Doughty aware not everyone will like the battle to play in Town's new system as Luton bolster wide areas

Luton wingback Alfie Doughty knows not everyone will enjoy the added competition to play in the new system being deployed at Kenilworth Road by recently appointed manager Matt Bloomfield.

The former Wycombe boss saw his side make seven new signings during the transfer window, with a number of them in attacking areas, Thelo Aasgaard, Isaiah Jones, Jacob Bowler and Millenic Alli four of those coming in, along with striker Lasse Nordas, defender Kal Naismith and young centre half Christ Makosso.

With Bloomfield favouring a 4-2-3-1 formation as he showed during the 1-1 draw at Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, also going with a front three in his other matches, with two wingers, it means the battle to be selected in those wide areas has now become fierce. Jacob Brown got the nod in the last two games as the new signings start to bed in, with Doughty starting over on the left flank. The currently injured Tahith Chong can play there, as can Victor Moses, who has missed out on Town’s last three squads, but stayed with the club after the transfer window shut, with youngster Zack Nelson also an option, along with all the new-boys, although Aasgaard is expected to play more centrally.

With everyone bar Chong believed to be available when Town go to Sunderland next Wednesday, then on the challenge to get the nod from Bloomfield, Doughty said: “With the squad being very versatile, we’ve got a lot of wingers now and the gaffer now is bringing in a formation of a 4-2-3-1. He likes the wingers, so that’s what he’s brought into the club.

"We don’t need out and out wingbacks and strikers, that is being changed. It is what it is. Now we’ve got a lot of people who are not going to like it, but that’s just the gaffer and that’s just the way we want to play, so that’s what it is. There are going to be some people that are not going to like it, some people are going to like it, but we’re all playing for one thing and one thing only and that’s staying up, so that’s what we’ve got to do.”

Since his arrival to Kenilworth Road back in June 2022, Doughty has played the majority of his 95 matches in his more accustomed left wingback role, occasionally going to the right hand side under previous boss Rob Edwards. Since taking over, Bloomfield has stated he sees the former Cardiff and Charlton player as being able to feature further up the pitch as well, his last three outings coming in such an area.

Asked where his favoured role is, Doughty continued: “I don’t really know what to say to be honest to that question as I’ve played my whole career at left wingback. For me to be there it’s nice, I love it. I haven't played left wing in years, I want to be there, I want to help the team as much as I can, with a goal, so I’d like to stay there, but wherever the gaffer plays me, the gaffer plays me.”

The 25-year-old showed exactly why he is considered such a threat going in an advanced position at the weekend when he received Carlton Morris’s lay-off some 20 yards from goal, taking a wonderful first touch and then arrowing a quite brilliant effort beyond the Owls’ England U21 international stopper James Beadle for his first goal of the campaign. On the strike, Doughty said: “I don’t really find myself in those positions really, so it was quite unusual, but I’m happy to be there.

"Again, I haven’t played left wing in years really, so for me, it was quite nice to have that opportunity to be there. I like shooting and luckily enough that it came off. The thing is Beadle’s a very good keeper, I know him personally, and he’s a big keeper. The fact he’s got hands on it I thought, ‘oh’, but then when it went in the back of the net I was very happy.”

The game in Yorkshire was Doughty’s second successive start under Bloomfield, as he has only just returned to full fitness following the ankle ligament damage he suffered against Cardiff in November, an injury that kept him out for just over two months. On being sidelined for such a period of time, he said: “Injuries happen, it was something that I couldn’t really do much about as it’s an ankle injury, it’s not a muscle injury. I was quite happy about how it went, I'm back now, I want to help the team as much as I can and today I did that, now I can kick on and I’m going to try and play as many games as I can for the rest of the season.”

Bloomfield himself was thrilled to have one of Luton’s most creative players back and available for the run-in, especially with Town facing a huge fight on their hands to stay up this term. He added: “Alf’s strike was top, he’s a top player. Alf has got a wand of a left foot, he’s a boy of huge individual ability. Obviously it’s been frustrating for him and the club that he’s missed a period of time with his injury and he’s not fully fit yet. He tired a little bit last Saturday and a bit today, so we took him off as we don’t want him to get reinjured, but now we’ve got a week and half to work with him and we’re hoping for more.”