Persistent injury problems have been hard to take for Luton defender Burke

​Luton defender Reece Burke conceded his persistent troubles with injury since signing for the Hatters almost four years ago have been increasingly hard to take.

The 28-year-old has suffered another campaign of unavailability this term, missing 26 games in total due to a number of problems. He finally ended his lengthiest absence when, having been out for four months, was able to come off the bench in the closing stages of the crucial 2-1 victory at Cardiff City on March 11.

With those few minutes under his belt, and another bank of training over the international break, Burke could then returning to the starting line-up for the first time since November 27 for Saturday’s 1-0 triumph at his former Hull City side, as he had the opening 45 minutes at right wingback before making way in a pre-planned half time switch for Tahith Chong.

It means that since arriving in the summer of 2021, Burke has featured in just 95 of the 191 games Luton have played, an average of around 24 per season, as on his constant battle for fitness, he told the club’s official website: “It’s been tough, it’s always difficult being injured. I know a lot of the fans, from the outside, understand that I get injured quite a bit, which is hard for me to take at times. It’s difficult because I know that I could help the team. I believe in myself, that I’m a good player and I could have an impact, so when I’m on the sidelines it’s difficult.

"But I’m always supportive of the boys and try to do my best away from the match days, in training, being in and around it and pushing them on. I’m quite high energy, that’s half my problem at times, I don’t know when to chill and manage myself, I get told that quite a bit, but that’s just me as a person and probably one of the reasons why I do pick up injuries as I’m full on. I’m never 70 percent or 60 percent, I’m always one hundred, but I like to bring the energy into the team.”

With Town struggling massively after relegation from the Premier League, on a hefty winless run dropping them into the relegation zone for the last few months, then Burke has felt it more important than ever to try and keep things positive at the Brache and try to not let the atmosphere dip, as he continued: “I’ve just been trying to keep good spirits especially this season. It's been difficult, it’s been a tough season and I know confidence was low at some points of the season.

“So I’m just trying to keep high spirits, good energy and be positive around the training ground. I believe I do that. I think a lot of people could say I’m a funny person, quite bubbly at times and that’s what I try to be. We know we’re in a difficult position and we know we need to win games, but if we’re down all the time I don’t think that’s going to help. So it’s nice to keep good spirits and good energy at times to build confidence.”

When Burke was originally injured, it saw a change at the helm, Matt Bloomfield coming in to replace Rob Edwards as manager back in January. Although the new boss took eight games to get his first win, he has now masterminded a run of three victories from five matches, including a draw, to give the Hatters a real chance of remaining in the division.

It’s not just on the pitch that the ex-West Ham youngster has noticed some improvements as well, saying: “Recent performances and results have been good. I think there’s been a turn, so I’m really looking forward to the last sprint. We’ve got some big games coming up, but as a team, we’ve bonded well together. I think the manager’s done really well in terms of the way he wants to play, his gameplan and everyone’s bought into it.

"I was really impressed when he came in. He set the standards high and I think that's what you need in an environment, especially a group of lads and footballers. Some people can get ahead of themselves, but it’s just about keeping humble, keeping people grounded and creating high standards around the training ground.

"I think he did really well with that and the lads are buying into that and everything. The environment’s where it should be at the moment. The chemistry and the bond between the players has been better and I think everybody’s up for it. Probably halfway through the season, people were low on confidence, but a lot of the lads have got their chests out now and are really looking forward to the fight, so I’m hoping I can be a part of that and keep this club in the Champ.

“I’ll always just do my best. I’m confident in my ability that I have and the games I have played for Luton, I believe I’ve done well, so I’d like to play a part in coming back and having an impact with the boys. It’s crunch time now for us and I know it’s been a difficult season for us, but hopefully we can stay up and finish it on a high.”

Having Burke back and able to complete a solid first half at the MKM Stadium on Saturday was a huge boost for Bloomfield too, who added: “Izzy (Jones) wasn’t quite ready after coming back from international duty so we know that Burkey didn’t have a full game in him, but we wanted to try and get him to half time and split the minutes with him and Chongy as they’re both coming back. If Burkey could have got much further then he would but you’re using up one of your three stoppages, so half time felt like the right time to make that change.”