Hatters midfielder won't be getting 'stroppy and moody' despite his lack of match action for Luton

Although desperate to have more of a role within the Town starting XI, midfielder Luke Berry declared he isn’t the kind of player to start getting ‘stroppy and moody’ over his lack of first team action for the Hatters this term.

The long-serving 30-year-old has been restricted to just 44 minutes of Championship football since the turn of the year, while he has made only one league start throughout the entire campaign, that coming back against Blackpool in November 2022.

He showed his worth to the Hatters yet again though on Tuesday night, introduced in the second half of the clash against Millwall, going on to score the late equaliser in a 2-2 draw with the Lions.

Despite admitting not playing as much as he would like has been a cause of frustration, Berry also wasn’t about to start throwing his toys out of the pram, saying: “It’s always frustrating when you’re not playing, especially when I’ve been fit.

"I’ve been fit for quite a lot this season, so that’s the thing.

"I just need to keep grinding out in training, keep improving, keep showing that I’m worthy of a start or even more minutes, so that’s all I can do really.

“I’m not a hard person to motivate really, I like it.

"When we’re winning on Saturday, I didn’t play, but I'm buzzing that we’re winning and I’m buzzing that we’re doing well and pushing up the table.

"I’m not going to get all stroppy and moody, I love playing for Luton when I do and I love training and trying to get minutes.

"It’s nothing I get moody about, I love playing for this club, so when I do, I want to do well.”

Last season, Berry made just 11 league and cup starts for the Hatters, but he was affected by a number of injuries that hindered his availability.

That hasn’t been the case this time around though, as he continued: “I've been fit for quite a lot of the season, just minutes-wise I’ve not been getting what I wanted.

"When I come on I just need to make an impact and if I keep doing that I’m sure I’ll get a start and more minutes, so hopefully I can.”

A way to push himself into the plans of manager Rob Edwards on a more consistent basis is to keep impacting the games as he did on Tuesday night, with an excellent finish into the bottom corner from Jordan Clark’s pass.

The former Cambridge midfielder knows it can only boost his chances, but is also aware the increased competition he faces to get into the Town team is probably the toughest it has ever been since his arrived back in August 2017, saying: “Yes, that’s what I need to do, keep when I come on trying to impact the game.

"Even if I don’t score, try and put a positive performance in for the team and if I can do that I’m sure eventually I’ll get some starts, some more minutes, bigger minutes, 30, 40 minutes in the tank.

"So that’s all I can do really.

“I’ve got three or four really good players in front of me, Clicker’s (Jordan Clark) doing brilliantly, you’ve got Pelly (Mpanzu) who’s brilliant at what he does, even Al Campbell, who’s been probably one of our best players last season.

"You’ve got (Luke) Freeman who’s injured at the moment, but even he is a real strong players.

"You’ve got Marv (Nakamba), that’s probably our strongest area, so that’s understandable, but at the same time I want to be playing as well.”

Meanwhile, Edwards, who has used Berry off the bench in five of his 13 league matches so far, knows the midfielder is unlucky not to be getting more minutes, but is also aware there will be others in exactly the same boat, adding: “I know there’s a lot of lads you can pick out and a lot who could strongly argue the case that they should be playing and getting more minutes.

"That's because we’ve got a good squad and competition, you need that.

"But when he’s there and he’s needed and he's called upon, he produces, so I’m really, really pleased for him.”