Harford: Getting over the line is the hardest part

Getting over the line will be the hardest part of the season for Luton in the eyes of boss Mick Harford.
Hatters boss Mick HarfordHatters boss Mick Harford
Hatters boss Mick Harford

The Hatters have been at the top of the table for the past three months, reaching the summit on January 26, but with two games left, are still yet to clinch promotion to the Championship.

They could have taken a massive step towards their goal on Tuesday night, only to concede a stoppage time leveller to draw 2-2 with AFC Wimbledon, as Harford said: “We’re all nervous, we’re human beings, we get edgy, everyone gets edgy and nervous at this stage of the season.

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“It’s an old cliche, it’s hard to get over the line, to get your team over the line, every club in the league, every club in every league, it’s very hard to get teams over the line.

“Especially in this league with the records that have been broken by other teams, the points that have been amassed by other teams, it will be some kind of record this season I’m sure.”

One major positive for the Hatters is the way they’ve been playing though, with just one defeat in their last 31 games, as they bounced back from losing against Charlton by easing past Accrington Stanley 3-0 last weekend.

Harford continued: “We are playing well, one defeat in that long period, with some excellent football.

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"Some of the football the other evening was arguably some of the best football of the season in terms of the way we created chances, we got in great positions.

"We should have seen the game out, put the game to bed, maybe a bit of mismanagement at the end in terms of conceding a sloppy goal on our behalf, but when you look back at it, there are a few incidences we could have stopped it at source.

"So we’re disappointed by that, but overall, the two performances over Easter, I thought were excellent.

“In past years if we’d had these points by now we’d be promoted, but we’re not, so it just goes to show there’s some really good teams at this level.

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“Some really good teams on great runs, some really good teams playing well.

"We are one of those teams playing very well at the moment and we’ve just got to try and amass as many points as we can.”

Having been in charge of the club since January when Nathan Jones departed, Harford is acutely aware of the drive within the squad to ensure Town are in the second tier of English football next term.

He added: “I think there is a steely determination amongst all of us, especially the players.

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“They’ve been determined from day one to try and get out of this league, we’ve progressed and moved forward.

“It was disappointing the other night, but we had a meeting this morning, we had a good chat.

"The players, they’ve got the determination, the will and the desire, also the skill and the ability in my opinion, needed to get us over the line.”