The Poolie Bunker

31 years old and playing for Morpeth in the Northern Premier Division. Has 3 goals so far this season, can't even easily find out how many games that's in - that's how far down the pyramid he's fallen.

Curious as to where everyone thinks it went wrong for him. Showed promise at first, scoring a cracker against Rochdale and becoming our youngest goalscorer in the process. Was never prolific, scoring 6 goals in 45 games his first 2 seasons in the first team. It was in 2013/2014 that he had his full breakout, after we had been relegated back to L2. Even then, he scored 13 goals in the league, 16 in all competitions, decent, but he was hardly putting up Erling Haaland numbers. Obviously that led to him getting the big money move to Peterborough after handing in a couple transfer requests, which didn't work out. Ended up bouncing round a few clubs on loan, including us, and between 2014 and midway through 2017/2018 when he joined Barrow in the National League he scored 4 goals in 120 games between League 1/2.

Had a good spell at Barrow in the National League, scoring 7 goals in 17 games, before re-signing here permanently in summer of 2018 (I can still remember that awful announcement with Matty Bates on Facebook Live... seriously cringeworthy stuff). Regardless, I remember lots of people being excited, myself less so, but had a bit of hope with coming off his time at Barrow. He ended up winning our player of the season that year, which, Christ, I know we were shocking that year, but bloody hell. Apparently he scored 5 goals and got 11 assists that year, which I definitely don't remember - I mostly remember him hiding behind opposition defenders.

Anyway, I seem to remember Challinor coming in and rating him (?), but he somehow earned a move back to the Football league with Barrow, scoring 3 goals across 69 appearances, before falling down the league in the last few years, scoring 5 goals in 46 games for Morpeth last season. I know he plays out wide sometimes, and did for us, but Christ Almighty, his career stats as of 24/25 close are 472 appearances, 53 goals(!), meaning almost a third of his career goals came in that one season for us. I never saw him as a natural goalscorer, but even still, that record, especially having now racked up a couple hundred appearances in the National League and below, is horrific. Watching this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5g_YsN_2Wk - he actually showed a bit of quality as a striker for us.

So, what the f*** happened to him? Was that 13/14 season just a purple patch? He didn't seem to have any major injuries, except the back half the year his last season with us, but even then he'd started to slide well before that year. He was obviously rated to have had Peterborough, who had a good team and had spent a couple of years in the Championship and were contenders to go back up there, to spend a good amount of money on him (don't think it was ever confirmed what it was, I've seen £500k, and more in various places). Just seems absurd for his career to have peaked at 19 years old. I remember when he came back for the 3rd time being really sick of seeing him starting games all the time (when he was fit), but then again, we weren't exactly spoiled for choice at that time. Anyway - thoughts?

I remember a match during his loan spell with us.

He found himself one on one with a defender about 35 yards out after we hit the opposition on a counter attack.

The teenage Luke James would have gone for it and taken him on, headed to goal and probably scored. If the defender had fouled him, he'd have been sent off.

Instead of taking him on, he dribbled wide away from goal towards and stuttered, giving time for the opposition to regroup. By then, the chance was gone.

And that sums up what I think went wrong. He stopped going for it, took the easy option. Was it over coaching? Lack of confidence? Losing his instinct? Who knows...

He believed he was the finished product…he wasn’t…a bit like driving off in your car with a wheel missing.

[quote="JezThePoolie"]
Had a good spell at Barrow in the National League, scoring 7 goals in 17 games, before re-signing here permanently in summer of 2018 (I can still remember that awful announcement with Matty Bates on Facebook Live... seriously cringeworthy stuff). Regardless, I remember lots of people being excited, myself less so, but had a bit of hope with coming off his time at Barrow. He ended up winning our player of the season that year, which, Christ, I know we were shocking that year, but bloody hell. Apparently he scored 5 goals and got 11 assists that year, which I definitely don't remember - I mostly remember him hiding behind opposition defenders.

Anyway, I seem to remember Challinor coming in and rating him (?), but he somehow earned a move back to the Football league with Barrow...]

I have better memories of his second spell with Pools than you do. He wasn't a goalscoring forward anymore but he could be relied to work his nuts off every game and gave plenty of opposition full backs a hard time. Hence the Player of the Year award - in a really poor side as you say, that only managed to finish 16th in the NL.

The way young Luke and his agent carried on to get the move to Peterborough left a bad taste, but in all honesty I doubt IOR were too unhappy to bank £500,000 for him - that was a lot more money 11 years ago than it is now!

As for why the goals dried up - no idea. He'll not be the last teenage striker that happens to.

In his younger days he harried and chased every ball, I remember his headed goal against Wimbledon, a cross come in and some how he got in front and out jumped defender to head the ball in.

Very few"make it" in football.
Thanks for some good memories Luke.

Absolutely, James Brown another talent not fulfilled due to injury, many make wrong choices in football but sometimes out of football too. It almost went tits up for Adam Boyd until being sent on loan to Boston managed to shock him into knuckling down, Don Hutchison almost settled his career early doors preferring his piss ups to training to name a couple.
Luke probably should have stayed with us another season or two before moving on when he would have been more prepared physically to play at a higher level.

yes and a good number of them play there best football when they are young. its quite possible a few morpeth players playing at there highest level are names on the team sheet before his. laugh is he,d get another club at that level before them due only to his CV.