Former Town skipper Sheehan felt it was inevitable he would come back and work for Luton again

Former Luton skipper Alan Sheehan felt it was ‘inevitable’ that he would return to the Hatters in some kind of capacity, after being named first team coach recently.

The 35-year-old left Kenilworth Road back in Match 2020 under previous boss Graeme Jones, ending a four year stint that had seen him make 135 appearances scoring nine goals.

He went to Lincoln City for a brief spell, before taking on player coach roles at Northampton and most recently Oldham Athletic.

Following his retirement from the Latics earlier this month, Sheehan was quickly appointed by Town chief Nathan Jones, as on the move back, he said: “I always had the feeling I would possibly come back one day so for it to happen, it’s an unbelievable opportunity for me to work hard, to graft, to try and contribute to move this club forward.

“It’s an opportunity for me to work hard, that’s what I see it as, an exceptional opportunity.

It’s a brilliant feeling, I’m delighted to be back. I left a couple of years ago, went out and got some vital experience.

“Then the opportunity came up to come back which was a no-brainer for me so absolutely delighted.”

Sheehan is part of a coaching staff that now contains Chris Cohen, Paul Hart and Mick Harford as when asked how the set-up works following his arrival, he continued: That’s a secret, we can’t be giving away this information, teams aren’t doing as well as us!

"It’s an unbelievable working environment, everybody grafts, everybody is doing their individual roles to contribute to the football team and the football club.

“I suppose with the experiences I’ve had away and then coming back to this club, it just makes you realise how lucky you are to be working in this environment.

"The way people work here is great and it’s no wonder that the club keeps moving forward.

"It suits me because I like to work hard and hopefully I can get up to speed with everything."

Sheehan was a hugely popular figure when at Kenilworth Road as a player and it was clear that bond was still there when he was introduced to the fans against Harrogate in the FA Cup after being appointed.

On the relationship, he added: "They’ve always been unbelievable to me, they’re exceptional fans.

"That noise the other day (3-2 win over Bournemouth), unless you play at a full Kenilworth Road, with the fans when it’s bouncing, I don’t think you get the feel of it.

"You’ve got to be there to experience it.

“For me, with the fans, I’ve had an unbelievable, great relationship.

"Right now, I’m happy to go into the background, go behind the scenes and do my work."