Luton Town FC head coach boss Jack Wilshere insists there is still even ‘more to come’ from young attacker Gideon Kodua after he reached double figures for the season when scoring yet again during Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Lincoln City.
The 21-year-old has been in red-hot form in front of goal recently, going into the contest with the Imps at the weekend having netted in his last three successive appearances, those strikes all coming at Kenilworth Road, on target in the wins over Wycombe Wanderers, Leyton Orient and Stevenage to take him up to 9 goals for the campaign after joining on loan from Premier League side West Ham United in the summer.
The Ghanaian youngster then reached 10 for the season and scored for his fourth outing in a row, becoming the first player to do that since Elijah Adebayo managed to net in five successive matches during January 2023, that coming when the Hatters were back in the Championship.
Having scored a double against Wycombe with his feet, visiting keeper Will Norris parrying his shot into the net and then running the ball over the line from a yard out after a howler from the away side’s defence, the forward was then on target from range in the 3-0 success over Leyton Orient, hammering in from around 25 yards.
Kodua’s strike in the 2-1 victory over Stevenage was a lovely left-footed sidefoot attempt that he guided into the bottom corner, but it was his head he used at the weekend.
Going up against a giant Lincoln defence, the former Hammers U18s captain rose highest at the back post to outjump his imposing opponents and nod into the bottom corner after Imps keeper George Wickens had lost flight of Liam Walsh’s corner to begin a fight back from 2-0 down which saw Nahki Wells earn the hosts a point with a magnificent effort of his own from distance.
Against Lincoln, Kodua started for the first time in a more central position that he had finished the Stevenage fixture in, operating just behind Wells, having been used predominantly on the flanks during his time in Bedfordshire so far.
It proved something of a masterstroke by Wilshere too, as he was one of Town’s most creative outlets on the afternoon, often getting on the half-turn and driving at the visiting defence, as he should have scored when the hosts were 1-0 down, volleying over when Wickens had parried Emilio Lawrence’s shot away.
After the break he carried on impressing, showing tremendous strength to bounce off his markers and set up Joe Johnson for a shot that was deflected wide, as it was pretty noticeable how Luton’s threat in the final third dropped when he was replaced on 77 minutes.
With Kodua now scoring five in his last four games and seven in 10 appearances, having netted against both Bolton Wanderers and Leyton Orient previously, then on the form of a young forward who Wilshere insists will join Town permanently, and his change in position, the Town manager said: “Gids keeps growing, he keeps growing and keeps improving.
