Hatters striker reveals reaction from Town's 'unbelievable' supporters after 4-3 loss will boost players for Reds clash

Hatters striker Carlton Morris was keen to use the reception that Luton’s players received from their visiting supporters following the gut-wrenching 4-3 defeat at AFC Bournemouth on Wednesday night as motivation to put things right when taking on relegation rivals Nottingham Forest in Town’s biggest game of the season tomorrow.

With 45 minutes gone, the travelling fans who had headed to the Vitality Stadium might have been expecting they were going to be hailing an absolutely vital victory when their players came over to them at the end of the game, Tahith Chong, Chiedozie Ogbene and Ross Barkley having put the visitors 3-0 in front at the break. However, that wasn’t the case, as the Cherries netted three times in just 20 minutes themselves to draw level, while Antoine Semenyo’s second of the evening ensured Andoni Ireola’s side completed a stunning comeback victory to leave Rob Edwards’ side empty-handed.

Despite that, Luton’s supporters still gave their players a fine ovation when they went over to thank them at the end of the game, with the current state of play in Town’s treatment room meaning those applauding from the pitch contained both goalkeepers James Shea and Tim Krul, who had been named on the bench along with three U18s in Zack Nelson, Axel Piesold and for the first time, Dominic Dos Santos Martins, the latter two having never played a minute of senior football before.

Morris, who had the armband once more in Tom Lockyer’s continued absence, although the Welsh international was present on the south coast, wasn’t about to be drawn on the depleted nature of Luton’s squad, preferring to concentrate on the reaction he and his team-mates received, which they will take into Saturday’s must-win clash at Kenilworth Road. He said: “It’s well documented our issue with injuries, but I’m not going to use that as an excuse, I’m not even going to touch on that too much. I’d just like to mention our fans at the end, sticking around and clapping us, singing us off like that.

"They're the best fans for me, they're unbelievable and I feel like we don't deserve them at times. We’re so disappointed after the game, but it feels so good hearing them singing and giving us praise towards the end of the game especially when we’re feeling that down, so it’s a positive and really gives us a boost which we need going into Saturday’s game. It reminded me of the start of the season when we were struggling a bit to get to grips, the start of our process and the loyal support from them is huge for us. It keeps us positive as a team and keeps us together, keeps the whole club together.

“They’re all important now, every single game we’ve got left and we’ll be giving it everything we’ve got. If there’s one thing you can’t take away from us as a squad is we’ll leave it all out there. It won’t be for lack of trying and is another opportunity to improve and get better as a team. We want to win every game, every game is a cup final between now and the end of the season. Trust me, we’ll be putting in 110 per cent commitment for Saturday’s game, I’m already excited for it.”