Carlton Morris say he always believed he could bag 20 goals this season and he praised his strike partner Elijah Adebayo for passing him the penalty duties to reach the milestone.
The 27-year-old won the spot-kick against Middlesbrough last night and despite Boro boss Michael Carrick’s claims the contrary, he insisted there was contact with keeper Zack Steffen.
Adebayo, who usually takes penalties picked up the ball, but gave it to Morris, so he could win the game and become the first Town striker to reach 20 second-tier goals since legend Brian Stein 41 years ago.
“Eli said to me, ‘go get your 20th goal, you deserve it’. I said, ‘thank you, I appreciate that’ and he held the ball until it was time to take the pen,” said Morris, adding: “That’s the type of people that I’m playing with at the moment. It’s a special thing really.”
This is now Morris’ best goalscoring season as he’d only just scraped into double figures twice before. Asked if he thought he could get to 20 goals this term, Morris said: “Of course. I think that every season. I’ve been unfortunate with injuries in the past, but I know, when I stay fully fit, and as I get older and more mature I know how to look after myself better.
“I think I’m reaping the rewards of that now. Two seasons at Barnsley felt like two half seasons because last season I was out for six months of the year. But I know what I’m capable of if I can keep myself fit.”
But Morris was keen to not take all the spotlight, saying: “As good as it is for me, it’s kind of a team goal, really, that we’ve made it here (third in the league).
“There’s nothing I do can I do without the boys out there. There’s some unsung heroes, I think, within our dressing room. I won’t go into too many individuals but people like Amari’i Bell just churning games out and being fantastic every week. Everyone, I could go on and on, but it’s a team thing really, rather than individual.”
Still, though Jordan Clark played him in, it was all down to Morris’ speed and strength that he won the penalty.
He said: “There was contact. How much there was or wasn’t is neither here nor there. I felt contact and at those sorts of speeds it doesn’t take much to put you off your stride pattern.”
He added: “My first touch has to be better, if I’m honest with myself, and I expect high standards from myself, especially in that sort of situation.
“Clicks has played me through and my touch is bit heavy but it leads the keeper to commit and I got there first, felt some contact from his knee on my leg, it’s hard to see, but then momentum just took me down.
“My plan was a heavy touch to try to make the him make a decision, but I got a bit too carried away with it.”
The conversion also ensured Morris has now scored in each of his last four games as the Hatters made it 12 games unbeaten, taking control of third place over their nearest challengers in the league, Middlesbrough, with two games to go.”
