The Hatters returned to pre-season training at The Brache this morning – with the players put to work in the gym before heading out onto the pristine grass pitches for this afternoon’s session.
Head of sports science Jared Roberts-Smith and his assistant Ali Kerr led the personal fitness tests indoors as the squad put the state-of-the-art facilities to good use at the new training ground.
Manager Nathan Jones was delighted to get back on the bike just 41 days after the last-gasp play-off semi-final heartbeak against Blackpool at Kenilworth Road.
He told lutontown.co.uk: “It’s good to be back. We have to put the disappointment of last season we have to put behind us. It’s a new season, a new start.
“We’ve strengthened the squad. What we wanted to do was come out of the transfer window stronger than what we went into it, and we think we’ve done that significantly with the standard we’ve brought in already – and one or two more probably to come.
“We feel we are in a real good place. It was a bitter pill to take in the play-offs, but we are going to use that as motivation and go and hopefully finish minimum one place higher than last year.
“It took a long time to watch the game back and get over that disappointment, but there is a learning element from it for us that we have to get better and be stronger for the experience.”
He added: “There is always that buzz about the first day of pre-season when everyone comes back and is talking about their holidays and the season ahead.
“A few new signings always freshens up the squad and adds that little bit of impetus. We are in a real good place and we want to again make sure that we work hard in this pre-season period to make sure that we are strong all season.”