They say a lot happens in a week in football - but, in Janos Kovacs' case - a lot has happened for the Hungarian in the past 18 months.

In the summer of 2010 the defender left Kenilworth Road after six months and 18 appearancesto sign for Hereford. However, after a season at Edgar Street, the popular centre-half answered Gary Brabin's call to return on an emergency loan in September and hasn't looked back.

On New Year's Day it was confirmed that Kovacs will remain at Kenilworth Road until June 2013. Now, with his future sorted for the foreseeable future, the 26-year-old is hoping he can use what he's learned during his time away from Kenilworth Road, to help the Hatters win promotion this season.

"I think the turning point is my mental strength," Kovacs told Talk of the Town. "Over the past two years I think I've learned a lot. For me the focus and experience on the pitch is so very important.

"In the Premier League the winners and losers are determined by their mental strength and you can tell when a certain player's mentality has been affected and some high-profile ones have to deal with off-the-pitch pressures too.

"I've begun to help my fellow team-mates and it's just little things like a few sentences in a player's ear if they're feeling a bit down.

"A word here and there in the dressing room is good for team spirit and we have quite a young team.

"Leadership and those kind of battling mental qualities have been missing in some games this season but I think we're improving now, as shown in our last three league games."

Kovacs is naturally delighted to be back at Kenilworth Road and his enthusiasm was evident for all to see after his goal in the 5-0 victory against Kettering on Boxing Day.

He harbours hopes of ending the season on a high but refuses to get carried away with the Town's recent revival that has seen them jump into third place in the Blue Square Bet Premier.

"It's a cliché but you must take every game as it comes," he says. "We won the last three matches and we're playing well but it's a long season and there are lots of games left. We don't want to get too carried away.

"I don't want to be too positive or too negative but we need to keep our feet on the ground and just keep doing what we're doing.

"When you look back we've lost in important games against Fleetwood, Wrexham and Cambridge and those defeats still pain me now, looking back.

"Sometimes you come back into the dressing room after a game and you have to accept that the other team had their day but this season we have been frustrated having been ahead 1-0 so many times this season and only drawn.

"I know this team is capable of being the best and winning the title - we just need to start showing it on the pitch.

"The Newport game is just another game. We need to keep going and take each game as it comes and hopefully keep the winning run going."

 

Janos celebrates his goal against Kettering on New Year's Day.

But it hasn't been all smiles for the defender in his time at Kenilworth Road. He first signed for the club in January 2010 and scored on his debut at Histon, but by the end of the season he decided to leave the club having been frozen out of the starting XI for the play-off defeats to York City - an experience which hugely disappointed the Hungarian.

"In football you never know what's going to happen and at the time I thought leaving was the best thing to do," he says.

"I felt I wanted to be playing in the Football League and I was disappointed we lost in the play-offs and didn't get promoted.

"Maybe I forced myself out but you learn things as you make your way in life and, maybe, it wasn't the right decision.

"Why didn't it work out in the end at Hereford? Well, there are many factors that influence things like that. Settling in the area and, the size, support and professionalism of club are always taken into consideration.

"If I think back to September and how I feel was feeling at the time, I couldn't have been happier more when Gary Brabin called to ask if I could help and my answer was 'Yes! Yes!' It was just what I wanted.

"Luton is the biggest club I've ever played for and I want to play at the highest level possible with this club. I enjoy it and I'm settled here and I couldn't be more happier.

"You can never say never in football, that's why I love it so much. What I do know is, if you put your heart into everything the best result will come."

This interview appeared in Saturday's issue of Talk of the Town for the game versus Newport County.