Manager Nathan Jones says that finally stepping out in front of a sell-out 10,000 Kenilworth Road crowd will be a “proud moment” 15 months after his return to Luton.
Tomorrow’s Championship curtain-raiser against Peterborough United will actually be 32 months, or 949 days, after the manager last emerged from the tunnel to a packed house of Hatters fans.
Since a 2019 New Year’s Day League One stalemate against Barnsley, he controversially left for Stoke City and then made a shock comeback in May last year to perform miracles in achieving Luton’s nine-game Great Escape to avoid relegation from the Championship.
But that was all to the new backdrop of empty stadia amid the outbreak of the Covid pandemic. That also meant that all but two of Town’s games last term were inside empty grounds, as he steered his side to a magnificent 12th placed second-tier finish.
Even the two matches where some fans were allowed to return in December, there were only a combined total of 3,000 supporters allowed in to watch victories over Norwich and Preston before lockdowns returned.
But tomorrow, all coronavirus crowd restrictions have been lifted and after 17 long months away, supporters can return to Luton’s famous old ground.
“It’ll be a proud moment,” said Jones when asked about how he’ll feel about facing a full house for the first time since his Hatters return.
“I always loved leading the team out at Kenilworth Road. I always got a good reception in the past. I know it might be different tomorrow but I’m really looking forward to it.
“It’s what we want to do. It’s one of the reasons why I always wanted to come back. I didn’t necessarily want to leave in the first place, let alone come back.
“I always had a great relationship with the fans. The fans have been superb. The home fans have been wonderful. The away fans are euphoric at times as well, so it’s such a good set of fans and we’re looking forward to that.
“It’s about the fans and the team tomorrow, not about myself, Mick (Harford), Chris (Cohen), Gary (Sweet) or any individual. It’s about the team and the fans and the relationship they build.
“What we want to do is put a team out there that can get that crowd on their feet and that’s what we want to do.”
The FA Cup Final and the Euro 2020 international tournament this summer both welcomed back supporters into stadia, but tomorrow will be the first time the majority of Luton fans will have set foot back inside Hatters HQ since February 29 last year.
“It’s been such a difficult time, since March 2020, when lockdown and the pandemic really hit. It hit football and it hit families so, yeah, I would imagine it will be a really emotional time,” said Jones.
“We’ve spoken much about how football’s not the same (without fans), but life hasn’t been the same, so that puts it into perspective.
“Football has given the people something to get behind, albeit from their armchairs. But now it gives a real opportunity to have a really good atmosphere, to come back and to get into that special old lady, the Kenny, which we all can’t wait to do.
“We’re really looking forward to the game and starting a new Championship season.
“This is all where we wanted to be in the first phase of our development going forward. So it’s going to be a special occasion.”
