Luton talisman Collins hadn't been feeling the pressure despite recent goal drought

Town's leading marksman James Collins was pleased to end a run of nine games without a goal when getting back on the scoresheet during Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Huddersfield Town.

The Hatters forward hadn't found the net since bagging a hat-trick in the 3-0 win over Preston North End on December 12, going over 12 hours of playing time without finding the net, with no recognised striker scoring for the club in that time either.

However, that was to change when tapping in Harry Cornick's cross from close range at Kenilworth Road, as he reached double figures for the fourth consecutive season since arriving at Luton from Crawley Town in the summer of 2017.

Although Collins was naturally happy to register again, he hadn’t been getting frustrated by a lack of goals, saying: “On a personal note, I’m delighted to score.

"It's been a while so to get on the scoresheet and put us one up is great and credit to Harry as well, who's put it on a plate for me

“As I’ve spoken to you in the press before, it (goal drought) happens in football, it’s happened before, it’s probably going to happen again at some point.

"You've just got to keep working hard, keep battling away and eventually one will drop.

“We’ve got goals everywhere in the team and we’ve got a lot of lads who have been on the scoresheet this year.

"It’s not all just about me, it’s about everyone, but I'm delighted to get on the scoresheet today and hopefully it can continue.”

Although Collins got the goal, he was quick to praise the work done by Cornick the build-up, delivering a chance that he really couldn't miss.

It came after Naby Sarr's poor pass out of defence was met by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, with Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu then setting Town's attacker free on the right to pick out the run of his team-mate, who had peeled off at the back post.

Collins continued: "Me and Harry have had that over the years since we’ve been here.

"We always talk, he knows where I’ll be and to be fair to him, he's been putting some good quality in the box over the last few weeks and it’s been down to me not getting on the end of it.

"But today he put one right on my foot and I couldn't miss, so credit has got to go him not just me putting it in the net.”

Collins might have had more as well, but was denied twice by keeper Ryan Schofield, particularly late in the second half when he got across the front post to divert Jordan Clark's low ball goalwards.

It's something that the forward had been practicing during training in the week, as he said: "He’s made a couple of good saves, I don’t know if he’s meant to have saved them or they’ve just hit him, but I've been working on movement in the box this week and I knew if I could get across the front, I’d get chances and I was a bit unlucky not to get a second.

"We’ve been working on that you know and I’m the first to moan when the ball’s not coming in the box but when the ball is coming in the box with quality and you're not getting on the end of it, then you've got to look at yourself.

"I'm glad today it all come together. He managed to get a great ball in and I was on the end of it.

“You know you’re not going to win games if you don’t score goals, so the gaffer’s pinpointed where he feels we need to be better and it’s come off.

“That's where I like to score my goals, in the six yard box.

"I’m not one that’s going to score a 30-yard screamer so to get it right to the toe in the six yard box with an open net, it’s music to my ears.”