Kaminski expected to play for Luton despite the loss of his father after incredible gesture from Hatters boss
Town chief travels out to Belgium to accompany his goalkeeper home
Luton goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski is expected to make himself available to play against Coventry City tomorrow despite the death of his father this week thanks in part to an incredible gesture from Hatters boss Matt Bloomfield.
With Town’s 32-year-old receiving the tragic news in the week, he headed straight back to Belgium to be with his family, absent from the Luton Town Supporters’ Trust presentation evening, where he won two awards, the Ian Pearce Memorial Trophy, for the most man-of-the-match awards in the Luton News. plus the Bobbers Travel Club away player of the season.
However, the popular stopper then made the decision to head back to the Brache for training on Thursday and is due to take his place between the posts against the Sky Blues this weekend. Once Kaminski made the decision that he was going to return to England, Bloomfield decided there was no way his keeper could make the trip back to Bedfordshire by himself, as he made the call to get on the Eurostar to meet him before the pair headed straight back. He said: “Kevin Pilkington the goalie coach spoke to him on Wednesday morning and on Wednesday afternoon.
"Thomas said he wanted to come back yesterday to train on Friday. I spoke to him after training on Wednesday, we trained late as then we went to the Supporters’ Trust dinner, and I spoke to Pilks and we decided that one of us needed to go and be with Thomas to accompany him back. After the Supporters’ Trust dinner I got back to Felixstowe about half past midnight Wednesday night, took my girls to school Thursday morning and got back on the road, parked at Hitchin and got the train down because Thomas needed one of us.
“I got on the train, went to Brussels to meet up with Thomas, met his mum, I just felt like I should accompany him on the trip back. He’s just lost his dad, he’s getting on the train to come and represent our football club and I just felt like I wanted to be with him just to make sure he was all right on the way back. So I got to Brussels, met his mum, got in another queue, got back on the Eurostar and came home again.
"Football is everything to all of us, we understand that, but beneath that, there is a boy who’s just lost his old man, his dad. I just felt, the rest of his family, with him getting on the train, it just felt like I needed to go and accompany him. It was just making sure he was okay as beneath it all we need to make sure Thomas is all right.
"I think a life in football you do make these bonds, especially in tough times when you have to drag yourself out of a situation that wasn’t great at one point. Thomas has been everything we could ask for in terms of a goalkeeper, in terms of a leader, in terms of offering an opinion, in terms of driving the rest of the group, and as soon as I heard the news earlier in the week we just wanted to make sure he was all right.
“This has always been my take on football management, it’s about the person, about the player being comfortable to go and perform and for me leadership in any industry is about the people, and making sure the people, the lads, the staff are able to perform the best they possibly can. That’s the bit that I love and at times it tests you, of course it does. You have to make tough decisions and have tough conversations at times, but sometimes you have to show what you believe, what you live by and that’s what I’ll always try and do as a manager as that’s what I believe in.”
Despite returning, there was no way that Bloomfield, who has Tim Krul and James Shea as his other two options to play, was going to force the shot-stopper to take his place in the goal, as he continued: “It was always going to be him guiding us as to whether he played. It puts everything into perspective as we all love our families and when you have a moment like that it makes you take stock. So for me, the person will always come before the player, but if he’s ready to go tomorrow, I absolutely back him to go and play.”
Asked if he thought the goalkeeper would be in the right frame of mind to do so in what is a vital match for the Hatters’ survival hopes, as they know any kind of result could taken them out of the relegation zone going into the final day of the season, Bloomfield added: “If Thomas says he’s ready to go, I’ve got no doubt. He’s a very driven, absolutely driven character, who has created a career for himself that he should be incredibly proud of and as long as he’s in the right frame of mind and as long as he’s good tomorrow, he’ll go.
“He trained this morning, we’ll give him as long as he needs to. Hopefully he feels fine tomorrow, but we’re guided by the boy, guided by Thomas. He’s back here for a reason as he wants to play, and as long as he feels comfortable, he’ll be playing. I don’t see any reason why that may change but if it does and he doesn’t feel comfortable then he won’t play. It’s up to Thomas, but at this moment in time, he’s trained this morning, I’m incredibly proud of him. He’s some young man, an incredible young man and I know his dad will be looking over him and must be really proud of the boy.”