Stuart Fleetwood’s form has never been a concern for Hatters’ boss Gary Brabin who has drawn comparisons with French star Robert Pires as a player who took time to adapt to Arsenal before asserting himself as a Gunners’ hero.
The Luton manager believes his striker is starting to come to terms with the pressure cooker environment of life at Kenilworth Road after a midweek match-winning performance at Kidderminster to book a quarter final berth in the FA Trophy.
“I’ve never doubted Stuart Fleetwood’s ability - that’s why we brought him to the club,” Brabin explained.
“There are a lot of factors but it’s really evident when you see foreign players come to this country. If you look at some of the best ones, like Pires, it took him 12 months before he started being an Arsenal legend.
“That’s very common in football and it takes a lot of people time. Even in this country if you go into a different type of club, atmosphere and football, it does take time to adapt.”
He added: “It’s a combination of things. This is a big club, there’s a big expectancy and I think it’s common that most strikers and goalscorers are confidence players.”
The forward was signed from Hereford on the last day of the summer transfer window and came within the width of a post from making a hero’s cameo appearance on his debut at Stockport.
Fleetwood has found regular first team action hard to come by but he’s found his feet in the FA Trophy where he has netted in every round of the competition so far.
Brabin said: “When Stuart first came in I thought he was brilliant and it was exactly what we needed.
“He’ll be the first to admit that he didn’t perform to those standards and he’s been in and out of the squad. We’ve certainly seen enough in training and we haven’t given up hope on him.
“We’ve had a few chats, he’s taken it on board and he’s started to show the sort of form from when he first came.”
