Luton boss definitely not getting carried away despite Pride Park celebrations

Although determined to celebrate a massive victory in their bid to stay in the Championship this season, Hatters boss Matt Bloomfield insisted that he definitely wasn’t getting carried away when enjoying Good Friday’s 1-0 victory at relegation rivals Derby County.

The Town chief knew anything that a win would have made Luton’s efforts to remain a second tier club bordering on impossible, as with just three games remaining, time would have been against them. However, Milli Alli’s goal after just 10 minutes was enough to settle a nervy contest that saw the visitors dominate the first half, then placed firmly under the cosh for the second, as a courageous defensive display ensured they came out on top.

After the final whistle, Bloomfield along with his players and coaching staff went over to the 3,000 travelling fans who had backed their heroes from minute one, and after those who had got the job done took the acclaim, the manager himself responded to the requests for his individual celebration, something that are becoming the norm on away grounds now, following wins at Cardiff City and Hull City recently.

Despite the sheer joy that was exuding from the manager in masterminding an absolutely vital result to keep the club’s hopes of staying up alive, he insisted he knew full well just how big a task it will be to keep Town’s head above water, saying: “It’s really important to share those moments with our supporters because they were here in incredible numbers, three thousand I believe, and they were in full voice all day.

“You have to share those moments with them. When they’re waiting for the fist pumps I don’t want to disappoint them at that moment, but that’s not me getting carried away. I’ve delivered the message to the boys, nothing’s done yet, Like it wasn’t over last Saturday when we got beaten by Blackburn, nothing’s done yet and we’ve got to show that fighting spirit at home at the Kenny on Monday.”

The challenge for the Hatters is now to take that level of performance, but most importantly the outcome, back to Kenilworth Road this afternoon, as they host play-off chasing Bristol City. A 1-0 loss to Blackburn Rovers last time out means Town have not tasted victory in front of their own fans in the last three matches, drawing with both Middlesbrough and Leeds United, as they are woefully short of goals too, scoring just three times in Bloomfield’s eight games in charge.

Despite that, there will no doubt be a full house in place yet again, as Luton’s manager called on them to crank up the volume once more, continuing: “I really ask everyone like they have done at home, really please turn up in their numbers and roar the boys on. We really need you right now, the support they gave us today, away from home was incredible. The moments we shared with them at the end, I want another one of those on Monday.”

With three games to go, Luton now have two of them at home, hosting another top outfit in Coventry City next weekend, a factor that Bloomfield thinks might be crucial for the Hatters’ safety attempts. With victory potentially taking them up to 20th if results go their way today, he added: “It could be crucial, could be absolutely crucial and we’ll be giving it everything we’ve got, as I think the boys ran out of a little bit of steam last Saturday and I think it showed in our performance, it’s so important we recover properly this weekend and put on a performance on Monday that our supporters are proud of.”