Hear more from last week's signing Nathan Doyle
The lure of continuing the Town’s success of last season was an opportunity too good for Nathan Doyle to turn down.The 27-year-old, without a club following his release from Bradford City at the end of the last campaign, admitted he watched with interest as the Hatters stormed to the Conference Premier title.
Now, as the Town tackle League 2, Doyle is hoping he can help use his experience of the division – and beyond – to good effect after signing a one-year deal at Kenilworth Road.
“I can tell by just listening to the lads that what was achieved last season was phenomenal,” says Doyle to a backdrop of his new team-mates laughing and joking in the background at the Town’s training ground – a sure-fire way to realise that, despite results, the spirit in the camp is high. “It was sad to see the club fall through the leagues.
“I knew of Luton in the Championship and saw them slide out of the League. It’s sad to see big clubs suffer but this club is massive and I’m now here to carry on from the success from last season and get it back to where it needs to be, higher up the divisions.
“Looking at how comfortably the league was won last year, you think to yourself what a great achievement that is and what it must have been like for the players. All I want is to be a part of what happens next.
“I had a few options to sign elsewhere but the move has always got to be right and this one is: the buzz around the place and the confidence of the lads was a big thing for me.”
Doyle has twice tasted promotion – once as a youngster at Hull, and mostly recently, with Bradford the season before last. So the midfielder knows what it takes to be successful.
“When I went up with Bradford we had no big time Charlies,” says Doyle. “You need to be consistent and have a good dressing room.
“I’ve only been training here for a few days but the lads have been great and having been involved in training, I know the quality is definitely here.
“I’ve heard that the results haven’t been as people would have liked but the performances have been good.
“That’s football sometimes: you can play well for 90 minutes but one lapse in concentration and you can lose the game.
“From what I’ve seen in training I can’t see it taking long for some of those results to turn into wins.
“There are some big clubs in League 2 but all we need to focus on is ourselves and not worry about the other teams.
“We’ve got a good set of lads and sooner or later the results will turn because I think we’re as a good as any team in this division.”
After holding down a regular place in the Bradford side that finished 11th in League 1 last term, and having played in the Premier League and the Championship in the past, has Doyle any qualms about dropping down to League 2?
“No, not one,” he says. “I’ve played in League 2 before and we were lucky enough to win promotion and go all the way to Wembley to the League Cup final which was an amazing achievement and experience.
“It wasn’t a problem coming to Luton because they’re such a big club anyway. At the end of the day, though, I just want to play football.”