Naismith praises Adebayo's 'unbelievable humility' as Town top scorer hands over penalty duties against Reds

Hatters match-winner Kal Naismith hailed the ‘unbelievable humility’ shown by striker Elijah Adebayo to step aside from penalty duties during yesterday’s crucial 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest at Kenilworth Road.

The 23-year-old has taken all of Luton’s previous five spot-kicks this season, scoring three, but also missing two, including during Monday night’s 2-0 defeat at Huddersfield Town.

His other blemish from 12 yards had been at the City Ground earlier in the campaign coincidentally, Reds keeper Brice Samba saving with his legs as Luton were held to a goalless draw.

There was almost a sense of inevitability that Adebayo and the Hatters would get the chance to redeem themselves in the Good Friday fixture, and it arrived on 37 minutes when referee James Linington signalled for a penalty after the linesman had spotted Jack Colback’s handball inside the area.

Naismith went and got the ball, as Adebayo waited on the edge of the box, looking like he was going to step up, but in the end it was the Scot who took the honours, coolly sending Samba the wrong way.

Describing what went on in the lead-up to the penalty being taken, Naismith said: “It’s unbelievable humility from Elijah to be honest.

"We had a chat before in the warm up and I said ‘look big man, I’ll get the ball, we know the tactics, they’ll try and get in your head because you’ve missed one.’

"’If we get a pen, I’ll go pick up the ball, wait until it all settles down and you can come to me and if you want it, I’ll give you it, I’ll back you to score.’

"’You’re our talisman, you’re brilliant at penalties, everybody misses them, but you assess the situation and if you want me to hit it, I’ll step up and hit it.’

"To be fair to him, there’s not that many strikers who will have that humility, assess the situation and say ‘right Kal, you have a go.’

“If he wants the next one he can take it, we will never be where we are without him, he’s been tremendous this season, but he assessed it in that situation and he wanted me to hit it.”

Town boss Nathan Jones admitted the pressure of the situation meant that 30-year-old Naismith was the right option to step up, as he continued: “It’s just a little bit to mix it up, we’ve got to keep them guessing.

"There would have been heaps of pressure on Eli today, and on a young kid, with the stakes so high, maybe we have to take it away from him a little bit.

"That’s a big call, but he realises it, he’s humble enough to accept that and at the end of the day it’s a team.

“We spoke yesterday about it, we’ve got a couple of takers that we could have used, and we took him (Naismith).

"It was a big moment, it was a big moment the other night, we’d have beaten Huddersfield, I’m convinced, if we had score the pen, we had the momentum with us, we were going after the game, and I feel we would have won the game.

"So I felt it was such a big moment, that I felt if it didn’t quite go right, the penalty didn’t quite go right, that could have affected us badly.”

Naismith has had experience from the spot in his career, although his last penalty had come when playing for Portsmouth against Newport County back in December 2016 when he actually missed from the spot, firing over the bar.

He also missed the one before when at Accrington Stanley, as although had found the net from his first three tries, the time last the net rippled was almost eight years ago to the day when netting against Mansfield.

On whether there had been any apprehension stepping up, he said: “There always is a bit of nerves, but to be honest, I knew I was okay.

"I knew it was a big situation, but it’s easier, I’ve had a good season, I feel I’m performing well and my confidence is at a good place.

"I was always okay, I knew the fans were on my side, on the team’s side, if I did miss, I knew they would have had my back.

"I never felt pressure from any outside, it was just about me wanting to take the best penalty I could and luckily I went more to the right to make it look like I was going to whip it back across him, he’s went that way and just hit the back of the neck, delighted.

“I used to hit them coming all through youth and used to be number 10, an attacker, so I was on penalties a lot and then at Portsmouth I was on penalties for a while when I was there and we won the League Two season.

“I’ve not hit them in a long time, it’s 12 yards out, technically I feel good striking the ball, I feel comfortable on them, but big Elijah is our talisman.

"As I say if he wants them back I’m more than happy to give him the ball and I’m sure he will.

"He’s a striker, he’s hungry to score goals, a great lad, he’s been terrific for us so we’ll assess the next one, if he wants to hit it, we’ll all back him, the fans will back him and he’ll back himself.”

When asked if he had practiced from the spot ahead of the game, Naismith added: “I took a few yesterday, usually Eli hits them, he practices a lot and practices a lot the day before a game at the end of a session.

"I just went with him and hit a few with him and that’s when I said to him, ‘I’m here if you need me, I back you to hit them and score, but I’m here.’”