Reece Burke admits his injury record has been hard to take, but that he’s fit again and ready to help the Hatters scrap their way to Championship survival.
Luton travel to the defender’s former club Hull City tomorrow, which is the first of a final eight league games, with second-from-bottom Town needing to close the five point gap to safety.
Burke returned as a substitute at Cardiff before the international break after almost five months on the sidelines to help his team win on the road for the first time since September, but that was just his 11th outing this term in an injury-hit four years at Kenilworth road where he’s played 94 times.
“It’s been tough,” Burke said, adding: “It’s always difficult being injured. I know a lot of the fans, from the outside, understand that I’m 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 for me.
“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 push them on.”
Two victories and draw for Town this month have raised hopes that Luton can avoid a second successive relegation, with boss Matt Bloomfield starting to get a tune out of his side.
Burke, who is due to become a father in the next week, has had to watch from the sidelines and in an interview with #LTFC + he acknowledged: “It’s been a tough season and our 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.
“Recent performances and results have been good. I think. 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. 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 game plan and everyone’s bought into it.
“It’s crunch time 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.”
And they prepare to take on a Hull side that is still in the relegation picture, though probably one of the more likely to avoid the drop.
And Luton have a good recent record against the Tigers. They haven’t lost in Hull for 21 years while, overall against City, they’ve notched five wins and a draw in their last six, including a famous late Kazenga LuaLua winner that helped inspire Luton’s last great escape in 2020.
Burke was on the bench for Hull that day, as he was for Luton’s stalemate against Middlesbrough just before the international break, where Town dominated but missed chance after chance to secure what should’ve been a deserved three points.
“If we carry on playing the way we’ve been playing recently, I think they’ll find it hard to deal with us,” said Burke ahead of the clash against his former employers tomorrow. “The chemistry and the bond between the players had been better and I think everybody’s up for it.”
In Town’s favour is that they’ve won on each of their three returns from international breaks this season, without conceding a goal. The last of which was a 1-0 victory over Hull at Kenilworth Road in November, which proved to be Burke’s penultimate outing before his lengthy lay-off through injury.
The 28-year-old said: “Probably halfway through the season, people were low on confidence, but a lot of the lads have got their chests out now and are looking forward to the fight. I’m hoping I can be a part of that and keep this club in the Champ.”
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