Matt Bloomfield has thanked Luton fans for their part in the last few games and thinks supporters are now starting to believe in his Hatters side.
Back-to-back victories at home, and three triumphs in a row for the first time this term, were confirmed by a last-gasp 1-0 win against Coventry on Saturday.
That put Town’s Championship survival hopes in their own hands ahead of the final game of the season at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday. Victory will secure the club’s second tier status though it would be the first time they’ve won four in a row in the top two divisions since 1986.
But they’ve given themselves that platform by their current run of win, and in the last two consecutive home games against play-off chasing Bristol City and Coventry, Bloomfield was able to witness, perhaps for the first time as manager, what Kenilworth Road is like in when it is in full voice.
He said of Saturday’s rapturous reception before, during after the Coventry game: “It was amazing, it was absolutely amazing, I loved it. Loved it from the minute we came out to warm up, the game kicks off, that was the Kenny in full voice.
“I turned around to Pilks [Kevin Pilkington, keeper coach], obviously Pilks has been here a longer time than me, and I just said to Pilks, ‘this is this place is bouncing today. These guys will roar us on’. It was lovely to witness.”
That victory, thanks to a late Shandon Baptiste goal that went in off City defender Luis Binks, moved Luton to six wins, three draws and a total of 21 points from their last 11 games.
That is a record which has the Hatters as the third most in form side in the Championship during that period, behind already promoted Burnley and Leeds.
“The belief within the changing room and within the training ground has been there for a little while and been growing. And I think it took a while [for fans], totally understandably so, for that to try and seep out a little bit [in the stadium],” said Bloomfield.
“We had to get results. We had to put on performances for people to see, to witness to build that belief. If not, it was just words for me, empty words, unless it was a product on the pitch.
“And I felt that after the game on [Easter] Monday, the crowd believed. We’ve had a couple of moments. Hull away, I felt was a big moment that I could really feel the belief seeping onto the pitch for our crowd. Derby, here [Kenilworth Road] on Monday, and again today [Saturday] it just felt like they believed in us, which is which is lovely.”
Be the first to comment