Tight hamstring forces Luton attacker Cornick off during midweek draw

Hatters attacker Harry Cornick was withdrawn at half time during yesterday’s 2-2 draw against Coventry to avoid re-injuring his hamstring, according to boss Nathan Jones.

The 27-year-old has been absent for a lengthy period of the season so far, starting just one game, the 1-1 draw at Burnley, before missing five matches.

Back on the bench against Wigan, where he came on midway during the second half, Cornick was involved from the start last night, and showed Town just what they had been missing in the first period, having a big hand in both goals.

First, he showed real commitment to reach James Bree’s flick before it went out of play on the right, his high, hanging cross deflecting off Fred Onyedinma for Carlton Morris to power a half volley into the net despite the best efforts of City keeper Ben Wilson.

Then, after a bouncing ball deceived the visiting defence, Cornick played a lovely weighted pass through to Morris to do his thing again.

He almost had a goal of his own, just unable to connect with Bree’s delivery, but at the break and with Town leading 2-1, he failed to reappear for the second period, replaced by Elijah Adebayo.

Shorn of his threat, the Hatters were eventually pegged back and on why he was taken off, Jones said: “He had a tight hamstring.

"He’s just come back from a hamstring so rather than risk him we just had to make a change.

"We’ve got the squad to be able to do that, so that’s all it was, just a precaution.

“He’s been sharp, we’ve missed him, that was a real good partnership for us.

"He’s a real threat, but we couldn’t play him any longer as he had a stiff hamstring.

"Then they go into injury territory, but we didn’t want that to happen.”

Town wingback Onyedinma, himself starting a first game of the season after his own hamstring problems added: “He looked lively, even defensively, him and Carlton, they looked lively together, so it was unfortunate that he came off injured.”