Hatters forward admits lack of goals had been affecting him since Luton move
Wells had scored just once before FA Cup tie
Luton striker Nahki Wells admitted he had been feeling the strain caused by his lack of goals since making a summer move to Kenilworth Road on a free transfer.
The 35-year-old had hit double figures in the Championship last year for Bristol City, scoring 10 in 39 outings, also adding four assists, while when he was last in the third tier, he managed 14 in 19 games for Bradford City during the 2013-14 campaign. However, the forward had struggled to reach anywhere near that kind of form for the Hatters, with just one goal in his 11 league outings, missing from the penalty spot twice in succession against Doncaster Rovers and Mansfield.
Wells, who has also played three games for Bermuda this term, managed 19 shots in that time, the second most for Luton behind Milli Alli, with just seven on target, putting a glorious chance over at Northampton Town recently, but with boss Jack Wilshere opting to select a strong side to take on their National League opponents in the first round, Wells gave a glimpse of the kind of form that saw Town’s recruitment team decide to bring him to Kenilworth Road.
Having played a part in a terrific move that saw Lamine Fanne go close, the striker then burst clear moments later to tee up his team-mate to open the scoring, bagging a third assist of the campaign. On the half hour, Wells then demonstrated he has lost none of his predatory instincts either, following up when Cohen Bramall struck a free-kick goalwards, rewarded with a tap-in that saw him on target for the first time since the 3-2 victory over Plymouth Argyle, six games ago.
The striker then put another volley wide after George Saville’s cross flicked off a defender, before he doubled his tally in the second period, Fanne returning the favour for him to convert from close range once more to score his 10th goal in the competition. He hammered another attempt over before being replaced by Jerry Yates, as Town were pegged back from 3-0 up to 3-3, eventually needing a stoppage time striker from Gideon Kodua to send them through.
Speaking to the Royal Gazette about his time in Bedfordshire so far, Wells admitted that hitting the target was something of a weight off his shoulders, saying: “From a personal perspective I am very happy with how the game panned out. We had a really good start to the game and I happened to get an assist early and ultimately get a couple of goals, which has been bearing on me of course. Having come into the club, it just hasn’t fallen for me but on Friday night it did, so I am very much happy with that. My performances have been very good but just lacking that end product in goals, and I am glad it all came together nicely.”
Wells’ struggles in front of goal have been mirrored by his team-mates as well in the league, netting just 15 times in 13 matches, only five more than the lowest scorers Northampton. That run saw them slump to 15th in the table with six defeats from 12 fixtures until they beat the Cobblers 1-0 at Sixfields recently courtesy of Fanne’s late strike.
Town have since backed that up by defeating Brighton & Hove Albion U21s 3-1 in the Vertu Trophy group stages, while Friday night’s success meant it was three successive triumphs, the first time they have done that since April and the first time they have won three games in under seven days since victories over Norwich, QPR and Huddersfield between Boxing Day and New Year’s Day in the 2022-23 campaign.
Wells, who has won 30 caps for his country, but will not be involved in the Gombey Warriors’ final 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Curacao and Trinidad & Tobago next week, added: “It turned out to be an extremely tough game, which at half time we probably would not have anticipated. But that’s the magic of the FA Cup and they took us all the way to the wire.
“There are still elements of our game that we need to improve and collectively reflect on because you should never be giving a three-goal lead away. Three wins caps off a really good week. So happy where we’re at and the manager will be happy. I am delighted most importantly to get through to the next round.“
Match-winner Kodua, who blasted into the net from Jerry Yates’ threaded pass to send Town through to a second round tie at League Two side Fleetwood Town, was also happy to see his team-mate on target, adding: “Great goals from Naks, he’s worked hard for them as you can see in training. We know how much he wants to score and it’s good to show on a match-day, so well done Naks and Lamine also, getting the first one.”