Hatters boss can't wait to reacquaint himself with the Luton faithful again

Nathan Jones celebrates a win with the Hatters fans during his first spell in charge

Luton boss Nathan Jones cannot wait to finally be reacquainted with the Hatters fans after news that 2,000 could potentially be back as early as next Wednesday's game against Norwich City.

The Town chief hasn't managed a fixture at Kenilworth Road where supporters have been allowed to attend since returning to take over as manager for his second spell in May, with matches played behind closed doors ever since due to the coronavirus pandemic.

However, a limited number might be back against the Canaries, with Hatters chief executive Gary Sweet confirming to the Luton News this afternoon that the club are just awaiting for approval from the relevant bodies before confirming that will be the case.

Jones himself said: “In principal that’s wonderful news and if that’s confirmed and we can get all the processes in place, that means 2,000 fans can come back into the stadium which will be a wonderful, wonderful start.

"We know it’s only a start and we know at the minute, it's only a small light at the end of the tunnel, but at least it is a light.

"So let's wait for confirmation, before we get too euphoric, but it definitely is a step in the right direction.

"It’s what we want, our fans back.

“They’ve been so patient and they’ve played their part in us coming through a difficult time, or being able to navigate through really troubled waters.

“To do what they’ve done, in terms of season tickets, in terms of the backing they’ve given us, it’s blind backing because work is exactly the same for everyone.

“They don’t know when we’ll be coming out of lockdown, or when they’ll be allowed back in, but they’ve been absolutely magnificent.

“So it will mean a lot for me. A full house at Kenilworth Road is what we really, really want, because it’s a great atmosphere and I’m looking forward to reacquainting myself with the Luton faithful.”

With fans present at games once more,n Jones was hopeful the impact from the stands could lead to his side turning draws that they picked up in their last two home matches into victories.

He continued: “God willing yes, but we’re picking up points on a regular basis and that’s the important thing.

“We would like to win, we’ve created enough chances the other day to have won a game, but we drew.

“We picked up a real valuable point against a wonderful Blackburn side, because they’re scoring freely against teams but they didn’t against us, and if we probably defended a bit better we might have nicked the game.

“It’s one of those things, yes I would like to get three points and hopefully with the added bonus of the fans and the adrenaline that they cause, yes, we might just turn them into wins.

"But I’m not sitting here absolutely devastated at this point as I think performance levels have been really high.”

Although just 2,000 would be allowed in to begin with, Luton possibly increasing to 4,000 should they move to tier one status in the future, Jones still felt they could generate a decent atmosphere.

He added: “I think so, we get just over 10,000 and it feels like it’s 45 (thousand), so I’m sure the two can do a great job.

“It’s a start and it shows that we are moving in the right direction.

"What people have to do is start being sensible as well, because the nation, we’re not Mr Benn and we suddenly go into a closet and come out in a totally different land, it’s still Covid time.

"We have to be sensible in terms of what we do and come out of it, adhere to the rules, be sensible and then build slowly because we are still in a very pandemic driven time.”