Franks hopes for Nuneaton debut after being ineligible for postponed game

Last week’s postponed home game with Wrexham turned out to be a blessing in disguise for new Hatters defender Fraser Franks, writes Mark Wood.
Fraser Franks - ltfcFraser Franks - ltfc
Fraser Franks - ltfc

The 23-year-old revealed that he hadn’t yet been granted permission to play for Luton after completing his move from Skrill Premier rivals Welling United for an undisclosed fee.

He said: “I wasn’t available for last weekend because the paperwork didn’t go through in time, but I’m available for selection and hoping to be involved.”

Weather permitting, Town entertain early pacesetters Nuneaton in the league at Kenilworth Road on Saturday, but Franks knows he faces real competition for his place.

With experienced defenders Steve McNulty and Anthony Charles on Luton’s books, former England U17 international Ryan Inniss on loan from Crystral Palace and youngsters Alex Lacey and Andy Parry returning from injury, Franks is hoping that will push him on to new heights.

He said: “It’s always good to have competition for places, it brings out the best in people.

“I’ve come here to play games. I don’t want to sit on the bench and it’s up to me when the opportunity comes to make that shirt my own.

“It’s up to me now to get myself in there and perform well to make the manager’s job a lot harder to take me out.

“I believe in my ability and I think I will do well at Luton and I want to play every game.”

Hatters boss John Still is evidently a big admirer of the young defender, having seen several games in addition to the two matches he played against Luton.

Franks said: “I think the manager had seen me in those two games and had come and watched me three or four times this season and knows what I’m about.”

On the FA Cup game which the Wings won 2-1 at Park View Road in November, and the subsequent 2-1 league defeat at Kenilworth Road later that month which saw Franks dismissed in injury time for a last man foul on Paul Benson, he continued: “The first game was a great result for Welling and generated some much-needed money in the FA Cup and was a great win against Luton.

“The second game was a really tight game and Andre Gray nicked a goal late on.

“Very hard to be sent off at the end. I don’t look at it with bad memories.”

But having witnessed Town’s support first hand both home and away this season, and at the City of Manchester Stadium in the 2011 play-off final while at Wimbledon, he can’t wait to have Town’s fan power on his side.

“I’ve seen it first hand the fanbase and the attitude of the club,” he said.

“It did help knowing I had played on the pitch and seen the stadium.

“The supporter-base is a massive draw for a player. You are going to get that sort of support at home and it’s a club on the up now.

“There’s maybe been a few years where there’s been a bit of negativity around the club, but it’s all positive now.

“If we were to get promoted there’s no reason we couldn’t go up and get promoted again and the club’s got the ability to do that.”

And he believes Luton have the squad to go all the way and finally claim the Skrill Premier title.

He added: “We are in a good position at the moment and this is the business end of the season so if we can carry on putting in the results like the boys have done previously, we can do it.

“I’ve seen first hand the strength of the squad playing against the boys and in training and I believe we can go on and do it.”

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