Pearson: Priority is to keep Luton in the Championship if the season resumes

Hatters defender Matt Pearson insists the only priority that remains from a footballing point of view this season is that the Hatters remain in the Championship.

With the campaign currently postponed indefinitely as the country is in lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, whether or not the season actually gets going again remains to be seen.

Pearson knows that the safety of everyone is paramount to any actual on-field activities, but also doesn’t want Luton’s time in the second tier to be a brief one.

He said: “I think there might be a bit of a rush to get football started, but health comes before anything.

“We’ve all got to be safe and make sure it’s 100 per cent clear what’s going on, moving forward.

“I don’t think we should be risking players, fans, coaches, medical staff, when you don’t need to.

“People who know what they’re doing need to sort it out and make sure it’s safe to do so when we do return.

“People are asking me all the time and my guess is as good as their guess.

“It’s not a case of we know more than them, any suggestions could happen, I really don’t know what’s going to happen.

“The main priority is we keep Luton up, regardless of how it happens and that’s my mindset.

“Hopefully, it doesn’t last too long and we’re back soon, but you’ve got to make sure everyone’s safe and well first.”

If Town do get back to action this term, then it won’t be with Graeme Jones at the helm, the manager leaving Kenilworth Road after his contract was terminated by mutual consent last month.

Although Luton are second bottom and six points from safety, three wins from six leading up to the season being put on hold told Pearson they were on the right track.

He continued: “I didn’t see it (Jones leaving) coming.

“I thought we were starting to pick up a few good results and if the season had carried on as it was, I fully fancied us to do what we needed to do.”

With Luton now out of action for almost two months, their last action a 0-0 clash at Wigan Athletic on March 7, Pearson, like the rest of his team-mates, has been having to keep fit in his own surroundings.

On how he has done so, the defender said: “We’ve been given fitness programmes, so I’m trying to stick to that, maybe do a little bit extra, just to keep myself going.

“It’s up to us to get yourself out and use your hour exercise. I’ve been out on my bike and just keeping fit, as basically we’re on call ready to come back.

“You don’t want to lose your fitness, so it’s keeping ticking over.”

Pearson is also being kept busy by his new five month daughter Evie, having headed back to his Yorkshire base during the lockdown to be closer to his family.

He added: “It’s a nice little break, but we’re all desperate to get back to normality and get back to football, with people watching, just getting back to normal as well so I can see my grandparents.

“We took a decision to come back up here, just so we can see them (family).

“We’re not going into houses, just staying our distance, but my mum and dad and Lucy’s family, we get to see them.

“It’s been the right decision to come up here, this is going to be our break now as we don’t know what’s going to happen with football, but our summer is going to possibly be all taken to complete whatever needs to be completed.

“Once football and everything starts again, we’ll be back down and fully focused on what we have to do.”