Luton Town: Former Hatter Russell Perrett helped sell club to new striker Josh McQuoid

Josh McQuoid knew he’d made a good decision in joining Luton Town after a chance meeting with former Hatter Russell Perrett in his home town of Lymington.

The striker became the club’s sixth summer signing last Monday and is a likely replacement for last term’s top scorer Mark Cullen, who made a £180,000 switch to Blackpool 24 hours later.

McQuoid penned a three-year deal with the Kenilworth Road outfit after his release from Premier League-bound Bournemouth. It was at the Cherries that the 25-year-old first met Luton centurion Perrett after the now-retired defender – who began his career at non-league Lymington Town in the mid nineties before making 109 appearances for the Hatters – signed for the south-coast club in 2007, in the twilight of his career.

McQuoid made his professional debut that year after rising through the ranks at Dean Court and said: “I know Russell Perret quite well. He was at Bournemouth at the end of his career when I was just coming through. I spoke to him a couple of times through the years about Luton and he always had positive things to say about it.

“I bumped into him in my town and he said they had great fans and that if you do well there they are great fans to play for.”

McQuoid also revealed that Luton boss John Still had made enquiries about him last term.

“He asked about [taking] me on loan last season, before I got injured, so he’s known about me for a while. It’s always nice to be wanted,” the striker said. “I’ve known a few lads that have played for him and spoke highly of him. The stuff he had to say to me, personally, was a big factor as well.

“[The deal] was in the pipeline for a while over the summer. I spoke to the manager a few times and it got signed on Monday [June 29].

“I spoke to a few people at the club. It was one that appealed to me because they are trying to push on for promotion and achieve something. That was a big factor. I wanted to go somewhere that wanted that, rather than a club that was just happy to stay in the league.”

It’s a familiar vision that the club have successfully sold to all nine of the summer signings so far, including right back Stephen O’Donnell who signed two weeks ago after his contract at Scottish Premiership outfit Partick Thistle expired.

McQuoid said: “He’s in the same [Luton] hotel as me, so we’ve been hanging about together. There are a few new lads, which always helps because you can mingle in with them, but everyone has been welcoming.”

The duo and the rest of the Luton squad flew out to Portugal on Wednesday for their annual pre-season training camp. They will face local side Farense this evening before returning to the UK for the start of their domestic summer friendly fixture schedule, which starts at Lowestoft Town on Sunday.