‘Together’ Town can be as strong as an Oak with supports behind the players

‘Together’ Luton can achieve anything this season according to boss John Still, writes Mark Wood.
L13-1190  5/10/13  MBLN
LTFC v Halifax.
wk 41 MW JXL13-1190  5/10/13  MBLN
LTFC v Halifax.
wk 41 MW JX
L13-1190 5/10/13 MBLN LTFC v Halifax. wk 41 MW JX

There are likely to be over 1,000 Hatters fans in the Oak Road end on Saturday, usually reserved for away supporters, as Town will be roared on from all sides at Kenilworth Road for the first time in years.

And Still believes Town’s supporters can play a major role as a result, saying: “Fantastic. Massive, absolutely massive without a shadow of a doubt. Roll on Saturday!”

Skipper Ronnie Henry’s confrontation with a home fan after the 3-2 home victory over Lincoiln City, and subsequent clear the air talks, seems to have brought about a new-found understanding between players and fans alike.

Since then Town have fought back in both subsequent games, beating FC Halifax Town 4-3 and drawing 3-3 at Aldershot on Saturday.

Still continued: “There are two reasons that we won on Saturday and that we got back into the game the other night.

“One is hard work and never giving us. And two is never ending support. Never ending, both games.

“Never ending, never wilted, never changed, just support, support, support.”

But he still believes that Town will only realise their promotion ambitions if everyone is pulling in the same direction.

He continued “As I’ve said before, if people expect the football team to win the league they won’t.

“If they expect the staff to win the league they won’t, if they expect the supporters to win the league they won’t and if they expect the directors to win the league they won’t.

“But all together we will. All together, we’ll all do it together because that makes us strong.

“One on their own can’t win it. A boxer goes into the ring, people see him fight, they don’t see eight weeks of hard work with a fitness coach, with a boxing coach, with a trainer, with a psychologist.

“They all win it, he’s the one in the ring that everyone sees, but they all win it. This is no different, we all win it.

“The manager hypothetically wins the manager of the month award. What a load of rubbish that is. Done it all on his own? No chance.

“It’s all the people around him. Except here, because I’m working with clowns!

“But we all win it, don’t we? It’s what make you strong, it’s the team. It’s the team that wins.

“And the stronger the team, the better the team.”

Still has previously warned that there will be ‘no quick fix’ at Kenilworth Road and it may take a number of years to get out of the Conference.

But equally he refused to rule out the possibility that this may be the year and believes Luton are in as good a position as any other team in the division.

He added: “Putting all other teams aside, I wouldn’t change this team for any other side in the league.

“I wouldn’t change it and I wouldn’t leave this to go to any other tam in the league thinking they’re in a better position than us and thinking they can do better than us.

“I think we have the ingredients, I really do. I think we have all the ingredients.

“But, we’ve got to go every week and be ready and be prepared and go and play the way we play and be unaffected by who we play against. Let’s effect the other team.

“I don’t do a quick fix, I’ve never actually said how long it will take, because why would I, I don’t know how long it will take.

“But I don’t do a quick fix. I try and build the team for longevity.

“I’m not saying it’s the right way. My way is my way, it’s not the right way, it’s just my way.

“It’s the way the club felt it should go, because if we can build this and get it to where we want to get it, when it’s there it will just keep going.

“It can be effected by things. It was effected by things at Dagenham because we had to sell everyone, but we got to Div One.

“If we hadn’t sold the players we could have got out of Div One because we had some outstanding players.

“Outstanding players. And that’s what I want to do here. It took me three years at Dagenham to do that.

“We’re further forward in our first year here than we were in my first year there, we’re further forward.

“And I believe that the group of players that we’ve got and the group of players that we’re growing, knowing that there’s going to be some fall by the wayside, knowing that there’s obviously going to be additions here and there, it’s fantastic I’m really pleased with it.

“And I think it will keep growing and keep growing and keep growing and I think we will get stronger and stronger, I can’t speak for what other teams do, but I know what we can do here. And we can get stronger and stronger.”