Southampton defender hopes his former Hatters team-mates reach the Premier League

Former Luton defender James Bree is hoping that his old side can get past Coventry City in the play-off final this weekend and make it to the Premier League.

The 25-year-old was a big part in the Hatters going close last term, losing on aggregate to Huddersfield Town in the semi-finals, before he started all 27 of Luton’s Championship games this season, not missing a single minute.

However, he left in the January transfer window, joining previous manager Nathan Jones at Southampton, what has turned into a disappointing spell for both parties.

Despite starting the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg 2-1 defeat at Newcastle United and the following two games against Brentford and Wolves in the Premier League, Jones was then sacked after three months in the job, Bree falling out of favour under his replacement Ruben Selles.

He only featured once in the next 15 games, coming off the bench in the 2-0 home defeat to Brentford, before starting Sunday’s 3-1 loss to Europa League-bound Brighton.

Although it means Bree will be back in the Championship next term, he is hoping it will be a division that doesn’t contain his former team-mates, telling Hampshire Live: “Yeah, I was at the Kenny the other day for the second leg to watch them.

"I'm still really close with a lot of boys and I'm absolutely buzzing for them.

"Hopefully, they can finish it this weekend and get up to the Prem.

"If it works out that I can get there, I'll definitely be there and supporting them but we'll see what happens."

Discussing his difficult spell at St Mary’s so far, Bree didn’t regret leaving his role as a first team regular at Luton to join a struggling Saints side under a manager he knew was going to be under serious pressure to keep his job, with results as they were.

He continued: “It's been quite strange, personally, but obviously, with the situations we were in I think it was just one of those things where the manager had to pick the team he thought was going to win and get us out of that situation.

“I've just been plugging away the last couple of months, keeping fit and obviously preparing myself for a moment if it ever came.

"It's football really, I came in under Nathan and the situation he was in, they were struggling and it's just something that I knew could happen (Jones being sacked).

"I was willing to come in and give it my best shot. I wanted to play in the Premier League and I've come and done that, not as much as I would have liked but it's what's happened.

"The aim is to stay here and obviously play next season.

"I've played the last four or five years in the Championship and done really well there so I can bring my experience to that and I think if we can keep some of the team together, I feel we have a really good shot of getting straight back up.

"I feel like I'm ready to test myself for the next level, so hopefully we can come straight back up and then we can all play in the Premier League again."