Luton boss Rob Edwards hopes leading marksman Carlton Morris can transfer his goalscoring form from the Championship into the Premier League this term. The 27-year-old, who penned a new deal this evening, scored 20 times for the Hatters as they reached the play-off final at Wembley, beating Coventry 6-5 on penalties to take their place in the top flight once more. Morris became the first Luton attacker to reach such a personal milestone in the second tier since legendary forward Brian Stein back in the 1981-82 season, as he will now be aiming to cause some of the best defenders in the world a host of problems when the season begins on August 12. Speaking to the club’s official website,
Rob Edwards said: “We’re so pleased to get someone as important to us as Carlton signed on for even longer. He’s a brilliant person to have in our squad. His goals were influential last season, but whenever I spoke about him or was asked about him, it was his all-round game and what he brought to the team, whether it was hold-up play, work-rate, headers, defensive headers in his own box from corners. It was everything that he gave the team, as well as the goal threat. He’s got great experience now, but he’s a good age, someone who is really hungry, and he deserves the opportunity now to have a go in the Premier League. If you look over the last ten years-plus, there have been a lot of strikers that have done well in the Championship, stepped up and then have gone and done well in the Premier League as well, and let’s hope Carlton is one of them.”
Despite picking up a number of minor niggles last term, and being on the end of a horrific tackle from Birmingham City’s Marc Roberts, Morris still registered 51 appearances for the Hatters. That resilience certainly impressed Edwards,
Rob Edwards added: “He played through a lot of pain last season, he didn’t want to miss a minute. He’s a proper leader, he’s got a voice and people respect him. The fans love him, we love him – he knows that – and I think he responds well to that as well. He knows how important he is, but he goes and puts it all out there every day in training. He goes over that white line on a Saturday, or any matchday now, and he’s right at it and a handful for anyone. We’re delighted to have him as our handful for the long-term.”
