Cambridge United midfielder Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu ready to ‘push on’ after scoring first goal against former club Luton Town in Vertu Trophy

After bagging his first goal for the club, Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu believes that he is ‘getting into the groove’ in a Cambridge United shirt.

By his own admission, the 31-year-old has taken some time to get going following his switch from Luton Town during the summer.

Mpanzu arrived at the Cledara Abbey Stadium not long before the campaign started and so spent the first few weeks trying to catch up with his new team-mates in terms of fitness.

But after opening scoring account against his former employers in the Vertu Trophy on Tuesday night, the midfielder now feels ready to ‘push on’.

He said: “Personally I think I could have done a bit more. I missed pre-season so I just needed to steadily get the games in.

“My first couple of games were a bit sluggish but now I’m getting into my groove. Fitness is coming back, my confidence is coming back and I think these next couple of months I’m going to be flying.

“It’s been a steady start but now I’ve got to push on, dictate more games, score more goals and be there for the team to get as many wins as possible.”

There was a special moment for Mpanzu at the end of Tuesday night’s game when he was applauded by the 500-plus Luton fans that had made the journey to CB5.

He added: “I was there for 11 years and there was ups and downs.

“It was mixed (feelings) because it was obviously nice for Cambridge to get the win, but I want my old team to do well when they’re not playing Cambridge.

“It was special at the end and I appreciated the fans for that. Hopefully they’ll have a positive season moving on. I’ll always appreciate the time I had at Luton.”