Luton may be fighting at the wrong end of the Championship table but Jordan Clark says there’s a feel-good factor in the Luton camp similar to their Premier League promotion campaign when the Hatters felt they would beat all-comers.
Town’s survival destiny is, at least, firmly in their hands as victories in the final two games of the season against Coventry and West Brom will seal the great escape in a season where Town had hoped to be challenging for an immediate return to the top flight.
Instead, it’s been a campaign of turmoil and they’ve been in the bottom three since January, but eight weeks of improved performances and results including back-to-back Easter victories has firmly wrestled back the impetus in Luton’s favour.
And if the Hatters can do their job in the Saturday lunchtime kick-off at home to play-off chasing Coventry City, all the focus will be on the Derby and Hull, the two teams directly above Luton and the relegation zone, where at least one of the teams will drop points. That will set up a final day escape route.
“Now it’s in our own hands. Win the games and we stay in this league, which probably wasn’t our plan at the start of the season, let’s be honest,” said Clark, who scooped four trophies last night at the Luton Town Supporters’ Trust Awards bash.
“Everyone had us up there to be challenging. We had ourselves up there to be challenging [for promotion to the Premier League]. Obviously, it’s not materialised, but it’s a different sort of fight now.
“We’ve just got to make sure we stay in this league. That’s the priority. It’s in our hands now. Two wins and we do it.”
Just one defeat in their last six games has Luton as the form team in the bottom half of the table, with manager Matt Bloomfield having plugged one of the leakiest defences in the division as a foundation for their fight against a second successive relegation.
Clark said: “It gets thrown around a lot in football, momentum. We’ve not had it this season but we’ve had it for the last few months now and probably at the right time because you see a lot of the other teams picking up points as well.
“So, it’s crucial that we got it and picked up the points we have because who knows where we would’ve been?
“Now, we’re in a positive position. The lads are in good spirits. We’ve got a good feel around the place, and we’re just looking forward to each game now.
“Once you get on that winning run and the lads’ confidence is up, it’s similar to when we got promoted. You get on that feeling and just turn up week in, week out and it’s like ‘who are we going to beat this afternoon? Who are we going to beat this evening?’ I feel like we’re on that a little bit at the minute.”
Asked at the awards night what has changed to turn Town’s fortunes around to the point that they can see a clear route out of relegation, Clark and Bloomfield talked about changing little things, like having pre-match meals at the club’s Brache training base, which they’d never done before.
“You could feel the energy before the Portsmouth game and everyone was buzzing,” said the midfielder who scored the winner against Pompey to kick-start an end of season revival where Town have won five and drawn three in their last ten league games.
“Little things like that can change your season. I feel like that has. Obviously added to the January signings, which have made a real impact.”
Clark missed Easter Monday’s 3-1 victory over promotion-chasing Bristol City with a calf injury, but the 31-year-old said: “I should be fine. Nothing too serious. I was just feeling my calf a little bit, You’ve just got to strap it up and get through it. We need as many bodies out there as we can.”
Be the first to comment