Teenager Chigozie sets his sights on a League One debut for the Hatters
Centre half makes his first start in the Carabao Cup against Coventry
Luton youngster Christian Chigozie has set his sights on making his first League One appearance for the Hatters after earning a maiden senior start during Tuesday night’s 1-0 Carabao Cup defeat at Coventry City.
The 17-year-old has come through the ranks at Kenilworth Road, joining as an U7 and then representing the club extensively in the youth ranks, also featuring in the FA Youth Cup and going on to play for the U21s in the Premier League Cup too. Highly thought of by all the academy staff, plus most importantly, manager Matt Bloomfield and his coaching team too, Chigozie, whose brother David also plays as a defender in the U15s, has been training with the first team at the Brache, heading out to Slovenia for their pre-season camp too and featuring in the club’s friendlies too.
With Luton making 11 changes at the CBS Arena for the first round tie, the teenage centre half was one of those alterations, starting alongside the experienced pair Mark McGuinness and Tom Holmes in Luton’s back three. Having completed an impressive 90 minutes, asked what his next hopes are, Chigozie, who was quick to thank those who had helped get him to the stage, told the club’s official website: “Probably my League One debut, we’ll see, hopefully.
“I’ve got a lot of thanks to say to the academy, there is loads of coaching staff – the likes of Joe (Deeney), Ronnie (Henry), Alex Lawless, Wayne (Turner), Paul (Benson), Jack Cartwright, there are loads of members of staff who have helped me throughout my journey and I’m very thankful to all of them, because I wouldn’t be here without them.”
Chigozie was certainly thrown in at the deep end too, up against full American international Haji Wright, with over 70 career goals to his name, and former Everton youngster Ellis Simms too. He had the third most touches from the visitors, with 53, also winning three aerial challenges, with three tackles and two clearances, finishing with a passing success rate of just over 80 percent too.
Discussing his efforts, the centre half continued: “I feel very happy that I played the full 90. The confidence came from all the other players boosting my confidence before the game, the gaffer telling me he trusted me a lot, the players helping me throughout the game. That helped build my confidence and then I got in the zone and played well.”
Irish international McGuinness, who himself made his league debut as a teenager when on loan at Ipswich Town from Arsenal in October 2020, said of his young team-mate’s first start: “This was a great game for him, great opposition, great stadium, Carabao Cup, which is a great competition. He did really well and it was nice for me to talk him through the game, but he showed himself, I didn’t have to do too much. He was excellent, played some really nice football and he was really comfortable.”
Town’s latest youngster to come off the conveyor belt that now looks to be clicking into gear again, made it two academy graduates on the field in the starting line-up, midfielder Zack Nelson also beginning the contest, while the second period saw another player who has been with the U21s, Josh Phillips, also enter the fray.
The defender revealed how his fellow youngster helped him ahead of the game, adding: “I really look up to Zack and the likes of JJ (Joe Johnson). Unfortunately he’s out, but I look up to both of them because they’ve come through the ranks. Zack also gave me a few words before the game just to help me out, because he’s been in this position before.”