The Role of Godfrey Poku

Ever since the injury to key midfielder Keith Keane, attention has circled around Godfrey Poku’s potential role in the side over the coming weeks and possibly beyond.

Poku impressed in a select number of outings for the Hatters last season, but it was his loan spell at Southport earlier this season which saw him elevated to new heights.

After winning the praise of teammates, staff and reporters for a succession of influential performances, the seemingly constant steam of news about the 21 year-old’s success in a high-flying side posed serious questions about whether he should be a first-team regular at Luton.

With his loan spell at the Sandgrounders nearing its end, frenzied speculation over Poku’s short-term future swept Luton Town message boards. Eventually, Gary Brabin confirmed Poku would play the remainder of the season as a Luton player.

However, since his return, Poku has yet to start any of the games he has been eligible for, despite Keith Keane’s absence (nerve problem).

In theory, though, now is the perfect time to bring the youngster in. Any expectations of automatic promotion are unrealistic and the Town have a 7 point cushion over 6th placed Southport – so there should be some room to experiment.

Until Keane is back, it would be exciting to see Poku feature in midfield alongside Adam Watkins and Alex Lawless, but claims that Poku should start even with a full-strength squad in future may just be a stretch too far.

There is no doubt the tenacious ball-winner is a promising talent. He could certainly fill in for Keane and hold his own, but with a fully-fit squad Keith Keane should make the cut. His experience is invaluable and he is clearly the better of the two currently. Plus, Poku is still a very raw talent. He tends to lack discipline and needs to continue working on his ball dstribution.

One proposed solution that seems to have gathered the backing of many fans is to facilitate Poku’s inclusion in the side by dropping Alex Lawless. Thus, a midfield trio of Keane (when fit), Poku and Watkins.

However, even though Lawless hasn’t exactly been tearing up trees with his performances, he is a key component in the way we intend to play. And, in my opinion, for what it’s worth, you can’t solve a creativity problem by replacing a playmaker-type with a dogged ball-winner – especially if there is one in the side already (Keane).

Arguably, the best solution may be to deploy Keith Keane as a right full-back when he returns. This would seem to be the most logical way to incorporate the latter and Poku into the same side. And, providing Poku performs well, the ability to use Keane at right-back would also eliminate the weakness the team has had in that position for large parts of the season.

In the end, the Poku selection issue all boils down to the differing views of idealists and pragmatists.

We all want to see young talent emerge and we all want to see the most exciting players given a chance. Some say Brabin should put his faith in Poku. Others argue that a midfield accommodating both Watkins and Poku, with a combined total of 59 Blue Square Bet Premier appearances between them, may lack crucial experience.

Whichever view you subscribe to, Gary Brabin’s recent comments suggest the young midfielder will be entrusted with a midfield role and will get a chance over the next few weeks to stake a claim for a permanent role.