New Luton chief not too worried about his Hornets connections after insisting he's not a 'Watford legend'

New Luton manager Rob Edwards doesn't think his stint in charge of the Hatters’ fiercest rivals should be any cause for concern for Town fans insisting that he was in no way a ‘Watford legend’.

The 39-year-old took over at Vicarage Road in the summer having left Forest Green Rovers, whom he had just guided to League One after winning the League Two title.

However, his tenure in Hertfordshire was short lived to say the least, sacked after just 10 league games, as although only beaten in two of those, with the club sitting in 10th place, the owners decided to pull the trigger.

While he becomes only the second person ever to have taken charge of both clubs, following Scotsman Neil McBain who did so in the 1930s, although understanding his appointment might not have been the most popular with all supporters due to his previous employers, Edwards said: “It’s not like I’m a Watford legend, I’m walking in here a little bit more infamous I suppose with one of the shortest spells.

“It was an opportunity for us to work at a higher level, a club that had been in the Premier League, things went quickly and it didn’t happen, it didn’t work out for different reasons.

“But now it just feels right, the conversations that I’ve had with Mick (Harford, chief recruitment office) and Gary (Sweet, chief executive)and some of the staff I think we all feel that we’re on the same page.

“There’s a real plan here at the football club.

"I'm really thankful to them for giving me this chance and for looking beyond where I’ve just been as well, because I know that as fans of the club as well that would have been a difficult decision.

“So I’m really thankful for that chance, and this is always the case, you go into a new place you’ve got to win over people, you’ve got to win supporters over and results and performances will do that and that’s got to be our aim now.

“It’s one I’m really looking forward to.

"It’s a fantastic challenge, a brilliant football club with some brilliant people here that I’ve been lucky enough to meet over these last few days, so very, very lucky and really looking forward to it.”

Having been a huge success during his time with Forest Green, leading a side who hadn’t been tipped to feature in the League Two promotion places up as eventual champions, then Edwards can see a likeness behind his 12 months at he New Lawn Stadium and Kenilworth Road.

He continued: “We believe in ourselves and I think the guys here (Sweet and Harford) believe in us.

“It’s not just me, it’s everyone together and that’s what it’s going to take to have success at any football club, it doesn’t matter what level.

“I feel there’s real similarities here, the people here and the plan and the way things are done to what we had at Forest Green, and I know we had success there.

“We had success there as a collective and I think there’s real similarities in the time and the support and lets be honest, the work that Nathan (Jones), Alan (Sheehan) and Chris (Cohen) and all of the guys have done, they’ve put the club in a fantastic position this season.

“They’ve obviously achieved really good things last season as well, so they’re in a good place for us to try and continue the good work and try to build on it as well.”

Having only been in work for just over four months as Watford boss, Edwards felt it was vital the next job he took was something that could allow him to plan for the long term too, adding: “That was one of the biggest things, it was as much now for me to make a decision and to pick the right next thing for me.

"Once we sat down and the three of us spoke first, straight away I felt ‘this feels right, this feels right for me.’

"Because as much as obviously a club wanting to appoint me, then I’ve got to make sure this next thing is, I can see a future with me building something at the next place as well.

"It had to be that way, and that’s something that I feel here.”