Luton boss Jack Wilshere hopes that a week in which Ali Al-Hamadi helped make World Cup history for his country and finally broke his Hatters goalscoring duck will provide the “spark” that the striker needs.
The forward has endured a stop-start injury-hit campaign. He arrived on loan from Ipswich last summer with a calf injury, but on a season-long loan deal with an obligation to buy, if certain obligations are met.
Then manager Matt Bloomfield said that because the striker had been wanted by clubs “higher up the food chain” that Town taking him while he was not able to play was “a necessary evil” in order to secure his services.
The 24-year-old finally made his debut in October and managed two substitute cameos before getting the call to play for Iraq in a World Cup qualifier, in which he scored but sustained another lengthy injury and wasn’t seen in a Hatters shirt again until January.
Last week he returned to international duty, scoring the first goal as Iraq beat Bolivia 2-1 in a World Cup intercontinental play-off final to send the Mesopotamia Lions back to the summer showpiece for the first time in 40 years.
He returned to England on Thursday, so was not included in Luton’s Good Friday win over Peterborough, but when Nahki Wells suffered an injury just before the hour mark in yesterday’s clash at former club AFC Wimbledon, he came on to finally find the net for the Hatters in his tenth appearance.
His strike, as part of a 3-0 triumph, gave the travelling Town fans their first real glimpse of the finisher they hoped they were getting Town and boss Wilshere said the forward’s international success could have provided the confidence boost needed to kickstart his campaign.
“He’s been unlucky. A lot of that was probably unfortunate as well,” the Luton manager told the BBC.
“We signed him injured. It took probably a little bit longer than he expected to come back fit. Then he went away with Iraq, got injured again, unfortunately, which again was longer than we expected. And then it’s hard for a player to find their rhythm.”
Wilshere believes the joy of World Cup qualification may prove a turning point, saying: “Sometimes it takes that, going away from the environment. Having a little bit of joy is obviously a massive moment for him and his family and the country qualifying for the World Cup. And sometimes that can give you that little spark you need.”
The Town chief added that while there are still areas for improvement, Al-Hamadi’s natural instinct in front of goal could become a key weapon for the Hatters in the run-in, including Sunday’s Vertu Trophy final against Stockport County at Wembley, as Wells is now a doubt.
“I think at times today he needs to be tidier and keep the ball for us. But what he is, is a goalscorer and we haven’t seen that, so hopefully now we can start to see that.”
“It was written for me to get off the mark here,” Al-Hamadi said, adding: “It’s been a great week, going home with my country and experiencing that and gettig off the mark today. It’s been frustrating with the injuries and not getting any rhythm or momentum, so hopefully I can continue to help the boys from now until the end of the season,”
He added: “I know what I can do when I’m fit. I know what impact I can have on the team, so I’m just trying to take it a game at a time, but I am relieved to just get off the mark. It was a nice moment, to be in front of the fans again.
“We have these seasons as footballers [with injuries]. You’ve just got to keep your head down. It’s been hard because it’s not been for a lack of trying or lack of effort or anything like that. Sometimes, it’s just the way it goes. In football you’ve got to show a lot of resilience and I feel like I’ve had to show a lot of resilience this season.
“I just want to get in the play-offs and I want to help the team get promoted and that’s my goal. That [playing and scoring] would obviously help me as well, with my country, but my focus is on Luton Town. My head is here, I’m focused and I wanted to have a really good end to the season. There’s everything to play for here, so I’m looking forward to the last few weeks.”
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