Match-winner Clark will dose up on painkillers to play his part in Luton's survival bid
Midfielder playing on through an ankle injury
Luton midfielder Jordan Clark will continue to dose himself up on painkillers to ensure he can get through as many games as he can and play a major role in the Hatters’ bid to remain in the Championship this term.
The 31-year-old had started all of new manager Matt Bloomfield’s first five games in charge, before missing the 1-0 loss to Sheffield United last month with an ankle problem that also kept him out of the 1-1 draw with Plymouth Argyle too, although he was back on the bench as an unused substitute for the 2-0 derby day defeat to Watford.
Restored to the starting line-up against Portsmouth on Saturday, Clark did his bit to breathe new life into Town’s survival efforts, scoring the only goal of the game to earn a 1-0 success, the Hatters’ first since December 20, and lift his team off the bottom of the table. With 11 matches to go, the longest-serving outfield member of Luton’s squad is determined to put himself forward as much as he can during the run-in, saying: “I’m still struggling a little bit, I’m full of tablets and painkillers, I think I’ll need them from now until the end of the season.
“Just watching the last few weeks, especially the Watford game has been tough as we’ve not been winning. I was on the bench, but I was never right to play. Luckily I feel a bit better, so it’s nice to be back in the team and just contribute and give my all like I always think I do. If I get picked, one thing I’ll always give is my best. I feel like I’ve got that bit of experience now, I’ve been around a few years here and a couple of other clubs, but that’s what we’re going to need.
“You see the team, we’ve got a lot of experienced heads out there, a lot of lads who have played a lot of games at this level and they know what it takes to win a game and get through games. We’re going to need everyone from now until the end of the season as it’s going to be a big, big push. My aim is to always go out there and give it my best. If I can contribute with a goal or an assist it’s always an added bonus.”
Clark certainly did that on Saturday, as picking up a loose ball inside his own D, he set off on a near 70-yard foray upfield before finding Jacob Brown to his left, the attacker’s low cross clumsily deflected on to the post by Pompey midfielder Marlon Pack. It fell perfectly for Clark, who had carried on with his run, meaning he was perfectly positioned to gobble up the rebound, blasting into the roof of the net for his fourth of the campaign.
On the strike, he continued: “I was just waiting for someone to tackle me as I’ve never been blessed with pace and now I’m getting a bit older I think I’ve lost a bit! But I just kept going and no-one was there. I played it to Browny out wide and then it ricocheted, I don’t know what happened, I sort of just knew it was going to bounce off the post from the keeper.
"It was weird and then luckily my run just took me into the box. It fell nicely at my feet, just right place, right time for it to come off the post and drop to me, but a nice feeling to see it hit the back of the net and set us off onto a decent performance. We said we’ve got to get the crowd going early, I thought that’s what we did, especially first half. We put a lot of crosses in, a lot of corners, set-pieces, so nice to contribute and come away with three points.”
The manner in which Clark took his 16th goal for Luton on his 169th outing for the club was one of the main reasons that boss Matt Bloomfield was so eager to put him back into the team following the news that both Marvelous Nakamba and Shandon Baptiste will now be absent for the next six weeks due to calf injuries. He added: “Clicker is another big player for our football club who has missed a couple of weeks. He was excellent the first few weeks we were here, but unfortunately for him he’s missed a couple of weeks. He’s got a knack of getting on the end of things, he’s done that throughout his career and we hope again, keep him fit and keep him in the group.
"Clicker’s a very intelligent footballer. I felt with him and Walshy (Liam Walsh) in the middle today, we had Zack (Nelson) and Lamine (Fanne) that we debated playing, but having Clicker and Walshy’s footballing intelligence in the middle of the pitch, it felt like it was important for us, that experience and know-how. Clicker’s got a knack of dropping and landing on things, obviously from being a winger and playing some more attacking football when he was younger. He’s a big character for our football club and great to have him back.”