Hylton will be ‘forever indebted’ to Town chief Jones for promising he would become a Championship striker

Forward Danny Hylton will remain ‘forever indebted’ to Town boss Nathan Jones for helping him fulfil the manager’s belief that he has always been a Championship striker.

The 33-year-old had joined the Hatters back in the summer of 2016 when Luton were in League Two, when the highest Hylton himself had played previously was a single League One match for Rotherham United.

He remained there that season, as despite scoring 27 goals, Luton were cruelly beaten in the play-offs by Blackpool.

Another 23 followed the next term as Town did go up automatically, before they went straight through League One, Hylton netting eight times, but picking up an injury which curtailed his campaign.

With Jones having gone and Mick Harford masterminding promotion to the second tier, Graeme Jones took over and it appeared Hylton’s time at Luton was coming to an end, only used twice by the former Everton and Belgium assistant in the Town's first Championship season for over a decade.

However, once one Jones was replaced by another in the summer of 2020 and Town somehow stayed up, Hylton playing a part in the run-in, he saw his stint in Bedfordshire swiftly extended by another two years.

Last season the forward was hit by injuries once more, playing just 19 times, but this term he has finally found some consistent fitness in the last few months and with a run of games in the side, his goal touch as well.

Following a first strike since March 2019 at Bristol City back in September, he notched again in the 2-1 win at Stoke City, before ending his almost three year wait for a home goal by bagging the winner against Derby County recently.

Jones himself had always stated that Hylton was a ‘Championship striker’ even when he was plying his trade in the fourth tier, as on whether he told him so ahead of joining, the striker said: “He did, he’s always said it.

“When you meet him, you’re sold, he’s brilliant and he knows everything, he’s so diligent.

“He knew stuff about me that I didn’t even know about myself.

“He’s always said it and he’s always said that if I stick with him he’ll improve me as a player.

“We’ve not had many players that have come here and gone backwards.

“Everyone, even if they’ve had a good time or a bad time, they’ve always improved and progressed and, as a player, I feel like he’s done that with me.

“He’s given me a belief and a confidence that I’ve never had before.

“I’m not saying I am, but he’s got me to the level that he said I would and I’m enjoying it.

“I’m forever indebted to him and he’s been fantastic for me, personally. Long may that continue."

Being free from injury and able to feature for the first team on a regular basis is a huge bonus for Hylton too, as he said: "You never think it’s going to happen to you.

"If you go back three years, I thought I was going to play forever and that I was never going to get injured.

“You never know what’s around that corner but, touch wood, that’s the end of injuries and niggles."

In the six years that Hylton has been at Town, the Hatters have turned themselves from League Two promotion favourites into a side who are now genuinely in contention to make the Premier League this term, sitting eighth in the Championship with 10 games to go.

When asked if he had believed such a rise was always possible, Hylton continued: “Everything he says happened.

"Some people say things and it doesn’t happen, but everything he says has happened.

“We’ve done wonderful things in the past few years and he’s the biggest reason that’s happened.

“Players love him, they give everything for him and run through brick walls for him, because he loves everyone the same.

“Whether you’re in the team, out of the team, injured or whatever your situation is, he treats you as a good human being.

"We’ll continue to give our all and let’s see where we can keep progressing to.

At the start of December, the Hatters were sitting back in 16th, some eight points adrift of the top six, with their season at something of a crossroads.

Ten wins from 16 matches later though and they are right in the mix for a play-off place, two points away ahead of this evening's home contest with Preston North End.

On what has been behind the superb run of form, Hylton said: “Just constantly doing the right things, day in, day out.

"We never take our foot off the pedal, we’re highly motivated, we’ve got a group of staff that look after us and try to do the right things at the right time.

“They seem to know when to give us a heavy week and they know when to take their foot off the gas and give us some down time.

“They’re just collectively doing the right things at the right time.

"There’s no passengers here, everyone works their socks off and I think hard work will be the reason for it.”

Having a squad that are so close-knit is playing a huge part in Town's push for the Premier League too, as Hylton said: "We’ve got a great group here.

"The environment has always been the main thing, no individual is bigger than the team here.

“We don’t get too high when we’re winning and we don’t get too high when we’re losing.

"Yes, we’ve got individuals that can pick you up when you need it, but we don’t have that too many times.

"We’ve got a great environment and a great squad that push each other and ask questions of each other, day in, day out and we’ll respond when we need to."

Meanwhile, adding the likes of Cameron Jerome, Henri Lansbury and most recently Robert Snodgrass to the mix this term, players with a host of top flight experience under their belts, has only whetted the appetite of those at Kenilworth Road, as Hylton added: “It’s exciting.

"It shows the progression we’ve made as a club that we’re now signing players that have played in the Premier League as opposed, and no disrespect, players like myself who played in League Two.

“It’s a credit to the club, credit to the gaffer and everyone involved with Luton Town.

"We’re not happy with sitting still, we want to keep progressing, moving forward and getting better.

“Let’s enjoy the last however many games it may be, and see where it can take us."