Cornick: Luton have always been a Championship club ever since League Two

Luton attacker Harry Cornick insists the Hatters have always had the belief they would be an established Championship club ever since he first joined.

The 26-year-old moved to Kenilworth Road from Bournemouth in August 2017 when Town were a League Two outfit in Nathan Jones’ second season in charge.

Since then, the Hatters have won promotion from League Two, then claimed the League One title before spending a campaign avoiding Championship relegation by the skin of their teeth.

They continued their trend of improving every year with an excellent 12th place finish last term, earning their highest points tally in the second tier since 1982.

On the rise of the club, Cornick said: “When I sat down with the gaffer before I signed, he always said ‘this would be a Championship club in three years’ and he didn’t lie, as we are a Championship team now.

“In League Two we were a Championship side, we had the facilities as a club to be a Championship team, the fanbase of a Championship side, everything about this club is Championship.

“Even in League Two, the players that we had were Championship quality, if you look at who’s still here now.

“Glen Rea, Pelly Ruddock, James Collins, me, Danny Hylton, Luke Berry, Potts, they’ve all come in League Two.

“We believed back then we should be a Championship side, so a few little things have changed, now we’re in the Championship, a few better players have come in, but as a club we’ve been a Championship side since League Two.”

While the Hatters had a collective belief that they would be in the Championship, Cornick always felt he belonged at the level too.

The attacker, who played 43 times last term, scoring once, but grabbing seven assists, continued: “I think personally I’ve improved.

“I signed when I was 22, I believed I was going to become a Championship player and I feel like I’ve improved as Luton have improved.

“Gradually my progression as a player has matched Luton Town’s progression which has been brilliant.

“When I was in League Two I was probably a League Two standard player and I’ve improved into a League One and then improved into a Championship player.

“Personally I think I’ve always had the ability to and hopefully I can kick on now and keep moving forward with Luton Town.”

After signing under Jones, Cornick then saw the manager leave for Stoke City in January 2019 before coming back in May of last year to lead the club out of relegation trouble on the final day.

On any differences he’s noticed in the manager since he came back to the club almost 12 months ago, Cornick added: “I think he’s changed a bit.

“He’s learned more, with every experience you do learn more, he’s come back with new ideas and he’s grown as a manager.

“He’s learnt new things from what he’s done, but he’s sort of been the same from League Two.

“If you speak to him, he hasn’t changed the way he talks and how much he believes and how much he cares and how much he shouts to be fair.

“He probably shouts more than he did in League Two, that’s the only thing that’s changed, but his ideas and styles of play haven’t changed because that’s what he believes in and that’s what Luton Town believes in.

“We’ve bought into what he says and I think that’s probably one of his best characteristics.

“He gets you to believe in what he wants and if you do, you’re going to become a better player.

“You’re going to improve and you’re going to be a happier person by believing in what he believes in.

“The gaffer’s been brilliant with everyone and it’s a system and a club that works so well for him.

"Hopefully he’s got some good plans and some good players coming in for next season and we can hit the ground running and push for something special as we want to do something special at this club and I think we can."

It's not just Jones who Cornick was eager to praise though, but the efforts of the whole backroom staff, as he added: "There’s people like Chris Cohen, Paul Hart and Mick Harford, I'd better throw Kevin Dearden's name into that too, that are on the training pitch every day that put the work in, put the hours in and they work hard.

"They probably work harder than any player here and they care so much about the club, they want the club to succeed."