Defender's hope for Kenilworth Road return next term
Since he arrived on loan from Queens Park Rangers in October Michael Harriman missed the equivalent of just one hour’s football with Luton Town.
The dependable right-back has been a massive success at Kenilworth Road this season and now the 22-year-old wants to be back again next season on a permanent basis.
“I want to be here, the staff and players want me to be here and I hope the fans want me here,” Harriman said after the 2-0 win over Stevenage in the Town’s final game of the season two weeks ago, in which he scored a fine volley.
“I will try and make it happen. I want to be here. Let’s just see what the summer brings.
“I’ve really enjoyed me time here and in all honesty I want to keep going, it’s a shame the season has finished.”
DID YOU KNOW? Michael was an ever-present during his time at Kenilworth Road, playing 39 times in Luton colours. He was substituted just three times. In injury time on his debut against Southend with 18 minutes left in the away defeat to Morecambe and 52 minutes into the game away at Newport.
Harriman made an immediate impression on the Hatters faithful on his debut against Southend back October, and the defender paid tribute to the Town support for their backing throughout the season.
“The loan spell has been fantastic, I’ve loved every minute of it – the fans won me over ever since they clapped me off on my debut,” he says. “They’ve supported me from the first minute until the last. It’s something special when you get the backing of the fans.
“It’s the same with the players, I trust them and they trust me. You want to be trusted to deliver every week and hopefully that’s what I’ve done.”
The Town missed out on the Play-Offs by just three points in their first season back in the Football League.
And although the Hatters squad have been disappointed, Harriman sees no reason why they can’t challenge for honours next season.
“We’ve had our ups and downs but we’ve shown in parts this season that we can compete, and against some of the top teams we’ve dominated matches,” he says.
“We have shown that we are good enough. Unfortunately we had that lapse in form but we’ll go again next season.
“Will we learn from it? Yes. We’ve got a good squad but there’s nothing we can do now apart from prepare for next season.
“If we work hard I’m sure the results will come and if they do we can be challenging right up there.”
You can watch the full interview with Michael on Hatters Player, plus this clip below, courtesy of our official YouTube channel.