Hatters' rise from League Two to the verge of the Premier League is no surprise for Cornick

Town attacker Harry Cornick didn’t think it was a huge surprise that the club’s meteoric rise back up the Football League in recent years has seen them reach the Championship play-offs this season.

The 27-year-old moved to Kenilworth Road in August 2017 from Bournemouth when the Hatters were embarking on their fourth successive League Two campaign, having finally got out of the Conference three years earlier.

Although Nathan Jones’ side came into the season on the back of a heartbreaking play-off semi-final defeat to Blackpool, they recovered to hammer Yeovil 8-2 on the opening day to set their stall out.

Cornick’s first taste of life with the Hatters was slightly different, but when asked if he would have been shocked to be told the club would go from the fourth tier to being three games away from the Premier League in the space of five seasons, he said: “Funnily enough I probably would have believed them.

“I joined in League Two, my first game was Barnet away and we lost 1-0, so not a great start for me, but this club is special, it really is.

”I knew we would be in the Championship, maybe not play-offs, but I knew we would be in the Championship.

"I really believed it, the manager, you buy into him, he’s an infectious character, what he says you believe as he buys into it so much.

"When you see how much he believes in himself you believe in him and credit to him.

"If we go from League Two to the Premier League in five or six years whatever it’s been, that will be unbelievable, but that’s the way this club is run.

"When I signed here I knew we were going to go through the leagues quickly and there is a special feeling around this club.

"It is a special club, I do really believe that so, who knows, you can't write us off now, there’s a chance.”

After staying up on the final day of their first season back in the Championship, Luton went on to secure a 12th place finish last term, as they began to establish themselves at this level.

A quick glance around the changing room before the current campaign told Cornick all he needed to know about whether they could challenge this term, as he added: “We believed early doors.

"When we came in pre-season, we looked at the squad, looked at the players we brought in, personally for me I came in and first day of training, I thought, ‘how have we signed Amari’i Bell?'

"He was probably my toughest opponent to play against at Blackburn, I hated playing against him, and we’ve signed him, I thought, it makes my job easier against Blackburn!

"So I was delighted to see him come in and then you see the likes of Allan Campbell here, Kal Naismith had a great season, Elijah (Adebayo) has been huge for us.

“Everyone’s done their little bit and it’s paid off.

"We’ve all worked hard, it’s a special season, but let’s try to make it extra special almost as we can really do something special this season.”