League debut told Jake plenty about Hatters' passionate support
New Hatters signing Jake Gray says he can’t wait to run out at Kenilworth Road in front of the passionate Town faithful – as he has first-hand experience of just how noisy they can be!
The 20-year-old attacking midfielder made his Football League debut for Cheltenham Town against Luton in a 1-1 draw at Whaddon Road in January 2015.
It was the first game of a month on loan with the Robins from Premier League side Crystal Palace, who freed him to join the Hatters on a two-year deal yesterday.
“I actually remember that game really well,” Gray told lutontown.co.uk. “I remember there were more Luton fans in the away end than Cheltenham fans, and they certainly made a big noise – It’s weird how it’s all turned around.”
In the full interview with Hatters Player, the man who played at Kenilworth Road last February while on loan at Hartlepool went on to add: “Nathan told me how good it was to play in front of these fans – how it’s always packed.
“He explained the pressures of the fans and how much they get behind you, so I’m looking forward to getting out on the pitch and scoring goals and getting assists.”
Gray describes himself as “an attacking midfielder, box to box”, and after his first visit to the Ely Way training ground yesterday, where he met his new team-mates for the first time, he said: “Everyone has introduced themselves to me. They seem like a great bunch, young and enthusiastic and the manager seems great with them on the training pitch.
“Everyone I’ve spoken to has said he’s such a brilliant manager, so I’m really looking forward to it and I can’t wait to get started.
“Everyone works hard during pre-season to get to this point and everyone wants to prove how hard they’ve worked and show what they can do. I could tell by training today that everyone is hungry and ready to kick off at 3pm on Saturday.”