Luton defender feels 'at home' when running out at a 'great' Kenilworth Road
Centre half wants Town to use their stadium as an advantage
Luton defender Mark McGuinness has urged his side to make the most of a Kenilworth Road atmosphere which he has already firmly taken to heart as they try and get their season back on track once more.
The Hatters went into the international break having been embarrassingly thumped 5-1 at Middlesbrough, suffering what was a fourth successive reverse of the campaign, with defeats to Plymouth Argyle, Sheffield United and Coventry City. Prior to the trip, it had looked like Town were just starting to get on an even keel, with their form in Bedfordshire improving, having drawn with West Bromwich Albion and then beaten Cardiff City 1-0, making it three victories from their last six outings at home, drawing the other two.
Although that slight revival came to a crashing end in the north east, speaking before the trip to the Riverside, McGuinness, who headed to Bedfordshire from Cardiff back in August, said: “I think the home performances have been great. It’s a place where I feel like we can maximise the points and maximise the performances, because if we do that then we’ll be in a great position moving forward. For me as well it feels like home, it feels like a great place to be and hopefully we can get some more performances like that.
“I love stadiums like this where the fans are close, 99 percent of the stadium is full and that’s what football is all about. I love playing here, you’re always up for it, always feel the crowd on you so it’s been really good here. That’s where we try and maximise, use the crowd, use the stadium, people coming here, teams coming here, having to change styles, having to change the way they play to adapt for us. We’ve got to take that and we’ve got to capitalise on that.”
What made Luton’s capitulation at the hands of Boro even more galling was the fact they had appeared to rediscover some of the defensive solidity that had served them so well in the past, conceding just once in two matches going into the contest. McGuinness had also begun to look like the player that Town shelled out a club record fee to acquire from the Bluebirds a few months earlier as well, as he continued: “It’s been tough, but the last three games, especially at home, it’s back to basics.
"It’s what I love and enjoy doing, it’s just defending. I feel the confidence of the group needs to grow and then everyone else can really shine. It’s been very clear messages, we’re going out on the field and we know exactly what we need to do. For me, that simplicity of just defending helps me and helps everyone around me, midfielders, strikers. If defenders are defending and doing their jobs, that’s half the battle.
“I’m here to defend first and foremost, that’s what I’m here to focus on, and then bits and bobs that come from that. Personally I would like to chip in with a few goals. I’ve got a few first contacts but that’s something I’m working on and we can hopefully try and get a few, but hopefully once one goes in, they all come in.”