Emotional Jones left 'humbled' by reception from Luton's fans before and after Canaries triumph

An emotional Luton boss Nathan Jones thanked the club's fans for their ovation both before and after this evening's superb 3-1 win over Championship table-toppers Norwich City at Kenilworth Road, admitting it had left him feeling ‘humbled.’

With 1,000 supporters allowed back into the ground for the first time since late February, the fixture represented the first chance for Jones to be reunited with the Hatters faithful in person since he returned as manager in May, games being played in front of empty stadiums due to the coronavirus pandemic.

He was warmly applauded on to the field ahead of kick-off and then cheered off afterwards, when goals from George Moncur, Matty Pearson and James Collins' penalty had sealed the victory, some strains of ‘Nathan Jones’ barmy army’ even heard, which had been a regular occurrence during his first spell in charge.

Speaking about his reception, Jones said: “I was very emotional before kick-off, in terms of the ovation I got, I was very humbled with that and I thank the fans for that.

“It (having his name chanted) has been a while, it really has been a while and I miss that, that interaction with the fans as it’s what drives me.

“I dedicate my entire life to this club and sometimes it’s for those moments.

"Those moments make everything worthwhile, the sacrifices, the long hours, the sleepless nights.

“I haven't slept too much since the weekend, I was very disappointed on the weekend (4-0 defeat to Cardiff) but we bounced back wonderfully and I'm really proud of our club tonight, in everything as I think we've handled it very well tonight, I really do.”

Jones conceded he hadn’t known quite what to expected from the supporters who were lucky enough to be selected to attend the game, due to the controversial manner in which he left back in January 2019, quitting during the club's League One promotion push and heading to Stoke City.

The boss hopes that any animosity felt at the time by fans can now be put behind them once and for all, as he continued: “There was an air of not knowing exactly what you’re going to get, but the fans showed that they’re class, they’re pure class.

"Hopefully bridges have been built, I would like to move on, I would like to move the club forward and I hold my hands up to certain things.

"I was excited if I’m honest, and I know the rapport I’ve got with the fans.

"I let them down, I broke that bond, but that walk down that tunnel before I left used to be a great walk, as when you came out, the place used to erupt.

"We realised where we were going and the fans got behind us, and I had a bond with them.

"I broke that bond, now I want to build that bond again and I want to build it stronger than ever.

"Because people make decisions that not everyone likes and sometimes they’re not the right ones, but I want to move forward because I’m proud of our club, I love our club and I want to make sure that we keep moving forward."

Having managed 26 games both home and away since he returned as manager, Jones was quick to praise all in attendance and those who worked so hard to prepare the ground, for making it such an occasion to remember.

He added: "I’m really proud of the team, really proud of the fans, really proud of the club tonight as I thought it was a real good night for us.

“It was massive, there were spells in the first half, even when we were leading, they had a bit of possession and the fans got up, they recognised that the players maybe needed a bit of adrenaline and they gave it to them.

“The players responded, so I think it was a real joint effort and it definitely made a difference with having fans back.

“Football without fans is not quite the same, with fans it's the best game in the world.

“Wait until there’s 10,000 in here, if there was 10,000 in here, I’m not sure the structure could have contained it, but that’s as good as performance as a team has put in and the fans definitely helped.

"Nights like this at the Kenny are wonderful. If you’ve been here with a full house, and I’m very grateful that a thousand are in, but nights like that, with the performance levels, 10,000 would have been absolutely wonderful.

"I’m really looking forward to getting more in here, because the more we have in here, the better the atmosphere, coupled with some wonderful performances we've put in in front of our fans here.”