Fight to keep star players begins

Last updated : 13 May 2004 By Jon Boyle
Will Coyne stay?
LUTON boss Mike Newell and director of football Mick Harford have opened contract talks with a number of senior players, after being given the go-ahead by the new owners.
Soon to be out-of-contract Emmerson Boyce, Matthew Spring, Chris Coyne and Steve Robinson are all believed to have been offered verbal deals by the club, after sitting down with new owner Bill Tomlins at Kenilworth Road.
Fans will be hoping that with Harford involved in the talks, the players show the same kind of loyalty the Hatters' legend displayed when he turned down a big money move to be Joe Kinnear's assistant at Nottingham Forest towards the end of the season.
Nick Owen, President of the Luton Supporters Club, told BBC Three Counties Radio he is optimistic.
"The next 48 hours will be pretty important but I would have thought a lot of players would want to stay," he said.
"They love the club. There's something about Luton Town and they know that there's a future coming up, and a much more secure future than the season they've just gone through."
Russ Perrett, David Bayliss, Adrian Forbes, Alan Neilson and Kevin Nicholls are others out-of-contract at the end of June.