In the majority of sports underdog stories, the team triumphant in defeating the odds relies on building consistency throughout their core over a number of years in order to create chemistry that can eclipse superior quality.
On the back of a sixth-placed finish going into the summer of 2022, it looked as though Luton Town had cultivated that core and would continue their pursuit of promotion in an even stronger position going into 2022/23. However, from then until the end of January, they have lost key defenders in Kal Naismith and James Bree, a once-important attacker in Harry Cornick, and Nathan Jones, the manager that brought the club to the level above many perceived as their peak.
In the summer of 2022, the signing of 6″2 striker Carlton Morris to partner the 6″4 Elijah Adebayo also signified a strange shift from the more conventional combination of Cornick (5″9) and Adebayo that brought 36 goal contributions last campaign. Last season, Luton were the sixth-highest scorers in the Championship with 63 goals, helped massively by their talisman Adebayo, who netted 16 times from the focal point of their attack.
Consequently, the signing of a fellow number nine in Morris, who impressed in a similar role at Barnsley last term, raised the question as to how this team would go about appeasing two centre forwards who would be expected to lead the line week in, week out at Championship level.
In theory, a partnership is more likely to fail than it is to succeed. These are two centre forwards who like to play on the last man, pin themselves to full-backs and/or smaller centre-backs to win headers, and drag their team up the pitch by holding up play, even when they find themselves isolated, before getting into the box to be the target for crosses from wide.
With 42 games of the 46-match season gone, Luton sit in third place, eight points from second place and, crucially, 11 points from seventh-placed Blackburn Rovers, who have a game in hand, meaning they are comfortably in the play-offs. Adebayo and Morris have contributed towards 34 of their 53 goals so far, but just how have they managed to get it so right?
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