Town chief is aware on-loan West Ham youngster won't want his supersub tag to stick
Kodua scores his fourth goal after coming off the bench against Bolton
Luton boss Jack Wilshere is aware Gideon Kodua won’t want his supersub tag to stick despite further demonstrating just what an asset he is when coming off the bench by scoring yet again during the Hatters’ 1-1 draw against Bolton Wanderers on Saturday.
The 21-year-old, who signed a season-long loan deal from West Ham United in the summer, is continuing to make a name for himself as Town’s go-to man when it comes to needing some late heroics, as the weekend was the fourth time he has managed to do just that. His first example came in a losing cause at Bradford City on his second appearance for the club when having been brought onto the field for an already booked Milli Alli midway through the first half, he headed home what turned out to be a consolation on 85 minutes.
Kodua then came off the bench at Blackpool to tuck away a stoppage time penalty to make it 2-2 in a game the visitors had trailed 2-0, before he was also an injury time star as Town beat National League side Forest Green Rovers 4-3 in the FA Cup first round recently, clinically rifling into the net from Jerry Yates’ pass. He was at it again at the weekend, as introduced just after the hour mark, the youngster drilled through the legs of Trotters stopper Teddy Sharman-Lowe from close range to earn a point with seven minutes left.
Although Wilshere doesn’t think Kodua will want to be known purely as an impact player, he is aware it also has its benefits, saying: “He wouldn't like that, but you think about Forest Green and big moments when you need a little bit of calm and composure and that’s not easy, especially for a young guy as well. He’s someone who we really like. He’s been in, he’s been out, that’s going to be part of his development.
"He’s still a young player and we need to get him to a place where he’s more consistent but he’s getting there. At the moment it seems to be coming off the bench helping us. He played in the first games against Mansfield and Northampton and he has had some starts and that’s also important that he does that and he experiences that. He’s young, he’s still developing, he’s still developing as a person and he’s a top person.
"I think he understands where he’s at, which is important, as not all young players do and sometimes they have a false sense of where they’re at. I think Gideon is very sure of where he’s at and how he can help the team at the moment, but our job, my job, and our responsibility is to try and get him to find more consistency, which I feel like is coming.
"At the moment it’s coming off the bench, and he wouldn't like that tag (supersub), but also if you're on the bench and I turn around and I know we’re searching for a goal, if he keeps doing that I know he can be the guy who we keep leaning towards. Then if you are on the bench, that’s when you get your opportunity in the team when you come on, do well, score a goal, help the team. You have to repeat that and do well in training, but that’s the first step, so he’s going to be important for us.”
Kodua, who went on to start Tuesday night’s Vertu Trophy victory over Exeter City, playing 80 minutes of the 4-0 triumph, knows the value of making sure that he is switched on to perform whenever called upon, saying: “The gaffer always says that it’s not just a team of 11, it’s everyone that's in the team who can impact, so even if you’re on the bench you can still come on, do your thing. I’m very pleased. We try so hard in training to keep pushing each other, to get results out of each other, so when we produce moments like that on the pitch it means a lot to us.”
With Shayden Morris and Alli joining Kodua on the pitch in the latter stages on Saturday, all three played their part in the leveller, as it was Morris’s cross that caused panic, and when Alli touched the ball back, there was Kodua to find the net and get the headlines. Discussing the trio, Wilshere added: “You want a lot from your wingers, but the biggest thing you want is output, goals and assists, that’s why they’re in the team, They’re the guys that are creative, they’re the guys that take more risks and it’s always getting that balance right of taking risks, keeping the ball. He’s (Kodua) getting more consistent with it, and he’s arriving at the back post and scoring goals, so we’re really happy with him.”