Fit-again Adebayo admits he was itching to get back and help Luton's battle to stay up

Being unable to help Luton’s bid to remain in the Premier League has been tough to deal with for striker Elijah Adebayo.

​​The 26-year-old had found it difficult to fully adapt to the highest tier in English football during the early stages of the campaign, scoring just twice in his first 14 outings, losing his place in the side as well. Recalled when Arsenal visited Kenilworth Road in early December, Adebayo began to show just what sort of a proposition he can be for top flight defences, with a towering header to make it 2-2 on the night, although the Gunners went on to triumph 4-3 with the last kick.

Six more goals followed in his next seven appearances, as the former Fulham youngster began to fully demonstrate that he belonged in the highest tier of English football, until his efforts at lifting Luton clear of the dotted line were halted by a hamstring injury that sidelined him for 12 matches. Back with a cameo at Wolves and then in from the start on Friday night against Everton, he outlined exactly what Town had been missing with half an hour gone with a clinical finish to make it 1-1.

It wasn’t enough to see the Hatters to victory, as the contest finished all square, but asked how it felt not being able to aid his team-mates, Adebayo said: “Its been tough, I’ve watched a lot of the games, you’re itching to get back. I was itching to get back a couple of weeks earlier and then I had a little setback as I just wanted to be out there to try and help the boys.

"They told me to take your time, there will be a time when you can help the boys and give us what we’ve been missing, so that’s what I’ve done. I just tried to bide my time and now it’s a case of resting properly and getting ready to go again next week. I felt good, I trained really well all week, I haven't really had any issues, so it’s just a case of getting that match fitness back.

"It was just about getting into the game, building into the game and I thought I did that pretty well. The boys were fantastic from the first half right to the end and on another day we could have nicked that. Any point is a point gained, so we just have to get ready to go again next week. The boys were a little bit flat, but we know what we've got to do and not really worry about the rest. We've just got to keep trying to win games and see where we are come the end of the season, but the boys know they gave everything out there and we pushed them right to the end, made them defend, so we’ve just got to keep going.”

It wasn’t just Adebayo who has been absent too, Luton seeing up to 13 players in the treatment room at one point with Jacob Brown, Marvelous Nakamba and Amari’i Bell ruled out for the campaign, while the likes of Sambi Lokonga, Chiedozie Ogbene and Gabe Osho all missing as well, Ogbene still not back yet. The forward, who is now up to 10 goals for the season, continued: “It is a bit crazy, but it is a squad game and everyone that’s come in has been fantastic and given 100 per cent and tried to make sure they can keep their place.

"For me it was just a case of coming here and supporting the boys as I know how tough it is when you’ve been out of the team. You want to come in and impress and make sure that you’re showing the gaffer why you should play, why you need to be in the team, so I can’t fault the boys for their effort while we’ve had the injuries we’ve had.

“It was just about coming through the period where you’re picking up injuries every week and then it’s all about the squad and making sure everyone is ready to go, which I'm sure they were. It is hard when you're missing a lot of players like we were, but it is a squad game. We have the squad for a reason to make sure that when someone goes down, the next person’s ready to step in and that’s the way its been for us and for a lot of teams in the Premier League this year.

"It was tough for me, I’ve just come back from a long term injury and trying to get up to speed really quickly. I got 15 minutes the other day which served me in good stead and it was about trying to conserve the energy in the right areas and then making sure I was in the box to score the goals.”

Adebayo certainly did just that when picked out by Lokonga’s lofted pass into the box as he was isolated against former Watford youngster Ashley Young. Rising highest to control on his chest, he then easily outmuscled the ex-Manchester United and England player to set up a shooting chance that he buried beyond Three Lions’ number one Jordan Pickford to reach his milestone of double figures.

On the strike, he added: “I know I can’t head it towards the goal, I don’t think I can generate the power, so I practise that in training, when the defender’s coming, just using my body. I’ve been able to use my strength and then it’s about good contact when the ball bounces, keeping it low and hard and making sure the keeper has to make a save or it goes in.

"It was something that the gaffer alluded to throughout the week, Ashley Young has had a great career, he’s a top professional, but we just thought that both full backs we could try and target them, especially on that side. We’ve got Fred (Onyedinma) with his pace so we thought if we could get the ball out to Fred, get some crosses in the box, then we’ve got me and Carlton (Morris) to try and head it. My thing is I try and see the back of the defender’s neck, when I can see that I know the defender is in trouble. It’s something that I’ve learnt when I’ve been coming through and I’ve kept it on to this day.”