Hatters midfielder Clark eyes a return to the 'pinnacle' with Luton

Midfielder Jordan Clark has stated Luton’s squad are ‘itching’ to get the season underway and begin their attempts to return to a division he declared as the ‘pinnacle’ for any footballer.

Relegation from the Premier League last term means Town are back in the Championship once more, as they face a 46-game slog to try and earn their place among some of the most elite teams not just domestically but in the world too. Having witnessed it first hand, albeit for a far too brief period for his liking, then a second promotion in three years is clearly the ambition for Clark and his team-mates, as he said: “Definitely, it’s the pinnacle, probably the best league in the world.

"You see all the players who were there, all world class players. You saw them in the Euros, half of them play in the Premier League, so to test yourselves against those players, they’re the best. We’ve had a taste of it, everyone’s just itching to get back and hit the ground running, especially early in the season. We want to try and get as many points as we can, have a good season and just get this club back to where we think it belongs.”

Having recovered from an ankle injury that caused him to miss the opening three months of the campaign, Clark went on to play 23 top flight matches, scoring one goal for Luton. When relegation was all but confirmed following the 3-1 defeat at West Ham United in the penultimate match of the season, the former Barnsley and Accrington winger revealed it hit the squad hard, but also strengthened their resolve going into the upcoming campaign.

He continued: “It was a tough few days, especially after the last couple of games where we half knew, the game before the last game. But we’ve got a good group and the attitude of pretty much every player I spoke to was we’ve just got to get back here as quick as we can now. It’s disappointing thinking back at things you could have done better during the season but it’s a long old season and you can’t dwell on little mistakes you make as an individual.

"I’m sure everyone’s done the same and thought back about every game you’ve played, you can see this game, that game, but it wasn’t meant to be. I’m pretty sure we gave a good account of ourselves, now it’s just full focus. We’ve had a little taste of it and we all want to get back there and get this club back there as we believe we could have stayed up, We’ve just got to go into a gruelling Championship campaign again and enjoy it, but you enjoy it by winning games, so I’m just looking forward to it.”

Luton certainly will be up against it this season, travelling the length and breadth of the country in a bid to get out one of the toughest leagues going, with a number of former Premier League clubs looking to do exactly the same. It’s something Town will have to relish, as Clark knows the support will be right behind them as usual, adding: “It’s more games, Christmas time is hectic, the first few weeks are okay, then all of a sudden it’s Saturday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday, it’s carnage.

"But you've just got to embrace it, got to enjoy it, got to enjoy going to Pompey away and Bristol away, Derby, so many games. We know the fans will travel well, they always do. They’ll be backing us and we’ve just got to make sure we give them something to cheer every week, especially when they’re travelling miles and miles.”