Luton chief insists under-used striker Woodrow remains 'firmly' in his thoughts

Luton boss Matt Bloomfield insists that under-used striker Cauley Woodrow is now firmly in his thoughts ahead of the new campaign.

The 30-year-old missed the Hatters’ attempts to stay in the Championship last season, loaned to fellow second tier side Blackburn Rovers in January, but struggled for game time at Ewood Park, with just nine outings and only two starts. With Town having sold their leading scorer from the last three campaigns in Carlton Morris to Derby County recently, while both Elijah Adebayo and Jacob Brown are still out for a lengthy period of time with injuries, it means the cupboard is slightly bare regarding forwards, Town only having Woodrow and Lasse Nordas available until reinforcements are added, Bim Pepple also heading out to Plymouth Argyle.

Since returning to Kenilworth Road from Barnsley back in June 2022, Woodrow has made just eight starts for Town in the league, the vast majority of his 66 outings coming from the bench, as he has weighed in with just three goals, also netting a further three during his 11 cup outings. However, the former Luton youngster, who came through the ranks at Kenilworth Road, making his debut in an FA Trophy tie against Welling United back in 2010, before leaving to join Fulham, is proven at this level, scoring 16 goals in 31 games during his one season in the third tier back in the 2018-19 campaign when at Oakwell.

Given a chance to impress at Boreham Wood yesterday, he led the line as a lone striker during the opening 45 minutes, demonstrating his finishing touch when taking advantage of a loose ball in the hosts’ defence to calmly stroke into the bottom corner and get the Hatters up and running. He also had another volley blocked before being replaced by Nordas at the break, and asked if he was now part of Bloomfield’s plans for the new campaign, the boss said: “Cauley’s situation is that he’s a very, very good footballer.

"He’s a really intelligent player and he took his goal very well. He’s training very well at the moment and he’s someone who’s firmly in our thoughts. At the moment we’ve got Cauley and Lasse at the top of the pitch, so at the moment those two are our options and Cauley is a very good footballer, an incredible person as well, so he certainly adds to our group right now.”