Under-18s boss Joe Deeney has spoken of his pride after a goal-filled and trophy-laden season ended with a club record 10 players earning professional contracts.

The Hatters youngsters scooped the Youth Alliance southern section title and the PDL Cup but the main takeaway for Deeney this season is the number of players from his squad that have been offered professional contracts.

Christian Chigozie and Benny Benagr put pen to paper in February before a further eight accepted terms following the campaign’s conclusion.

“Pride is the overriding emotion, especially given the amount of pro deals offered to the lads for next season,” Deeney told lutontown.co.uk.

“It’s a testimony to the lads who have had an unbelievable season. Their performance levels have been fantastic and they’ve shown heart and desire to come through a long season They deserve it.

“The progress and growth of the group has been shown by their disappointment of not winning the treble at Bolton, but nothing can take away from the fact they’ve won two trophies.

“We wanted to do better in the FA Youth Cup, but over the course of the season to lose just 10 games, record a 70 per cent win rate, score over 150 goals, it’s been an exciting season and a wonderful experience for the boys.

“I’ve got no complaints from the Bolton game. They were stronger and older than us, we gave away some disappointing goals but, in fairness, they were fresh, were rested and we had a four-day recovery after Swansea.

“But, as I told the players afterwards, in life, when you lose, you learn. And that’s been the story of the season, we learned loads and there have been lots of ups and downs.

“I couldn’t be prouder. The hard work starts soon for us, though, and we’re plotting for next season.

“For me, my remit is more than just winning leagues and cups: it’s bringing players through into the first team.”