Trollope wants to help Hatters' new management team write their own chapter in Luton's history

Former Bristol Rovers and Cardiff chief now part of the backroom staff at Kenilworth Road
New Luton assistant boss Paul TrollopeNew Luton assistant boss Paul Trollope
New Luton assistant boss Paul Trollope

New Luton assistant Paul Trollope is looking to help the Hatters write a new chapter in the club’s history after moving to Kenilworth Road to become part of new manager Rob Edwards’ backroom staff this week.

In the last decade, Town have managed pretty well in doing just that, climbing back out of non-league in 2014, before gaining promotion from League Two four years later.

They then won the League One title at their first attempt in 2019, going on to spend the last three campaigns in the Championship, the first a Great Escape masterminded by the returning Nathan Jones, before reaching the play-offs last season and are well placed for another assault at the top six this term.

Before their rise through the leagues, Trollope was in pole position for another memorable match, number two to Chris Hughton at Norwich City, with Luton, then a Blue Square Bet Premier side, triumphing 1-0 in their FA Cup fourth round tie at Carrow Road in January 2013, thanks to Scott Rendell’s famous winner.

On the mention of the cup upset for the Hatters, Trollope said: “Thanks for reminding me!

“A good friend of mine was manager at the time, Paul Buckle, who I played with at the start of my career at Torquay.

“From that league to where it is now its been the rise of the club over those years and it’s getting back to the level where historically it should be.

“So we’re fully aware of the clubs DNA, the history of the club, the meaning to the supporters and really, we want to be successful, we want to write our own page in that history.”

Trollope has come up against Luton in more recent years too, in the Nottingham Forest dug-out with Hughton once more when the Reds drew 1-1 at Kenilworth Road, with the Hatters winning 1-0 at the City Ground in March 2021, when Ryan Tunnicliffe scored the only goal.

Asked for an assessment on the Hatters, he continued: “A really effective team, really good in both boxes.

"They play to the strength of the players which is always the right thing to do for any manager who’s in place.

"I don’t think anyone can argue, over the last four or five years, what’s happened at the football club, anything apart from its been an amazing journey for the people involved, the players, staff and management, and for the fans.

"It must have been an incredible journey and I think we come as a staff with probably a few points to prove, hungry for success, hungry to work hard, hungry to give everything to the football club and do everything we can to win.”

The 50-year-old knows full well how good the Hatters were before the turn of the century as well, old enough to have seen the Littlewoods Cup win of 1988 and the club’s time at the very top tier of English football.

He said: “Obviously I certainly remember Luton playing in the top level and there were some really top, top players who have been through the football club, some very good young players who have come through the academy, got into the team and gone on to big clubs.

“Its been well documented the success that the club has had over a relatively short period of time, I remember back in 2007, 8, 9 being in the same league when I was at Bristol Rovers as manager.

“I’ve always had real respect for the football club, its got top level pedigree as well in the past and some fantastic players have been through here.

“They have done really well over a short period of time and there’s been a lot of successful things that have taken place here.

“We come here with a lot of respect for that but also with a hunger and a desire and an ambition to move it forward as well and we’re here to succeed.

“We’re here to win games and we’re here to build on the good work that the staff and the players have obviously done here.

"I’m really excited with the challenge ahead.”

Having spent time in the Championship during recent years, managing Cardiff City, winning promotion to the Premier League when assisting Hughton at Brighton, and then struggling somewhat with the former Spurs defender at Forest, on the challenges the second tier can throw up, Trollope added: “Its been a few different experiences I have to say in the last three jobs at Cardiff and then at Brighton and at Nottingham Forest and the league never changes.

"Some years it’s a wee bit stronger than other years, but anyone can beat anyone on their day and you’ve got to be right at it every single week.

"We’ll reiterate it, we’re here to progress the club, push it forward and we’ll be doing everything we can to be really competitive in the league.

"We’ll give the players Rob’s game model that we want to put in place and we feel like there’s a good base here to work from and hopefully improve.”