After an injury-interrupted first half of the season, Ali Al-Hamadi made his sixth appearance and first start for the Hatters at Wigan in midweek.
The 23-year-old joined Luton in the summer on loan from Ipswich Town, but an initial calf injury and further set-back suffered while on international duty with Iraq have delayed the start to his Town career.
The striker is finding his feet after making a sub appearance in each of the Hatters last four games, before manager Jack Wilshere put him in from the start at the Brick Community stadium.
Despite a frustrating night that ended in a 1-0 defeat courtesy of former Town forward Joe Taylor’s 73rd-minute goal, Al-Hamadi was please to get his first start for the club.
“It is good to get through tonight and get some good minutes,” he said after lasting 83 minutes against the Latics. “I need to take care of my body and mind before the next game in three days.”
The Iraqi international forward looked to provide hope of ending the Town’s poor away run, using his pace and desire to work hard to trouble the home defenders.
Keen to open his goal account for the Town, with one first half shot blocked after good work from strike partner Devante Cole, he added: “There is no hiding as a striker, especially when we haven’t scored enough goals as attackers.”
Al-Hamadi was one of several Town players to head over to the away end after the game and after listening to some of the fans’ comments, he said: “They have every right to be frustrated. The reality is, it’s not good enough. We need to look at ourselves in the mirror.”
The forward gave no excuses for the Hatters’ disappointing away run, adding: “We have to go to some tough grounds against experienced players, which is not easy, but we have to find a way to win.”
He says he understands the 618 fans’ frustration after a long journey north on a cold Lancashire night, but insisted the players are trying their best to push into the League One play-off places.
"Something is not clicking, (but) it is not due to a lack of trying," said Al-Hamadi. "We all want to win games and we are trying. The noise and criticism are part of the game and it’s warranted based on our away form.”
His strong words were followed by optimism for the final 14 games, as he added: “We will turn it around before the end of the season. Our aim is to get into the play-off positions, and we will keep chasing that.”
Words: Tom Hammonds
