Danny Hylton is hopeful the tough times are behind him after scoring his maiden Championship goal to rescue a point against Bristol City last night!
A goal in the works for almost two and a half years, the fans’ favourite marked his return from his latest injury lay-off, coming off the bench to deny the Robins an elusive home win and send the travelling away fans into ecstasy.
Speaking post-match, Hylton delved into just how much he has had to go through during his absence from the first team.
“It has been a bit of a tough journey and a tough few years, never really feeling great but hopefully that is behind me.
“I feel fit and I feel strong now, so it is nice to be back involved. It makes all those tough times and the dark days’ worth it, back out and scoring goals in front of the Luton fans, it was an unbelievable feeling and one that I have missed a lot.
“Putting me aside it was a great time to score for us, we worked really hard in the game, missed a lot of chances so to get the goal we deserved to get the point, even though we probably deserved all three, was the most important thing.”
Fighting his way back from three knee operations and most recently a battle with covid-19, the 32-year-old was relieved to be able to give something back to manager Nathan Jones and the travelling supporters.
"I’m just glad to be back out there, back playing and feeling fit and strong, I won’t get too excited or ahead of myself with one goal, but it got us a point and it is something I want to build on now, playing and featuring more regularly.”
“It is tough, you start to lose belief and confidence in yourself, a lot of days you spend on your own but I’m not here to play the violin, injuries are a part of our game, and it is how you come back from those times. My wife will probably be happy now because I can stop being so miserable now for the last three years, she nearly left me about 100 times!”
Despite his time away from the pitch, one thing that has remained is the strikers’ desire to remain a Luton player, suggesting: “They tried to get rid of me and I refused to leave! Football moves fast and you never know what is round the corner. Of course there has been conversations but I never wanted to leave because I love it here.
“I love being part of the squad and the gaffer has always shown belief in me, he’s never stopped believing in me and I’m just thankful after all this time, he has stuck by me and if that was a little bit to repay him today then great. It’s only one goal, I need to build on that.”