England U21 starlet Mengi in awe of Luton 's morale-boosting fans after winning Bobbers Travel award

Luton defender Teden Mengi hopes the Town fans are fully aware of just what a role they have played in boosting the morale of the Hatters players during their fight to avoid relegation from the Premier League side this season.

The centre half has been magnificent since arriving from Manchester United in August last year, as although he wasn’t originally expected to feature as much as he has done, has gone on to play 33 times in all competitions, with 26 starts in the top flight, culminating in picking up the Bobbers Travel away player of the campaign prize.

Voted for by the supporters who travel the length and breadth of the country, choosing their star performer after every match, they opted for Mengi, who has had 17 outings away from Kenilworth Road this term, as on winning the award that was handed out at the Luton Supporters’ Trust presentation night on Tuesday, the defender, who recently won his first England U21 cap, said: “It means a lot purely because I’ve never seen an award given for this before, away player of the season.

"It just shows the commitment of the fans and how close the fans are with us as players and I’m very grateful for the loyal support that we have from the fans and very grateful to win the award. I try my best every single game and it might be that I’ve been performing better away than I have been at home, but I’m just very grateful for the award I’ve been presented with.

“It’s (the support) been so important. They’ve been there through thick and thin, when times are not going so well, when times are going really well. They’re so loyal, I don’t think they understand what they’re actually doing for us, how they’re boosting our morale, how they’re getting us results and how they’re getting us through the season. I genuinely don't think we could be in such spirits without the fans, so just a massive thank you to the fans.”

Asked just what was his favourite game on the road has been this term, Mengi spoke of the FA Cup fourth round clash at Goodison Park in January that saw Cauley Woodrow net a stoppage time winner to take Luton through via a 2-1 victory, as he added: “For me, it was the Everton one in the cup. I felt like we gave 110 percent in that game and to cap it off and win it at the end, Cauley’s goal, it was just like a bittersweet moment. To share it with the fans at the end, it was a really game that I felt that we deserved.”