Emotional Harford left 'overawed and overwhelmed' by ovation from Luton fans ahead of Millers draw

An emotional Luton interim boss Mick Harford admitted he was left ‘overawed and overwhelmed’ by the magnificent ovation he received from the Hatters faithful ahead of this afternoon’s 1-1 draw against Rotherham United.

The 63-year-old, who is revered by every Town supporter for his service to the club over the years, took charge of the Championship clash following Nathan Jones’ departure for Southampton in the week, and was roared on to the field by the home crowd, in what was a spine-tingling reception.

Speaking afterwards, Harford who himself was close to tears, said: “I’m overawed by it and overwhelmed by it.

“I just want to say a big thankyou to them and a big thankyou to the community for what they've done for me.

"They're the best fans in the world, something different.

“I really appreciate it, it’s really overwhelming and brings tears to my eyes.”

Harford’s return looked like it was going to end in defeat as Jamie Lindsay put the visitors ahead after just 55 seconds following a poor clearance by Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu.

However, they hit back in the final minutes thanks to Luke Berry turning in Jordan Clark’s volley with a minute to go, as the interim chief added: “They give me everything, they give the staff everything, they give the club everything.

“I’ve really enjoyed the last three or four days, being around them and preparing for the game.

“We all know it's been a bit of a whirlwind since Nathan left and they’re a magnificent set of players, a brilliant squad, who work tirelessly.

“What we asked them to do today was very, very seamless in terms of how they went out and produced, it didn't look like the manager had gone away in my opinion.

“It was fully deserved in my opinion too, I thought we dominated in the first half, the chances we created and the positions we got ourselves in.

“Obviously Rotherham got a very early goal and gave them something to hang on to and they’re a tough nut to crack Rotherham.

“They have a way of playing, a good system, they sit in deep and try to play on the counter and they’re hard to break down, very hard to break down.

“We tried to do something different today but it just didn't work out.

“Overall, am I pleased with a point, yes, I'd rather have a win 100 per cent, but I thought the performance was brilliant.”