Where Are They Now?                                   Profiles of ex-Luton players

Emeka Nwajiobi

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Height: - Weight: - Born: Nibo Awka, Nigeria, 25.05.1959. Nationality: Nigeria. International Honours: Nigeria 4 Full Caps.

Somewhat of an unknown quantity on signing for Luton Town, David Pleat snapped-up Chukwuemeka (Emeka) Nwajiobi from Non-League side Dulwich Hamlet in November 1983 on the advice of John Moore. 

However, within two months Emeka had netted on his Hatters debut at home to Nottingham Forest and he would go on to earn international honours with Nigeria and become a favourite with the Hatters faithful.

Emeka was a late starter to professional football, not signing for Luton until the age of 24, having decided that his studies would come first and he obtained a degree in pharmacy before making the move into professional football. 

A pacy, tricky and eccentric striker who could operate effectively on the wing, Emeka made his debut for the Hatters on January 2^nd 1984 in a match with Nottingham Forest at Kenilworth Road and he made a superb debut, netting the Hatters’ second goal in front of 12,126 supporters – although Luton lost the match 2-3.

Emeka lines up for the annual team photo.

He went on to make a further three League appearances that season (the 1983-84 campaign) as the Hatters finished 16^th in Division One (now the Premiership) and he also made two FA Cup appearances – scoring in a Third Round 2-2 home draw with local rivals Watford.  It was a testament to his ability that he could make the leap from Non-League football to the highest Division in the domestic game – I wonder how many players could actually do that these days?

The following season was arguably Emeka’s best during his time at Luton Town as he established himself as a regular member of the first-team and also established himself as a firm fans’ favourite.  Making 29 League appearances and netting 9 goals, Emeka was proving a real handful for defenders and he was a part of the fabled ‘A’ team at Kenilworth Road (so named by manager David Pleat) playing alongside Brian Stein and Mick Harford in a devastating attack.  Among his 9 League goals were vital strikes in home draws with West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur and in home victories over Ipswich Town (3-1), Norwich City (3-1), Arsenal (3-1), Leicester City (4-0) and Everton (2-0). 

Emeka Nwajiobi in action for Luton Town.

He also helped the Hatters to the FA Cup semi-final at Villa Park against League champions Everton, Emeka netting another vital goal against local rivals Watford in a 2-2 Fifth Round replay at Vicarage Road, Luton winning the second replay 1-0.  Unfortunately, Luton lost the FA Cup semi-final 1-2 after extra-time having led through a Ricky Hill goal.

The following season was, however, arguably to be Emeka’s last really successful season with the club from a personal point of view.  He helped the Hatters to a 9^th placed finish in Division One and netted five League goals, his goals coming in a 2-2 draw at Newcastle United, a 2-2 home draw with Arsenal, a 1-0 home win over Ipswich Town, a 7-0 demolition of Southampton and in the final game of the season, a 1-1 draw at Manchester City.

His next two seasons with the club produced only 2 League goals from 18 appearances as he struggled to establish himself in the side on a regular basis after what had been such a sensational couple of seasons.  However, he was rewarded with four full caps for his country, Nigeria, and his final goal for the Hatters came in a 4-0 home win over Newcastle United on November 7^th 1987.  His final appearance for Luton Town came in a 1-1 draw at Southampton on May 7^th 1988.  It could be argued that his performances deteriorated when David Pleat left to become Tottenham Hotspur manager and John Moore and Ray Harford took over as managers at Kenilworth Road over the next couple of seasons. 

At the end of the 1987-88 season, Emeka decided to retire from playing professional football after he’d suffered a broken toe which had kept him out of the side for a long period of time and then when he did return he suffered the injury jinx once more, fracturing his ankle.  He only made two further appearances for the Hatters after recovering from this second injury and he then decided to call it a day and took up pharmacy full-time. 

He left Kenilworth Road having made a total of 72 League appearances and scored 17 goals. 

Profile By:  James Garley