Club

Tom Lockyer | "There’s a bigger goal with the team which I would trade any individual award for"

Tom Lockyer thanked his Hatters team-mates for helping him gain a place in the Championship Team of the Season at the EFL Awards last Sunday – but said he would happily trade it for a play-off winner’s medal next month.

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The 28-year-old Wales international was named in the league’s select XI which was announced at the awards ceremony held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.

Speaking to the local press yesterday, Lockyer said: “It was a really proud moment for me and my family to get that recognition, fantastic, something that no-one can take away from me.

“I’m really delighted with that, but I couldn’t have done it without the lads, so massive thank-you to them as well.

“It’s been a good season for myself personally and to get that accolade as well is really nice, but there’s a bigger goal with the team which I would trade any individual award for.”

Lockyer was the only Town player included in the team of the season, and asked whether any of his colleagues deserved to be included, he replied: “There’s a couple really unlucky not to get in the team as well, so for whatever reason it hasn’t happened, but I think they would trade any individual accolades for the team goal at the end of it.”

Lockyer celebrated by scoring the equaliser in the 2-1 win over Middlesbrough on Monday night with a thumping header from Alfie Doughty’s corner for his third goal of the season.

“I wasn’t even supposed to be there if I’m honest with you,” said Lockyer. “I was supposed to be at the front, but it’s funny how it happens, isn’t it?

“As soon as he hit and I ended up running I thought ‘Oh yeah, here we go, this is good’. And then it was sweet contact, I knew it was in straight away, as soon as the ball left my head.

“So after that all I was worried about was doing the best kneeslide I could and I think I nailed it quite well. I don't know if you can remember me last one against Bristol City, I think I had grass-burns on my knees for about three weeks after that one! It was a little bit better this time.”

Looking ahead to Monday’s trip to Blackburn for a game in which Town can confirm third place in the table, Lockyer said: “I’ve personally not been in this position before, I’ve always, when we’ve been up there and had promotions before in the past, it’s always gone down to the last day, with a chance of maybe going automatics or then ending up in the play-offs.

“We have two games now without, you say nothing to play for, but you don't want to stumble into the play-offs. You want to go in with a bit of momentum and keep it going, and I think that was what happened on Monday night.

“We weren’t at our best by any stretch of the imagination, but we found a way to win the game, which is probably a really good trait to have as a football team, when you’re not playing well and you’re still picking up results, that’s a really good thing.”

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