Luton boss calls on fans to finally put his exit to bed after keeping the Hatters in the Championship

Luton chief Nathan Jones has called for supporters put to bed once and for all the manner of his exit from Kenilworth Road back in January 2019.

The Hatters boss quit the club in the middle of an ultimately successful promotion battle in League One for the Championship, joining Stoke City, a departure that incensed both fans and the club’s board alike.

However, after being sacked from the Bet 365 Stadium in November, Jones then returned to Town just under two months ago, chosen to replace Graeme Jones, who had his contract terminated by mutual consent.

His appointment didn't go down well with everyone, attracting a fair amount of criticism on social media, but with the Hatters looking dead certs for relegation, he garnered 16 points from the final nine games, to keep the club up on drama-filled night yesterday evening, beating Blackburn Rovers 3-2.

Speaking afterwards, a passionate Jones urged any supporters who still harbors ill feeling towards him, to unite behind the club, saying: "Look, I went away, but I want to put this to bed now.

"I’ll say to the fans, I apologise for leaving this football club, I apologise for leaving this football club, but I’m back.

“It’s got to be put to bed now because we’re a Championship club.

“We said that by 2020 we would be a Championship club.

“No-one would believed it and everyone would’ve absolutely taken it with a million, million per cent, but now we’re a Championship side and we have to be together.

“I’m so proud of this group. I’ve kept every promise I made to this football club and now we move forward.”

Although Luton looked dead and buried ahead of the Championship resumption, six points adrift of safety, seven with their goal difference, and facing an opening three games against Preston, Swansea and Leeds United, Jones fully believed they could do it.

He continued: “I never doubted it, never doubted it that with this group that we would stay up, I never doubted it, not for one minute, from moment one.

“I wouldn’t have come back otherwise. I had more offers with more money with easier jobs, closer to home – and I live a wonderful home, but I’ll have to move out of that, trust me.

“If I didn’t believe wholeheartedly that this group couldn’t stay in the Championship, I wouldn’t have come back. It’s nice to be proved right.”

On just how he was going to celebrate such an achievement, Jones added: “To be honest, I’m going to Facetime my wife who has been as big a part of this as I have, as in the first week of taking the job we had our first daughter.

“She’s been an absolute trooper, she's been stronger than anyone I know, I'll have a couple of beers and I'll doubt I'll go to sleep."