Positive Bloomfield has full belief Luton can take their opportunity and stay up

Luton boss Matt Bloomfield was, as ever, remaining incredibly positive that the Hatters can take the opportunity they have given themselves by getting the two victories they need from their final two matches of the campaign to absolutely guarantee a place in the Championship for next season.

Town host Coventry City in the first of those fixtures tomorrow afternoon, as they enter the game sitting third bottom in the division, level on goal difference with fourth bottom Derby County. A point would see them leapfrog the Rams for a few hours at least due to County’s trip to fellow relegation battlers Hull City, while a triumph would see the Hatters definitely end the day above at least one of them, depending on the outcome at the MKM Stadium.

Victory would also mean that Luton travel to West Bromwich Albion next weekend knowing that their fate was in their own hands, with another success enough to make it to 52 points and definite survival. Speaking about the task ahead, Bloomfield, who has exuded nothing but complete optimism since being appointed back in January, said: “There’s been an awful lot of hard work and resilience and perseverance that’s gone into the last couple of months and we’ve given ourselves an opportunity now that we’ve been fighting for and we fully intend to take that opportunity.

“I fully believe we’re going to do it. Everyone has asked me a number of times, I’ve always had belief and obviously at times that belief has been tested as we’ve had some tough moments, but the belief has always been there. The confidence and belief around the whole building, not just in the changing room, has been growing and we want to make sure we get over the line.”

Asked if the club will be doing all they can to make sure it’s six points from six, having just picked up that exact tally over the Easter period when beating Derby and Bristol City, Bloomfield continued: “That has to be. We have to get tomorrow done first and once we get the game out of the way then we can move on, but tomorrow has to be our focus.

"We have to approach every game that we believe we can win it and we believe we can. We know it’s against an incredibly tough opposition, Frank’s (Lampard) done an incredible job at Coventry, a very, very good team, but we’re growing, we believe in ourselves and we’re looking forward to putting that out there tomorrow.”

Having won 1-0 at Derby County on Good Friday, a game that was, not on paper, but for everyone who attended a must-win contest, and then defeating Bristol City, who are in the play-off hunt themselves, it shows Town’s players have got the character to cope with the increased tension that is being heaped on the battle to stay up.

Bloomfield agreed, saying: “Yes, I was so proud of the way we approached the game on Friday at Derby, and then on Monday. A slightly edgy first half but second half we played some really good stuff and to score three at home in that situation is fantastic. So we have to stay calm again and make sure we put on a performance tomorrow.”

Although there is a massive pressure on the Hatters to remain in the second tier, such is the financial drop that would come with heading into League One, the Town chief insisted he will be doing all he can to ensure the players won’t be feeling it, or starting to take things for granted due to their good recent form, saying: “We knew that we had it in us to turn this around, we absolutely knew that, but we’ve got to get over the line now.

"We’ve got to stay calm in the moment, keep our feet on the floor and make sure we approach tomorrow with the same intensity we did last weekend. We’ve given ourselves a chance and we have to make sure we take that chance. The moment we get carried away we’re in trouble. We cannot get carried away so we have to approach the game with the same intensity, the same humility that we have done in the past couple of months and that will never change with us. We have to make sure that we attack the game in the right manner.

"Tactically we have to aware because again, Coventry are a good team. They’ve got some real good players and we can’t underestimate the fact that this is now seven out of the top nine we’ve played at home since I’ve been here. We wanted to get on a run at home and give our fans plenty to shout about, but when you’re playing against the top teams it’s not always easy.

"I think we’ve put some good performances in and we have to focus on that again tomorrow. We have to put a good performance in and if we play the way we believe we can, it gives ourselves a chance of winning the game. It’s about making sure we’re relentless, because we’ve done nothing yet, we have to get over the line by the end of play next Saturday.”

Should Luton win then it could also mean they go into the final day with the chance of leapfrogging teams like Preston North End, Oxford United and Stoke City, who are still not safe themselves. With that in mind, Bloomfield wants as many sides as possible in the mix going into that last fixture, adding: “The more teams involved, the more chance you’ve got of getting out of it, as on the final day a result elsewhere might go in your favour and you’re hoping for more teams to be involved.

"But again, whilst I’ve commented on it, it’s not about that, It’s about us turning up tomorrow and performing. The more we’re thinking about what’s going on elsewhere and who’s going to be doing what, will take our focus away from the job in hand. We have to make sure we focus on ourselves and be the best we can be tomorrow.”