Relieved Al-Hamadi accepts the criticism he has received after barren spell at Luton

Striker Ali Al-Hamadi admitted it was a huge relief to finally be off the mark for the Hatters when scoring his first goal for the club at former side AFC Wimbledon on Easter Monday.

Big things had been expected from the 24-year-old when signing on a season-long loan from Ipswich Town under previous manager Matt Bloomfield in the summer transfer window, although he joined with a calf issue that kept him out for six weeks. Having returned when Jack Wilshere had taken over, Al-Hamadi, who made two cameo outings off the bench, then picked up a quad issue while away with Iraq that sidelined him for a further two months, before coming back and making just one start, where he failed to impress, in a 1-0 defeat at Wigan Athletic.

In and out of the squad with further niggles, the forward was then a huge part of his country reaching their first World Cup Finals since 1986 last week, scoring the opening goal of their 2-1 play-off final victory over Bolivia. Still yet to find the net for Town though, Al-Hamadi missed the 2-1 success over Peterborough United on Good Friday, before replacing Devante Cole on the bench for the trip to a side where he had netted 27 goals in 48 appearances, a prolific stint that earned him his move to Portman Road back in January 2024.

Brought on after 17 minutes due to a groin problem for Nahki Wells, the striker started to get into things during the first period, before his moment came on the hour mark, as sent through by Jake Richards’ excellent pass, he fired past Nathan Bishop to score a maiden goal for Luton on what was his 10th domestic outing of the campaign.

Asked if that relieved some of the pressure he had been feeling, Al-Hamadi said: “Definitely. It’s hard to get away from the criticism and people talking about you, but when you come to a football club as a, quote unquote, big signing, it’s part of it. I’ve got to take it all in my stride, it’s warranted, so I just need to keep working and it’s definitely a relief, but it’s more that I want to enjoy it.

"We play football to enjoy it, we play football for moments like that, I can’t ask for anything more. We have these seasons as footballers and you’ve just got to keep your head down. It’s been hard as it’s not been for a lack of trying or a lack of effort, anything like that, sometimes it’s just the way it goes. In football you’ve got to show a lot of resilience and I feel like I’ve had to show that resilience this season."

On the strike itself, Al-Hamadi, who also had another attempt cleared off the line late on, showed the clinical nature that had seen him earn his move up the footballing pyramid, he continued: “You just don’t think too much in the moment. When you’ve had the season I’ve had it can be easy to think about things too much, but I’ve stayed calm and Jake, I speak to him all the time about when I’m on the pitch, developing that relationship, as we’ve not really had the chance to develop those relationships.

"Kasey (Palmer) as well, about what runs I make and when to play the ball. I think that was a good example of something maybe we can work on until the end of the season. We all have to stay ready on the bench. It’s hard coming on as a forward, sometimes especially late on in the game where you’ve not got the flow of the game, it’s a bit end-to-end and you’re trying to catch your second breath.

“Coming on early allowed me to feel my way into the game and get my rhythm. I know what I can do when I’m fit, I know what effect and impact I can have on the team. I’m just trying to take it a game at a time, but I am relieved to just get off the mark and it was a nice moment in front of the fans. I was actually annoyed not to get one or two more.

“There were a couple of moments where we could have squared it across goal, the one that got blocked at the end and we could have been even more ruthless, could have had five, six, seven today to be honest. We’ve just got to keep our foot down, but we were just brilliant. We were so free-flowing, knew exactly where each other would be and we train that every single day. It was just a matter of time for that to come out in a game and I think it did.”

The 900 or so travelling supporters certainly let the forward know just what they felt of his all-action display too, serenading him with a new song to the tune of the Hokey-Cokey for large parts of the second half and at the full time whistle as well. It was something he was more than happy to hear too, especially after his difficult time at Kenilworth Road so far, stating: “I feel like I wear my heart on my sleeve and whatever club I’ve played for I think fans have appreciated that. I’ve always had a good relationship with the fans and we’re nothing without the fans. They’ve come today, they’ve been loud and supported us, so I really hope we can continue building that from now until the end of the season."

Having had such a good week away with his country, some might have expected Al-Hamadi to be in the squad for the 2-1 win over Peterborough, but he had to make do with a place in the stands for that contest. However, he felt it was right to hold himself back to face the Dons, adding: “I’m just trying to take care of my body as it has been a rough season for me. Friday was just a little bit too early, the travel and not getting enough sleep to be honest, so I didn’t want to risk it.

"Today it was just written for me to come on early in the game, unfortunate for Nahki to have picked that up and hopefully it’s not too serious, but I was ready and again it was great to get off the mark. It’s been a great week. I’ve gone away with my country and experienced that and just getting off the mark today. It’s been frustrating with the injuries and not getting any rhythm or momentum, so hopefully I can continue to help the boys from now until the end of the season.”