Captain Sonny Bradley is relishing the opportunity to get back out on the pitch after an enforced break from action over the Christmas and New Year period.
The Hatters are set to welcome Harrogate Town to Kenilworth Road on Sunday, which would mark over a month without a game, a period of time in which Bradley admitted he has been ‘very bored!’
“During this time of the year, it’s about playing through the Christmas period which I’ve done pretty much all through my career. So, for four games to be called off and to be sat at home watching Soccer Saturday, it’s frustrating.
"I was sat on the sofa with my girlfriend and my little man and it was just frustrating, I turned to her and said if this is what it could be like when I’m finished, I’m never to going to finish! It was strange sat there watching the football, I’d much rather be playing but unfortunately that wasn’t an option for us."
In between the time away from the pitch, manager Nathan Jones put pen to paper on a new five-and-a-half year deal, which Bradley and his teammates wholeheartedly support.
“The manager’s record at this club speaks for itself and I think it’s a no brainer for this football club to give the manager that contract, I’m delighted for him and he certainly deserves it.
“He’s relentless in everything he does,” the 30-year-old continued. “I’m in my fourth year now and throughout the time that Nathan’s been here, not once have I ever felt like he’s taken his foot off the gas.
“He’s full throttle, always wanting to improve, always wanting the players to get better and always wanting to improve the club’s position. I’m not just talking about games, I’m talking about every day in training. He doesn’t allow any sloppiness. He doesn’t allow people to drop their standards.
“I think that’s ingrained in his character, that’s who he is. I’m pretty sure he’ll never change. At times, I’ll be honest, his energy is hard to get on the level, but it’s what we need if we want to continue to improve.”
Assessing the season so far now just one game away from the halfway stage in the Sky Bet Championship, the defender believes the team are in a ‘good position’ to kick on for the remainder of the campaign.
“We have had some really good results, we’ve had a good amount of clean sheets and we’re scoring some good goals, a lot more than we have in previous seasons so you can certainly see we’re improving.
“Hopefully we catch up on our games and then go and have a good second half of the season, I still think there is a good chance of us reaching our goals this season. It is just about continuing with a good attitude, a good mindset and putting in a real good shift in the second half of the season to achieve what we want to achieve.”
