Robbie Willmott believes Luton would now be preparing for a new season in the Football League, rather than a fourth term in the Conference, if Paul Buckle had been in the managerial hotseat all season.
The winger has enjoyed a resurgence under the new boss, who was appointed in March after an eight-game winless streak spelled the end for predecessor GaryBrabin.
Then, Luton were languishing outside the Blue Square Bet Premier play-off places but Buckle saw team to a six-game unbeaten run to book their place in the end of season shake-up.
But a 2-1 defeat against York City in the final at Wembley last week saw them fail to win promotion for the third campaign running.
Willmott, who is out of contract this summer, said: “When Gary Brabin was in charge I had a few personal problems which I needed to deal with, and it took me a while to get through them, so I wasn’t at my best.
"Then the new gaffer has come in and he’s given me a new lease of life. I can’t ask for a better manager to be honest.
“I believe that if Buckle came in at the start of the season, we’d have won the league. So I’m pretty excited to see what he’s going to do next season.
“When I had my personal problems, I knew going into almost every game I was going to be subbed first, or not playing.
"Now the gaffer’s making me train more, longer and harder. I’m trying to show him what I’m about, take my football more seriously and show the world what I can do and what I can produce.
“I’m just hoping now that there is a contract on the table. I’ll talk with the manager and the directors and see where it leads me.”
