Ed back in the fold with Town

Underneath previous boss Richard Money, the likeable 22-year-old was at best a peripheral figure, wheeled out for the occasional FA Trophy match, but barely included in the matchday squad when the serious stuff came around.

Shunted out on loan to Histon, it looked like Asafu-Adjaye’s time at Luton was running out, but when Gary Brabin took over, the right-back was recalled and back in the squad on Saturday, before starting at Histon on Monday afternoon.

He said: “I’m very happy at the minute. It’s nice to come back and be wanted to come back and play – I got a start and am very pleased with it.

“Right from him (Brabin) taking on the job, he spoke to me about how the games are going at Luton. Within the last week he said we can call you back and he said we’d like to get you in the mix, you’ll come back into the squad.”

When asked why he was on the fringes under previous boss Money, Asafu-Adjaye was at a loss to explain his continued exclusion.

He continued: “I’d quite like to know, I don’t know.

“That’s football, and managers have their choices, and that was his decision.

“It’s very hard when a manager doesn’t take a liking to you or just doesn’t want you, or wants his own players, or numerous reasons.

“But when that manager disappears and a new one takes over, it does make you feel like you have got a fresh start and show what you can do again.

“It can be very hard and very disheartening as a player. From being more or less picked every week to not even getting a look in.

“As a player you have to just keep going, keep working hard, harder than everyone else and making sure you’re fit and when that opportunity comes, make sure you’re ready to take it.”

The month’s loan at Histon came as a blessing in disguise for Asafu-Adjaye, as it ensured he got valuable match practice and could come straight back into Brabin’s thoughts.

The news that Freddie Murray is likely to miss the rest of the season made the versatile defender’s availability all the more important.

Speaking after Luton’s 4-0 victory at Histon on Monday, he said: “I was trying to get myself out on loan for quite a while. I wasn’t featuring, so it was nice to get these games and get a run of games, Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday. It was good for me.

“The lads (at Histon) are very good. David Livermore the manager looked after me.

“It was nice to be able to be trusted to do a job anywhere across the back. Right-back is my preferred position, but I felt comfortable playing left-back. It was a very tough pitch to play on. I thought the lads did very well.

“We kept it fairly basic. The lads know that if they put the work-rate in and approach it properly, they’ll get the result.”

Since Asafu-Adjaye has been back in the Hatters set-up, he has noticed the different atmosphere that Brabin is trying to create amongst the players.

He added: “I think the gaffer is trying to lift it a bit, get the lads motivated. Training has been short and sharp. It’s been good and with that, the football’s getting better and better.

“The players are closer to the manager, we all feel like we’re closer as a unit and I think we look more like a close-knit unit.

“That can only be a good thing.”