Rooney hopeful of an instant recall against Bury

The 23-year-old was controversially dismissed during Town’s 2-1 Capital One Cup defeat against Swindon Town in midweek, earning him an immediate ban.

Boss John Still highlighted the fact that they missed Rooney’s ability to go past players against AFC Wimbledon as their final third playing was lacking as the midfielder said: “You don’t want to miss games at any point of the season but particularly once you’ve got through pre-season, you don’t want to be missing games whether it be through injury, suspension or not being selected.

“I was lucky enough to be selected for the Swindon game and would have liked to have the chance to stay in the team.

“I’d love to be straight back in, but that’s the manager’s decision, how he sees fit and if he feels I can add something to it, hopefully I’ll be starting.

“Everyone wants to play as many games as possible and with the new mental attitude I’ve come back with I want to be in the team rather than on the bench or in the stand.”

Sitting out of the game on Saturday was a painful experience for Rooney too, but he made sure he didn’t let it affect the rest of the squad.

He continued: “I was really disappointed not to play because it was a good game, I thought we did well as a team.

“I had been absolutely devasted all week, frustrated too, but I just tried to keep my spirits up in the dressing room, not affect the other boys by being down.

“I stayed bubbly and then it was more tough when it came to Saturday afternoon, sitting in the stand watching all the boys warm up and looking how good the pitch was and how good the atmosphere was as they brought a lot of fans.

“It was a big day for the club as well, coming back to Kenilworth Road after five years out of the league, which is a long time, far too long for a club like this.”

Meanwhile, Bury have been tipped by many to challenge at the top this season, and Rooney was no different.

He added: “I certainly thought they would do well this season and I know they had a poor first result, losing at home to Cheltenham, but they were unlucky against Bolton in the cup.

“They conceded a dubious penalty to take it into extra time, so they nearly knocked a Championship side out and then they got a great result up at Hartlepool.

“They’ve got a couple of players I know there, including Nicky Adams, who’s a fantastic wide player, so I personally tipped them to be up there as well, alongside us at the start of the season.”

For all the latest Luton Town FC news, reports, stats, player profiles, MOM poll, prediction table and a complete fixture list, visit our Hatters Microsite.