Rowe-Turner hopes to have done enough to stay at Kenilworth Road

Adaptable defender Lathaniel Rowe-Turner is hoping he’s done enough to impress new boss John Still and extend his stay at Kenilworth Road into next season, writes Mark Wood.
Lathaniel Rowe-Turner wants to stay with LutonLathaniel Rowe-Turner wants to stay with Luton
Lathaniel Rowe-Turner wants to stay with Luton

The 23-year-old defender was handed a two-year deal by former manager Paul Buckle in the summer and has played 45 times for the Hatters this season.

However, he is yet to have a proper chat with Still about his future, saying: “I haven’t personally and I can’t speak for anybody else really, but I have a contract for next season.

“It’s sort of well done, could do better, not really in-depth.

“It’s hard to tell (whether I’ve impressed him), I’d like to think I have. We’ve not really spoken about it apart from performances and what he wants. He’s told me what he wants from me.

“In the games I’ve played we’ve not really spoken in depth about how I played.

“I’ve got next year as well so that’s my aim to be here.

“The players that are here next year, we are literally playing for our positions here. We’ve still got something to fight for, it’s not the play-offs obviously, so just trying to impress the manager.”

Rowe-Turner is hoping to hold on to his place for the last two games of the season, saying: “It’s always good to play games.

“You don’t really want to look into it too much as the gaffer’s got his ideas, I just want to try and work hard for the games I’m involved in and hopefully I’ll be involved in the next game.”

He readily admits he still prefers to play at left-back, but seems to have lost that spot to former Dagenham & Redbridge full-back Scott Griffiths.

Ironically Rowe-Turner has been at his best when in the heart of the Hatters’ defence and the team have looked better for it too.

He said: “I’ve said before I prefer to play left-back but I feel like I’ve done well at centre-half in certain games so literally I’ll play anywhere he wants me to play.

“I’ve still got to do better in certain aspects of it. But I’m not a big powerful defender, I’m more athletic than powerful so I just need to try and work on my game and make it as good as possible.”

The former Torquay man has proved the perfect foil for both Janos Kovacs earlier in the season and now skipper Steve McNulty as he said: “He heads it and I just tuck around.”

Rowe-Turner revealed though that he knew nothing about the signing of Griffiths and is just concentrating on his own performances.

He added: “I didn’t hear anything about it, he came in training and you find out what position he plays and then he signed him later on that day.

“There’s going to be competition at every club isn’t there, so long as I work as hard as I can I can’t do much more than that.”

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