Hatters forward doesn't think football can survive without fans

Town forward Danny Hylton doesn’t think that football can survive in the long term unless supporters are allowed back into grounds.

The Luton attacker was part of the Hatters squad who stayed up last term, winning four of their last eight matches for survival.

However, all the fixtures were played in front of empty stadiums, due to the social distancing measures in place, meaning no supporters were allowed to attend.

It is thought that some fans might be allowed back at some stage in the new team, but on what is was like playing the behind closed doors games, Hylton said: “I came on in the first game back against Preston and Macca (Callum McManaman) scoring a great goal to equalise and get us back in the game, it was sort of an anti-climax.

“It was like, ‘yeah, we scored!’ and then nothing.

“It was kind of like, ‘do we celebrate?’ You don’t really know what to do, and it was like that at the end of the season as well (3-2 win against Blackburn Rovers).

“I’m not promoting this, by the way, but the whistle would go and you’d probably get a few hundred or thousands of fans running on the pitch and swarming you.

“There was none of it and you wanted a big cheer, but it is what it is and that’s the type of environment we have at the minute, so the quicker we can fans back, the better.

“I don’t know too much about the financial side, but I don’t see how football can survive without fans.

“When you play football, you want the fans there and they’re a huge part in that and, if there was any doubt in that, this pandemic has shown how important fans are to sport and to football.

“The atmosphere and what they create on a game day is fantastic and there’s a big hole missing, so the quicker we get them back, the better.

"I’m sure it will give us a boost, having fans travel home and away in their numbers, as they do. It will be fantastic for us on the pitch, and be a great help.

“I know there are talks of possible October, and letting 30 per cent back in, so let’s just wait and see, but I hope they’re back sooner, rather than later.”

Town struggled on their home soil with no supporters in, winning just once, drawing three and also heavily beaten 5-0 by Reading.

Away from home it was a different story though, Luton winning three out of four, beating Swansea, Huddersfield and Hull, only conceding one goal, that in a 1-1 draw with champions Leeds.

Hylton did concede the lack of fans aided Hatters on the road, adding: “I think in some games it helped us a little bit. When you travel away to Leeds, normally it’s 30-40,000 fans there and it’s quite intimidating.

“Leeds’ form was terrific, after the pandemic (struck) and we came back and they obviously got promoted, but we went there and there were no fans, so I think it helped us a little bit.

“We were fully motivated, we had everything to play for and we knew we had to pick up results to stay in the league, but for some teams, if you’re safe and you’ve got no fans, it might take a few per cent out of your game, with no fans screaming at you.

“I think it might’ve helped us a bit, away from home, but it would be nice to have fans back at Kenilworth Road.

"I’ve missed playing in front of a packed Kenilworth Road and as soon as they come back it’ll be a like a 12th man for us, on match days.”