Hylton hoping to be back for good after his lengthy lay-off

Town’s talismanic forward had played three games at the start of the season, scoring twice, before having to go off at the break against Shrewsbury on August 25 with what was described by boss Nathan Jones as a ‘neural injury’.

He came off the bench for the final 10 minutes at Barnsley last weekend, before being back in the starting line-up for the first time in almost two months for Town’s 2-0 win over Walsall.

On his absence, Hylton said: “It seems like forever, it was nice to be back out there.

“I feel all right, it took me a little while to get going, I felt better the longer the game went on, but it was nice to be back out there and hopefully I can stay out there.

“It’s been a frustrating one as I feel fine and even after I went off at Shrewsbury, I felt fine.

“It’s just a little nerve thing that’s frustrating.

“Every time I get over a certain speed or something I get a shooting pain, so hopefully that’s behind us now and we can kick on.”

Hylton couldn’t mark his return with the goal he so desperately wanted, just unable to turn the ball home after James Justin hit the post and then dragging wide from Jack Stacey’s pass.

He continued: “I just try to do what I always try, bring something to the team, work hard and I went close a few times, but it just wasn’t meant to be.

“It came back at me quickly (from Justin’s shot), and I just tried to get a good contact on my left foot. To be fair, I don’t think it was going in, I don’t think it had the legs.

“But I got the assist for Glen (Rea) didn’t I?

“So it was good, the main thing is we won and it was nice to be back out there.”

In Hylton’s absence, striker James Collins has come to the fore in recent weeks, scoring four goals in five games, while he produced a terrific display alongside the forward at the weekend.

Hylton said: “He’s a great player, he works hard, holds the ball up really well for us and he’s a great finisher.

“You give him a chance and he’s going to score.

“We’ve got players all over the park that will create chances, so we’ve just got to make sure we do our job, make sure we’re bright and we’re going to get chances, so make sure we put them away.

“We’ve got a great squad, we’ve got players on the bench that would get in any other team in this division.

“You just have to make sure that when you get the shirt you have to perform and every single day.

“You have to show that you deserve the shirt, so competition is good.”

Meanwhile, captain Glen Rea, like Luton’s supporters, were thrilled to see Hylton on the teamsheet again, adding: “It’s just a boost.

“The fans love him, everyone’s doing well, but it’s nice to have him back, he did very well and worked hard.”