Town chief wants to keep hold of Luton's 'heartbeat' after midfielder Berry signs new deal

Despite winning promotion to the Premier League last season, Luton boss Rob Edwards is eager to keep hold of the club’s ‘heartbeat’ after seeing midfielder Luke Berry put pen to paper on a new contract this afternoon.

The 30-year-old is one of five players currently at Kenilworth Road who have been with the club since their days in League Two, Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu, Dan Potts, James Shea and Glen Rea the other four.

Although he wasn’t a regular starter under Edwards, Berry had a vital role to play from the bench during his tenure to date, scoring a crucial equaliser in the 2-2 draw against Millwall, plus making a terrific goal saving challenge in the 2-1 victory over Middlesbrough on home soil.

With that in mind, the Town chief was determined to get the former Cambridge player tied down for what is the Hatters’ first season in the top flight for over 30 years and his seventh in Bedfordshire.

Speaking to the club’s official website, Edwards said: “I’m delighted to get Luke signed on again.

"He is someone who has just grown on me and grown on me the more we’ve been here.

"He knows this as well. He’s just got better and better.

“He knows the club inside out and we’ve got to stay true to ourselves, we have to keep that heartbeat, keep that core of people who have helped us get to where we’ve got to.

“These lads who have won several promotions with us, they are special and we’ve got to celebrate that.

"He thoroughly deserves to get a crack in the Premier League and I love him to bits.

"He’s class, a brilliant man who brings so much to the club.”

Berry’s performances whenever he was called upon were always hugely impressive too, another reason why Edwards was determined to keep him at the club.

He added: “His availability for us has been brilliant and from his last-minute equaliser against Millwall, which was a really good goal, to his penalty in the play-off final, I think he’s just shown real moments of quality.

“When he came on early for Pelly up at Sheffield United, I thought he was outstanding and he backed that up against Bristol City, then away at Sunderland as well.

"He’s just performed really well, whenever we’ve asked him to, and he’s a really valuable member of the squad.”