Naismith elated to find out he was such a wanted man ahead of Luton return

New Town signing Kal Naismith was elated to find out just how much he was still wanted by the Hatters after agreeing to return to Kenilworth Road for his third spell recently.

Having joined on loan from Bristol City back in January, the 33-year-old had been named skipper for the 1-1 draw with Plymouth Argyle just a few games into his second stint with Luton, an honour that isn’t usually bestowed on a player who isn’t a permanent addition to the squad.

However, a red card in the opening stages of a 5-0 defeat against Burnley hindered the former Scottish youth international’s impact as despite having taken the captain’s armband, it looked from the outside at least, that he wouldn’t be back in Bedfordshire again when surprisingly left on the bench by boss Matt Bloomfield for the final game of the season at West Bromwich Albion, a 5-3 defeat meaning Town suffered back-to-back relegations and will now be playing League One football this term.

Despite that, Naismith has now returned on a full-time basis, becoming Luton’s first incoming to what is expected to be a much-changed squad for life in the third tier, quickly followed by ex-Millwall midfielder George Saville. The experienced defender revealed how a lengthy meeting with Bloomfield showed him just how much he was still wanted by the Hatters manager, saying: “I had an amazing chat with him (Bloomfield) and Tommo (Richard Thompson, assistant).

"We obviously spoke about how the season went and we were both hurting. We were in a bad place, I know the manager touched on that in his meeting, how hard it must have been for him because to see how much he and his staff put into it, how much we were actually on such a great run and the impact the manager had made so I was absolutely gutted for everyone.

"We had a good chat, we were down, but then we got on to the good news and he said he wanted to keep me, wanted to bring me back and from that moment I spoke to him, got his views on next season and how we’re going to bounce back, I said, ‘yeah, I’m in, I’m all in, I want to be a part of that.’ So it was pretty quickly I knew this was happening.

"I said I wanted to do more. Ultimately I failed in the goal I came here to achieve and he said no, I was a huge part of it. He touched on the fact that in my third game he had made me captain again albeit when Carlton (Morris) was out and Clicker (Jordan Clark) was out and just to put that faith in me when I was new to the club. That’s how much he sees me as being a big part of it and a leader for the club and just all the things that made me feel that, I want to come and play, not only for the club, but play for the manager.

“It was just a real positive chat. I went away from it smiling and couldn’t wait until this was done and we can look forward and be positive for next year and having a good season. At this stage of my career, my happiness matters and this is the club for me. It feels special, I feel wanted, I feel content, I’ve got a bit of fire inside me too.”

Although when questioned about his future towards the end of the campaign, Naismith had been non-committal about his next destination, it was quite clear that the defender was always eying a return to the Hatters, adding: “The comeback loan was amazing but to come back as a Luton player again is special and I’m so happy.

"It always was (in my thoughts). People in the press were mentioning it last year when I was here and my full focus was on just the time I was here and making that a success. Then as soon as the season was done, it was evident speaking to the people at the club, speaking to the manager, I was just so delighted that they had the same thoughts as me. I wanted to continue the journey and it was pretty easy in the end.

"Everyone was so clear on what they wanted, I was so clear on what I wanted, there was no other option in my head. I was delighted to come back, be a Luton player. It’s different being on loan than being permanent. I was just so glad to be back here with the people and the staff, it is amazing. The results are the results, which is we’re moving on now and we’re looking positive, but just to come back permanently, I’m over the moon.”