After a week of soul-searching following their 3-1 defeat at Lincoln City last weekend, Luton Town produced the steely reply with a 1-0 victory over Doncaster Rovers on Saturday – and match-winner Kal Naismith lifted the lid on what happened between the games to affect such a turnaround.
A week earlier, they’d been booed off the pitch at Sincil Bank, while the travelling town fans had chanted for boss Matt Bloomfield to get the sack, after a performance that the manager labelled “unacceptable”.
It prompted chief executive Gary Sweet to speak out in a rare interview where he backed for the former Wycombe stalwart as questions ramped up from supporters about recruitment, formation and finances – all to the backdrop of successive relegations and significant discontent.
At least one of those was remedied against Doncaster as Bloomfield – perhaps forced by injuries – swapped the much-maligned three at the back formation to a more traditional four, which paid real dividends.
As part of that defence, thrust into an old position of left-back, Naismith helped keep a clean sheet and then popped up with first-half header to seal the points. It was his first goal for the club since 2022, and he admitted the squad knew they “had no other choice” but to respond after the dismal display at Lincoln.
He said: “It consumed my whole week. All I was thinking was was [that] we need to bounce back. We’ve got no other choice. Imagine we’d have lost or got a bad result today, it would have been a bad spot to be in for us as players, management, everyone. So I’m just proud that everybody came together. We had a really positive week and yeah, we got the result. It’s only one result, three points, but it’s something to build on. We showed a lot of bravery, courage, defending together as one. We ticked a lot of boxes so I’m proud of the team.”
Credited with a significant role in that revival was sports psychologist Nicola McAlliog, who has worked part-time with the club since the start of the season. Naismith and Bloomfield both spoke about her impact at the start of last week.
“I didn’t know how important it was until Monday,” said Naismith, adding: “She was incredible, so, so incredible. Can’t credit enough. We’re lucky to have her here. We’re lucky that she’s a huge part and she had a huge effect on us through the week. She told her story. Incredible lady. Yeah, we’re lucky that she’s a part of our team. She was amazing, so massive credit to her for what she’d done this week as well.”
Bloomfield spoke about the productive meetings he had with players and the meetings players had with each other, but asked what stood out about the week, the 33-year-old defender said: “Nicola, to be honest.
“We came here on Monday and she came down and she just spoke to us and it was incredible. It takes a lot to have a full changing room just sitting on her every word, like, wow. And was just goosebumps listening to her speaking. She shared her story, that we need to be open and honest and in it together and there for each other.
“The stuff that she touched on was incredible. We’d already had meetings before that that was like, right, we’re in the right place. The manager had spoken to us, and then she spoke to us, and we just felt something. Everything’s feeling in life, isn’t it?
“You can say words all you want. I can shout and rant in a changing room. It doesn’t really matter. It’s how you make people feel. If you feel together, we just felt that as the week went on. That’s what stands out for me, was Nicola.
“Then, the photos, for me, we did the 140 [club’s anniversary] stuff. I don’t know if you’ve seen it on Instagram, but just looking about and seeing the amount of staff and just the people that love this club and it was like, wow! This is an unbelievable club. I’ve said that a million times. I love being here but, come on, we’re grateful to be here.
“I know we’re under a bit of pressure right now, but what is that? That’s fine. Let’s go. So, from Tuesday, I just could not wait to get to the game.”
The talk that McAlliog gave Luton’s players was so personal that Naismith preferred to keep its contents a closely guarded secret, but he admitted: “It’s not something we’ve just done because we’re in a bad place.
“Nicola’s been here from the beginning of the season. She’s just a part of the team and a load of clubs have it. It’s very popular now to have sports psychologists now to hang about the building, to help and have a little bit of input here and there.
“We had some at the club last year as well, when I was here. It is popular, but I’ve never used one, personally, myself. I’ve never sort of understood how powerful they can be and how big an impact they can have until Nicola on Monday. We’re lucky to have her here.”
Manager Bloomfield was equally keen to credit McAlliog. Asked about the collective effort to bounce back from the recent setbacks, he said: “I think there’s been a few things. It’s never just one moment, but we have a sports psychologist working with us now who gave a very good talk to the boys on Monday. We spoke a lot over the weekend about what I felt like the week needed to be and Nicola contributed to that in a big way.
“We then went about our work. We’ve given the boys so much information Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday in terms of how we wanted the team to look and feel. And the boys have got together amongst themselves as well.
“There’ve been a lot of contributing factors to that. We do have a group that cares. And last week it didn’t look like that. And that was the concerning thing and the disappointing thing, the sad thing for all of us is that it didn’t look like they cared in the way that they do, if that makes sense?
“The reflection of them as a group and us as a group as a whole wasn’t there. So there’s been lots of work that’s gone into that this week. And they’re a group that I think a lot of. And they know that. We have to stick together in tough moments.
“It’s not the challenges that face you, it’s the way you react to them that defines you as a man, and we spoke about that this week. I could just feel that there was going to be a reaction. I actually felt quite calm in the build-up to the game because I felt like the boys were in a good headspace.”
It was enough to help the Hatters win on Saturday, while a win in their game in hand on Tuesday at Blackpool will lift Luton into the play-off mix and, perhaps more importantly, it would further show the unity that had been questioned so fiercely only a week earlier.
