Boss on two years in charge
On his first day in the job as the new manager of Luton Town John Still watched the Hatters lose 2-0 at Braintree on a dark, cold, depressing night in the Football Conference.
He turned to Terry Harris, his assistant, in the car on the way home as they digested what they had just witnessed and joked “shall we tell Dagenham we’ve changed our minds?”
Thankfully, Still, who marked two years in the Kenilworth Road hotseat on Thursday. Nine months after that dismal showing in deepest Essex, the Hatters triumphed 2-1 at Braintree on a pudding of a pitch to establish themselves as genuine title contenders.
“The fact we had to dig in that night gave me the most satisfaction,” says Still. “That night we had to do the other side of the game, we didn’t have to necessarily be the best football team – we had to roll up our sleeves and get the job done.”
Come the end of last season the boss was celebrating with us all a championship-winning side to be proud of and a rightful place back in the Football League.
The long hours and hard work that have been undertaken to get the Town to where they sit in the league standing this afternoon is not something that is lost on the manager.
“It’s a fantastic testament to everyone involved,” said Still. “From that game at Braintree to being fourth in League 2 is absolutely remarkable.”
Read the full interview in Saturday's Talk of the Town, and watch snippets from John on Hatters Player and YouTube.