As survival-chasing Luton Town brace for a tense final day at West Bromwich Albion, boss Matt Bloomfield isn’t shrinking from the pressure. He’s embracing it.
The Hatters know that victory at The Hawthorns will guarantee them Championship football next season. Other permutations are available with Hull City the bookmakers’ favourites to go down after Luton swapped places with them last weekend, lifting themselves out of the bottom three for the first time since January. But also in the mix and Derby County, Stoke City and Preston North End.
But three victories on the spin for Bloomfield’s boys have made Luton one of the form teams in the division behind only the already promoted top two of Leeds United and Burnley. That has contributed to their six wins and three draws in their last 11 games, which has left Luton’s destiny firmly in their own hands.
And for Bloomfield, it’s one final push to achieve what he set out to when he swapped League One promotion hopefuls for struggling Luton. Survival.
“I’m looking forward to it. I’ll relish it,” the Town boss said, adding: “This is the reason why I wanted to become a manager to be in this position. Obviously, you want to be at the other end of the table fighting, but we’re really proud of the way, it’s been turned and we really want to complete the job. And, I’m relishing the position, the opportunity to do so.”
That tone of determined enthusiasm — rather than anxiety — has characterised Bloomfield’s leadership during an intense run-in, which he admits has been peppered with low moments.
Despite knowing that other results involving Hull, Derby, Stoke and Preston could still have an impact on Luton’s fate, Bloomfield has made it clear that outside noise won’t dictate his approach. His focus, and that of his players, is fixed solely on their performance against West Brom.
“We have to focus on our job in hand and control what we can control,” he explained.
That mindset — controlled, composed and deliberate — has helped steer the Hatters away from the drop zone, effectively over the past two months, though they only physically edged above the bottom three with last week’s euphoric late 1-0 win over Coventry. A team that looked resigned to relegation after defeat at arch-rivals Watford in March now has its destiny in its own hands.
It’s a revival built not on bravado but on discipline, consistency and an unshakeable belief in the group’s capacity to improve.
Luton fans have relished before in Conference-winning manager John Still’s “control the controllables” mantra. And while Bloomfield’s version sees the club in different circumstances his take on it has echoed in everything from training ground routines to matchday execution. But now, it’s also about ambition.
“We’ve come a long way this season to put ourselves in this position – and we’re enjoying being in the mix going into the final day,” Bloomfield said.
He is not hoping to survive, he’s aiming to finish the season with a flourish. His team, rejuvenated by recent form, has shown it can meet the moment.
When Luton kick off at The Hawthorns, Bloomfield won’t be scanning the sidelines for updates. He’ll be watching his side. And if the Hatters are to complete the latest great escape in their history, they’ll do it the Bloomfield way.
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