of over 2,500 travelling Hatters fans at the Hawthorns on the final day of the season tomorrow afternoon.

The 41-year-old will see his side head into battle at the Hawthorns against a home side with nothing tangible to play for, knowing that victory will be enough to secure Championship status for yet another campaign. A draw might also do if Hull, Preston and Derby all fail to win, while they can even stay up with a defeat, but only as long as the Tigers are beaten by Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

With the pressure now firmly on, asked if he could actually allow himself to enjoy such an occasion, Bloomfield, who has seen Town sell out their away allocation, meaning 2,542 fans will be travelling to the West Midlands hoping they get the required outcome, said: “I’m looking forward to it, I relish it, I think that’s the right world, I relish it. This is the reason why I wanted to become a manager to be in this position.

"Obviously you want to be at the other end of the table, fine, but we’re really proud of the way it’s been turned and we really want to complete the job tomorrow and I’m relishing the opportunity to do so. The support of our supporters, two and a half thousand and I think the club are putting on transport packages. Last Saturday at the Kenny it was a sea of orange, so I’m really thankful we’ve sold out our allocation and we’re going to be really heavily backed, Away from home recently they’ve been absolutely fantastic and I’m looking forward to seeing them in full voice tomorrow.”

Although knowing that Luton’s future as a Championship club is on the line, on whether he will be able to remain calm about the challenge ahead during the build-up, Bloomfield continued: “I have to be. I know I wasn't very calm at the end of the game last Saturday (a last-minute 1-0 win over Coventry), but that was a euphoric moment that I think was allowed. I was there (back to normal) by the end of the game. You watched the results come in at the end of the afternoon and you look exactly where you are and what needs to be done. We know there’s a job to do this week.

"Everyone had Sunday off for a family day, Monday morning we were approaching the week exactly the same way we have done ever since we’ve been here and putting the pieces of the puzzle together that we need to improve on ready for this weekend. My job is to lead in the way that I believe is correct and be calm and focused. Calm needs to be focused as well, it can’t just be laid back and wait and see what happens.

"It’s being clear about our identity, it’s being clear about our gameplan, it’s being clear about our focus on the game and just concentrating on that. There’s been a good noise around the building for a couple of months now. I think the boys have felt that confidence growing, felt the belief growing, so it’s about getting those balances right as you can’t get carried away. We’ve got a big game tomorrow, but the boys have trained well and they seemed focused so we look forward to watching them play tomorrow.”

Although Town’s future lies in their own hands at the moment, that could change during the course of the 90 minutes, with Preston going to play-off chasing Bristol City and Derby County hosting Stoke City. It’s not something Bloomfield is anticipating paying too much attention to though, stating: “There’s no point us just sitting here and hoping to influence things elsewhere when we will have no control over that. I just focus on us, make sure we control what we can, make sure we prepare properly, come out with the right mindset, look to go into the game as we have done since we’ve been here and hopefully put on a performance.”

Last day survival missions are nothing new for Hatters fans either, having gone through it in 1983, 1990 and 1991, winning at Manchester City where a certain David Pleat ran on the pitch, then at Derby County thanks in part to Tim Breacker’s stunning goal, before Mick Harford put through his own net when playing the Rams at Kenilworth Road a year later.

Most recently it happened under Nathan Jones in the Covid-hit 2019-20 season when they beat Blackburn Rovers 3-2 on home soil to secure another year in the Championship, but Bloomfield wasn’t allowing himself to get drawn into any such chat around the Great Escape, adding: “I’m trying not to look at too much else apart from just the job in hand and I apologise for being boring. But I just have to focus on us performing well, making sure the boys are ready well, giving them all the information they need and making sure the focus is on us.

"Being out on the pitch, being present and focusing on what we need to do. My focus has to be on us and it will be on us. We’ve had a good week on the training ground which is vital in the build-up to any game, and tomorrow morning, getting ready for the game, making sure the boys are calm and ready to go and enjoy the game. I have to keep my focus on the pitch.”