Turner keen to pass on his Division One experience with Luton to the next generation of Hatters

Luton’s new head of academy development Wayne Turner is hoping he can impart some of his knowledge of playing for the Hatters in the top flight on to the next generation of talented youngsters aiming to do the same at Kenilworth Road.

The 62-year-old made 102 appearances for Luton after coming through the ranks himself back in the late 1970s, snapped up by then boss David Pleat following his time at Lewsey Youth.

Playing a minor role as Town reached Division One in the 1981-82 season, having been out on loan at Lincoln City, Turner broke into the side properly during that first top flight campaign, when Town stayed up on the final day of the season with their now famous 1-0 win at Manchester City.

Turner went on to play 73 times in what was then known as Division One for Luton, moving to Coventry City in 1985 once Peter Nicholas was signed, and having spells at Brentford and Barnet before having to retire at the age of 29 with a back injury.

Numerous stints in coaching followed, as he was also Luton’s head of youth football for three years back in 2012, all while setting up a successful development business as well.

However, Turner is now back for another stint at Kenilworth Road, appointed with ex-Town forward Paul Benson recently, as he hopes his story will resonate with those looking to break through from the Development squad and U18s themselves.

He said: “You get me walk in, they wouldn’t know me from Adam.

“The older players do, and the staff do, but the younger players will think ‘who’s he? Where’s he been?

“Until they get to know what your history is, that’s how it is, but that’s in my mind.

“I know that when I’m looking at these players and the ability that they’ve got.

"Ability is one thing, you need the desire, you need luck as you need to stay fit, you need opportunities, things to come your way.

“But if they can think smartly and be on the ball every day, there's so much to learn to be a top player and you want to be a top player.

“What your physicality and your ability will give you, you want to be as top and as high as you can be to what you’ve been given.

“If you work hard at that and give everything you’ve got, you can’t ask for more.

“Whether that’s to get in Luton’s first team in the Premier League, or Coventry’s first team or Gillingham’s first team in their respective leagues and you’ve done as well as you can do, that’s all you can ask.

“So I’m very mindful that when I played, me personally, I played as high as I could play.

“I pushed myself right to the limits, maybe that's why I got a back injury, maybe I did things too committed, but that’s all I can equate it to when you talk about the chance of being a player.”

On the kind of advice that he will be giving to those looking to make their own way in the game, Turner continued: “Take your chance, don’t blame anybody else, get focused, listen, learn, and express yourself.

"If you can mentally and physically perform in training and in games you’ve got a great chance, but it is mentally tough.

“You have to take knocks, you have to take situations, you have to get over disappointments, you have to handle adulation, adulation’s as hard to handle as a rollicking, you’ve got to keep it in context.

“So if the players can do that and if I can give them anything, I’ll be trying to keep them focused.

"Of course we're going to have a laugh, of course we're going to have fun, as that’s the whole point.

“You’ve got to enjoy your training, but there’s a time to have a giggle and there’s a time to be serious as there’s so many things you can help them with to give them ideas before they learn it themselves.

“Paul Walsh (ex-Luton and Liverpool forward) is my best mate and he says 'Wayne, I just learned it all myself.'

“I said 'Paul, you were one in a thousand, you were just a genius, that you learned so quickly from your mistakes.'

"But a coach can teach players from his mistakes and other players' mistakes that he’s seen make, but you can also give them a short-cut if you like.”

Although Turner will look to pass on any wisdom he can to help Town’s current crop of young pros have the best chance possible of making a career for themselves, he knows the hard work needs to come from the players themselves, adding: “There's ways you can help them no end, if they want to work, if they want to listen, and they've got the capacity to take it in.

“Some players haven’t, but you hope that they have and I've had to do that to get through the ranks.

“Work hard, listen, graft, get over the knocks and the one thing I would say, in all my football career, from starting at 14, I can honestly say in my head I was still trying to make it when I finished.

“I wanted a better contract, I wanted a longer contract, I wanted to be in a better team, wanted to be in a different team, wanted to be the best player, wanted to be better than him, wanted to stay in the team.

“I was always trying to better myself and low and behold, I got a prolapsed disc and I was finished.

“It’s bonkers, you think wow, am I finished? I thought I hadn't made it yet and now I’m finished!

“You look back and you’ve played 250 games and you’re thinking I’m still trying to make it and I’ve played 200-odd games, so I haven’t done too bad.”