Mpanzu declares a fully-fit Hatters would have beaten Huddersfield and reached the play-off final at Wembley

Town midfielder Pelly-Ruddock has absolutely no doubt in his mind that had Luton kept a fully-fit squad last season they would have reached the play-off final at Wembley.

After a gruelling campaign in which the Hatters finished an excellent sixth place, they took on Huddersfield over two legs, shorn of the the services of top scorer Elijah Adebayo and Mpanzu himself.

They were also without Henri Lansbury for the trip to Yorkshire, while Fred Onyedinma, Luke Berry and Gabe Osho missed both matches too, as Nathan Jones’ side were beaten 2-1 on aggregate.

Had they all been fit, Mpanzu was supremely confident it would have been Town heading to the home of football to take on Nottingham Forest instead of the Terriers, saying: “We know we would have got to the play-off final, 100 per cent, after that it’s how the steel of nerves worked, how we played.

“But we had so many injuries and it blighted our whole squad.

"The players that came in tried to do a job and did the best job they could, but we know that if we had a full squad we would have done a lot of things.

“That’s done now, that season’s over, so we’ve got to concentrate on this season, hopefully we can replicate that, if not go one further.”

Eager to give his side a greater strength in a bid to guard against it happening again, boss Jones bulked up his squad in the summer, shelling out a club record fee on Carlton Morris, while also bringing in the likes of Cauley Woodrow, Alfie Doughty, Ethan Horvath and Luke Freeman.

When asked if they now have a better squad available for the current campaign, Mpanzu, who is fully fit once following the knee injury which had kept him out since April, continued: “With the players we’ve brought in why not.

“We lost Kal Naismith, who was a big part of what we had, but we’ve recruited well and hopefully we can gel.

"I think we’ve gelled well enough, so hopefully we can put a run of games together and shoot up the table.

"It’s going to be a long season, there’s going to be ups and downs, but that’s why we’re a team and hopefully we can do good things together.

“The more games you play, the more comfortable you feel.

"The more games I can play, work into the game, the rhythm of the game and hopefully produce performances that will justify me starting or coming off the bench to put the team in a good position so we can get the points.”

Town have been beset by injuries once more this season though, and could end up going to Blackpool this afternoon without a number of first-teamers, Reece Burke, Woodrow, Sonny Bradley and Onyedinma all out, with doubts over Tom Lockyer too.

Despite that, they remain 10th in the table, just three points off the top six, and with three games to go before the season pauses for the World Cup, Mpanzu knows a good run could propel them in the play-off places.

He added: “The league is so tight right now, so any run of games, you can be second.

"It’s just about being consistent, hopefully not losing many games.

"Everyone wants to win, but we’d rather gain a point than lose so it’s about putting a good run together and hopefully things can come together.

“One win can push you up four, five places, so we've got to keep our heads down, keep our heads strong and keep putting in performances and putting points on the board.

“The games are coming thick and fast before the break, so so we’re going to have to use the squad.

"Blackpool is a tough game always, but I know we’ve got a good squad here, so hopefully everyone gets used and we can get as much points as we can before the break.”