Hatters striker knows Luton squad must stay professional during Football League suspension

Striker James Collins knows the onus is on Luton’s squad to stay as professional as they can with the football season currently suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

With the country on lockdown, Hatters’ players like everyone else, are confined to their own houses, allowed out once a day for exercise purposes.

It means that they are having to do all they can to keep fit for if and when the season starts up again, although the initial date of April 30 set by the EFL looks ambitious at best.

Speaking to Talksport about the current predicament, Collins said: “Everyone’s at home with their families isolating and we’ve all been given a programme to follow.

“It’s down to the lads to stay professional and follow it, while spending some time with your family that you probably wouldn’t get during the season.

“I’ve always tried to stay on top of my fitness and diet and work hard.

“If I had a couple of days where I didn’t do anything and I was in the cupboards then I would feel a bit sluggish, so I have to stay on top of it, keep my fitness up, get out on the roads and do some running.”

Collins is having to mix his home training with family life and some daily chores as well, as he continued: “I wouldn’t say it’s a challenge but my missus has asked me to jet wash the garden for the last five years so I managed to get my hands on a jet wash before the lockdown and I’ve been outside doing the patios and scrubbing away at that, so that’s probably been taking up most of my time.

“I always like to stay in a routine because when you’re at football, you get up, have your breakfast, you go to training and you train, then you’re back.

“I’m always up with the kids doing the Joe Wicks PE stuff in the morning, then I go out for a run and come back and have some lunch.”

When the season was suspended, Luton had picked up a 0-0 draw at Wigan Athletic, as they sat 23rd in the Championship table, six points adrift of safety with nine games left.

Despite the tough campaign, Collins was revelling in his first experience of playing in the second tier of English football.

He said: “I’ve loved every minute of it. It’s always a league that I wanted to have a go at. I’ve worked through the leagues all my career to get to this sort of level and I’ve been really fortunate over the last two years to get promoted with Luton twice and to be honest, the gaffer has given me a great opportunity this year.

“I’ve played pretty much every game and I’ve really, really enjoyed it.

“Every game is a new challenge and you’re playing against massive sides as well, I’ve really wanted to take it on board and embrace it.”

Hatters have had to get by this season without two of the stand-out players who got them to this position, James Justin and Jack Stacey, who headed to the Premier League in the summer, snapped up by Leicester City and Bournemouth respectively.

Collins added: "Our two full backs were the best in the league by a mile and you’ve seen the clubs they’ve gone to this year, they’ve deserved it.

"They provided me with a lot of chances and assists last year, so it was always going to be hard to replace.

"Our full backs who have come in this year have done a good job though."

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