Luton skipper Bradley has no problem accepting any criticism from Town fans that comes his way

Town skipper Sonny Bradley insists he is big enough to accept any criticism that has come his way in recent weeks following what he described as performances against Bristol City and Coventry City that weren’t ‘good enough’.

After starting the first four games of the campaign, Bradley was then part of a side who were beaten 2-0 at Ashton Gate in August, as Luton’s winless opening to the season stretched to four matches.

The captain was then out of the team for personal reasons, brought back for the 2-2 draw with the Sky Blues last month, where by his own admission, he struggled on the night, with visiting forward Viktor Gyokeres giving him a real tough evening.

Bradley was back on the bench last Tuesday night, coming on for the 3-3 draw with Huddersfield, before restored to the starting line-up at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, he played his part in a third clean sheet in four games.

Speaking afterwards, Bradley said: “It’s been a bit of a tricky start.

“I think I’ve started the season okay, the first few games, then we go away to Bristol City, I had not a great game.

"Then I came back in against Coventry and if I’m honest with myself, I wasn’t good enough.

“Was I ready? Probably not, it’s my responsibility as a player to make myself ready and make myself available, but I’ve also got to be honest as well and if I’m not ready I’ve got to say.

"We drew that game and it wasn’t the end of the world, but I picked up an injury after that, so its been a bit stop-start.

"Over the past few weeks I’ve been working incredibly hard to get my fitness up, and to make myself available and to get right.

"Today (Saturday) I came in confident as I’m playing with a fantastic group, a great manager, all of his staff have supported me and to come back in and get a clean sheet, it’s what I wanted.

"Look, I’ve received a little bit of criticism over the past four or five weeks and I probably deserve it, I can take it, I take it on the chin.

"When we do well, we get our plaudits and when we don’t do well, we take a bit of criticism.

"It’s up to us as players to do something about it and I feel like today I’ve put in a solid performance in which has helped us get a clean sheet.”

Bradley had been given time off in the last few weeks for compassionate leave, with some off the field issues to deal with, but it was something he was about to blame for his below-bar displays, continuing: “I don’t want to make excuses for myself.

"That’s the thing, it was a little bit of a difficult time off the pitch, which I’ve kept personal, the manager knows about it and I’ve missed a lot of training because of it.

"But again I’m not making any excuses, I went into the Bristol City game fit, I went into the Coventry game fit and I didn’t perform to my own standards.

“Therefore, a little injury didn’t help, but I didn’t play, and I’ve got to accept that.

"All I can do is train harder, be the same captain that I am and the same leader and when I’m asked to perform, like I have done today, I put a shift in and I help us get the result that we want.

"That’s my way of dealing with it and my way of responding.”

In Bradley’s absence, he has seen a number of Luton’s defenders step up, with Reece Burke, Tom Lockyer and Dan Potts forming a solid back three, broken up by a hamstring strain for Burke, with Gabe Osho also out injured too.

The captain, who has now made 163 appearances for the Hatters, knew he was never going to just walk back in when available, as he fully expected some serious competition for a place in the side, adding: “I’ve known that since I turned professional maybe 13 years ago, if you don’t train hard, you’re not going to get in the team.

"That’s not the case for me, I train hard, but when I have been asked to perform, for my own standards, I feel like I have, at the start of the season, for different reasons, I have slightly under-performed and that does cost you your place in the team.

"What we do have at this club is players ready to step in and they can make that difference.

"Across that back five at the minute, we’ve got players like Reece Burke, Gabe Osho, Lockyer, Potts, myself, all ready to step in and I think all of us now have a decent amount of Championship experience.

"Although as individuals it’s difficult as we can’t all play, we know that whoever does play is going to put a shift in and is going to help us get the result that we want.”