Luton Town

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Luton Town boss Matt Bloomfield believes Saturday's game against Plymouth Argyle will be a "very stern test".

The Hatters will be hoping to move themselves into a play-off position with victory against a Plymouth side that has won back-to-back matches after a poor start to the campaign.

"Obviously there was a big turnover in the summer, so Tom [Cleverley] is trying to get his group together, and settling them down into a system and a formation and a way of playing that he believes in," Bloomfield told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"They've integrated a lot of new players, but they beat Stockport last weekend, and we know Stockport are a very strong team in this league and so it's going to be a very stern test for us, they've got some real good players, and we have to be ready."

Pilgrims boss Cleverley played more than 180 games for Luton's rivals Watford, a club where he had his first taste of management before taking over at Home Park in June.

"Tom is a good guy, obviously a massive history in the game, he played at such an elite level, a very good coach, I like him, I think he's a good guy," Bloomfield added.

"It'll be a good atmosphere on Saturday, I want our fans to really get behind us, I know they will, and I hope we can put on a show that inspires them as well."

Listen to the full interview and more on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Rex Features

Luton Town boss Matt Bloomfield believes scoring in front of their own fans will stand Lasse Nordas and Jerry Yates in good stead for the rest of the season.

Nordas made it two in two, after opening his account at Burton Albion last weekend, with the opener in Tuesday's 4-1 EFL Trophy win over Barnet.

Fellow striker Yates grabbed his first goal for the club since arriving from Swansea City to make it 2-0 eight minutes later.

"The plan for the front two was we wanted them both to score," Bloomfield told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"To feel what it's like scoring at Kenilworth Road, we thought that would be valuable for the pair of them, so I'm glad that happened.

"The thing with Jerry is he cares, he cares a lot and he wants to be the best he can be for this football club.

"He knows how much we wanted him here. We worked extremely hard to get him and he's been absolutely fantastic for us, even before the goal, and there can be no questions about that.

"He didn't do a full pre-season so he's playing catch-up - we're throwing him straight into league action - and his sharpness is getting better every game. For him to get a goal will hopefully lift a bit of weight off his shoulders."

Because of the international break, the Hatters now have a break from matches until they host Plymouth Argyle at Kenilworth Road on 13 September.

Image source, Rex Features

Luton Town boss Matt Bloomfield said the summer transfer window has been a distraction at times as he looks to lay the foundations for a successful season.

Bloomfield is trying to reverse Luton's on-the-pitch fortunes following two successive relegations, and there have been a number of comings and goings - with midfielder Tahith Chong the latest to leave, for Sheffield United.

"We are a football club that is self sufficient, so we have to make sure everything is aligned," he told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"We've had to be open-minded and pliable throughout the summer - and it's not easy when you're trying to prepare for games as well as the transfer window.

"A lot of our boys are fully focused on the season ahead, but there's been a number of conversations in the background with players wanting to move elsewhere, and that takes up so much of your time.

"It's been an extremely complex summer window, timings, wants and wishes, and whether they are realistic or not is a different matter. There's been lots to go through and we're still working."

Luton are away to Burton Albion on Saturday.

Luton have agreed a fee of just under £1m for Aberdeen winger Shayden Morris, 23. (Sky Sports, external)

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Friday's gossip column here.

Image source, Rex Features

Long-serving goalkeeper James Shea has signed a new contract that will keep at Luton Town for a 10th season.

The 34-year-old's new deal will run until the end of the 2026-27 campaign - a decade after he joined the Hatters from AFC Wimbledon in July 2017.

In that time, Shea has made 111 appearances for Luton and won three promotions - to League One in 2017-18, the Championship the following season and the Premier League in 2022-23.

Shea has been back-up keeper for the past two seasons at Kenilworth Road and is numer two to Josh Keeley this term.

His only appearances this season so far came in Luton's Carabao Cup defeat by Coventry City in early August.

"I'm really happy to get it all sorted, to carry on the journey and be here for another few years," Shea told the club's website., external

"I signed as a number two in League Two, so to come through to where we are now, it's been some journey.

"The ups and the downs. I've loved every single minute of it, and hopefully there's a few more ups coming."

Image source, Rex Features

Luton Town midfielder George Saville has stressed the value of patience as the Hatters look to bounce back from successive relegations in the past two seasons.

Saville joined Luton from Millwall this summer and scored his first goal in Tuesday's 1-0 win over Wigan, their third victory in four games at the start of the new campaign.

"It's a good start when you look at the big picture," he told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"At the start of the season, if you were asked three (wins) out of four, you'd take that. Nine points on the board, it's important to win games.

"We've had a feel for the league now, we know what it's going to be like, teams are giving their all and it's about us staying patient, doing the basics right and then our quality should shine through in the end.

"It's important we inject pace into the game and play at our tempo and our level, play how we want to play - it's very easy to get in a lull, easy to get dragged into a cagey fight, (and) that slows rhythm in a game.

"Teams are making it hard for us for a long period of time but when they start getting tired, that's when we start dominating the ball."

Luton are at home to Cardiff City - also relegated from the Championship last term - in a lunchtime kick-off on Saturday.

"We're in League One for a reason and it's about what we do now, it's important we show that we want to get straight back out," Saville added. "The same with Cardiff, so it will be a good game on Saturday."

Ipswich Town are willing to part with Iraq forward Ali Al-Hamadi, 23, amid interest from Luton Town and Cardiff City. (TeamTalk), external

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Thursday's gossip column here.