Luton skipper Sonny Bradley has recalled the “shock” of when boss Nathan Jones appeared on a squad Zoom call as his surprise return to the Town hotseat was announced a year ago today.
With the country in its first lockdown over the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, all football had been suspended and former manager Graeme Jones had left.
Bradley, who this week signed a new Luton contract, said: “The whole squad was on a Zoom call and I think it was (chief executive) Gary Sweet speaking just about the return to football and putting the protocols in place. All of a sudden Gary said: ‘I just want to introduce you to your new manager.’
“It (the computer screen) said Nathan Jones has joined the chat and I put my camera away. I had a smile on my face, I was laughing and it was just a bit unexpected. No-one really knew about it and it was a shock.
“At the same time, there was excitement there because we knew what that meant for the squad.”
Jones, who celebrates his 48th birthday today, guided Town to the Great Escape in the 2019/20 in a remarkable nine-game return from football’s enforce Covid hiatus.
And the manager has just helped the Hatters to their best second tier points haul since the 1981/82 promotion-winning season, as they finished 12th in the Championship.
“There’s been no looking back since that moment,” said Bradley of that video call a year ago.
“We’ve pushed on, Nathan’s come in and we finished last season strong and stayed up. Then this season we’ve gone to a new level. But yeah, it was funny and it made me laugh.
“But we’re coming back and the gaffer doesn’t stand still. He wants to push on and, with that ambition and that character, we can certainly do that.”
