Town defender Lockyer wants to send departing Hatters skipper Bradley 'out on a high'

Town defender Tom Lockyer is hoping to send departing Hatters skipper Sonny Bradley ‘out on a high’ by reaching promotion to the Premier League this season.

The 31-year-old announced earlier this month that he was leaving Kenilworth Road when his contract expires in the summer, ending a career with Luton that has seen him play 175 times, scoring six goals, after joining on a free from Plymouth Argyle in July 2018.

He went on to be part of the side who won the League One title, then staying up on the final day of their first year back in the Championship, skippering the team to four seasons in the second tier.

Bradley has suffered with injury, Covid and off the field issues in the last two years, but returned to the side for five successive matches at the end of the season when Gabe Osho, Reece Burke and Dan Potts were all injured.

Although he was dropped from the match-day squad for the play-offs, he was able to say his own personal farewells to the home supporters following the 2-0 second leg victory over Sunderland on Tuesday night, getting a well deserved ovation from the Town faithful.

With the Hatters getting to Wembley where they will face Coventry City in the final on Sunday, Lockyer wants to ensure Bradley is getting his hands on the winners’ trophy, as he said: “It’s sad news for the Hatters as Sonny’s been fantastic ever since I’ve stepped foot in the building.

“I can’t thank him enough for what he’s done for the club and I’m sure a lot of Hatters feel the same.

“So let’s hope we can send him out on a high.”

Boss Rob Edwards also spoke in glowing terms of the ex-Crawley, Portsmouth, Aldershot and Hull centre half, who has been linked with a move to his former Tigers side and Derby County since news of his exit became public.

He also reiterated that his work at Luton hasn't finished yet though, as he continued: “He’s a fantastic man, I love him to bits.

"I’ve got so much respect for him, he’s a brilliant leader, a brilliant man.

"He’s done great things at this football club and we just feel that it’s the right time and a really good time where there’s really good feelings of him, he’s got good feelings of the club and it’s a good time to say goodbye.

“He’s going to keep going on and having a fantastic career, I’m sure of that.

"I do want to go on record and thank you for everything he’s done here, but it’s not over yet, he still has a big part to play.”

Edwards went on to admit that with Bradley having started just 14 league games this term and 20 last season, he wasn’t able to promise regular first team football next year, whatever level the Hatters are at, saying: “It’s best for both, I’d love to have him around but I think he will want to further and progress his career.

"He’s not winding down here, he wants to keep going and playing regularly, and he deserves to be doing that.

“If I maybe can’t guarantee that next season, that’s what he wants to do.

"That’s the right thing and we deserve to give him that respect as well.

“He’s been amazing for this football club and we just think the timing is right now for him to keep going and play and being the leader that he is on the pitch.”

Although Bradley has missed the last two matches, with Lockyer taking the armband, Edwards wasn’t worried about a lack of leadership at this vital stage of the campaign, adding: “You need them on and off the pitch, but we’ve got several, we’ve got a lot.

"I’m really lucky with this group that I work with on a daily basis.

“Even the young lads, they’ve got a voice, they’ve got an opinion and they’re not afraid to show that and that’s what I want.

"We encourage that, we’ve got a really brave group.

"We’ve got lots of players who lead, whether that’s vocally or with their performance.”