Tunnicliffe determined to win his place back in the Luton team

Town midfielder Ryan Tunnicliffe is prepared for the battle of winning his place back in the Luton side this season.

The 27-year-old was a first team regular last term under Graeme Jones, starting 34 of the former manager’s 37 league games in charge, before lockdown hit.

Once Jones left, and Nathan Jones returned, Tunnicliffe began against Preston, Leeds and Reading, but didn’t feature after the 5-0 defeat to the Royals.

Town went on to win three and draw two of their final five matches, then carrying that form on to this term, with four victories from four, until knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Manchester United in midweek.

Tunnicliffe made his second appearance of the season against his former side, coming through the ranks at Old Trafford earlier in his career, with his action so far limited to cup matches.

He wants to now get another crack at the Championship though, saying: "That’s the goal, I didn't play the last five games of the season, we won quite a lot of them and it kept us in the league.

"So all credit to the lads, I've just got to be patient, train hard, do all the right stuff, be professional and when I get my chance take it.

"Because as a footballer I want to play every game I can play and I want to be in that team.

"I’ve been a player when you’re winning games and you don’t want to come out and you don’t think it’s right if you’re on a great run.

"All I can do is take care of what I can control, perform well, play well, showcase my skills which will only stand me in good stead to try to get back into the league team whenever the manager sees fit."

Tunnicliffe produced a fine performance on Tuesday night during the 3-0 defeat to the Red Devils, giving Jones real food for thought ahead of this weekend's trip to arch rivals Watford.

Even though the ex-Millwall man didn't make the bench for the 2-1 win over Derby County at the weekend, he remains a big part of the manager's plans.

Jones said: "Ryan, with all due respect, saying he wants to get in the league squad, he’s in the league plans.

"If he’s in the cup plans, he’s in the league plans.

"We pick sides, tweaked something slightly different to play against Reading and it proved to be successful, but we think we’ve got a really competitive squad, so he’s in the plans.

"He might not have been on the bench at the weekend, but that doesn’t mean to say he wasn’t really close to actually playing, and that’s the same as all of them.

"We’ve got really good competition at the minute and they’re all going to be utilised because we’re two games in to a minimum 46-game season, everyone has to be ready."

Although Tunnicliffe, who was signed by Graeme Jones last summer, has found himself used less regularly since the change of managers, he was still highly impressed by Nathan Jones having worked closely with him, plus seeing him in action on the sidelines.

He added: “I’ve enjoyed my time under him (Nathan Jones).

"I know under the old manager I played a lot, now I’m having to work to gain his trust because a lot of the lads were here under his first spell, so he knows them well.

"I’ve just got to train hard, take my chance when I get it and earn his trust that I can play games, league games.

"Yes, he’s quite passionate, it's one of his great characteristics, you can see how passionate he is about the club and the players and his team.

"Being on the bench and watching him a few times is quite entertaining, so I’m just glad he’s so passionate about the club.

“His passion for the club, for the players, is second to none and it’s just a great working environment.

"Since he’s been back, his record has been excellent, so he’s doing a lot of things right."