A prodigious talent during his formative years, Luke came up through the ranks at Crystal Palace, arriving at Selhurst Park at the tender age of nine.
Having earned himself a senior deal with the Eagles, he enjoyed a series of loan spells before joining the Grecians on a temporary basis in August 2016, making the move permanent the following summer.
Possessing pace, strength and a calmness on the ball, Luke has laid claim to a starting berth this time out, playing a key role in Exeter’s rise to second in the League Two table.
1 – Interestingly, Luke’s first taste of senior football came against the Grecians in November 2015, during a short loan spell at Plymouth Argyle. Thrown into the heat of a Westcountry derby, he acquitted himself well, playing the full 90 minutes. In spite of his efforts, however, he was unable to stop City running out 2-1 victors, courtesy of two goals first-half goals from Ryan Harley.
247 – Having joined Exeter City on loan the following season, Luke made his debut a full 247 miles away at Colchester United. Called into an inexperienced defence, alongside a young Jack Stacey and future Welsh star Ethan Ampadu, he impressed once again as the Grecians fought back from 2-1 down to claim an important 3-2 win on the road.
20 – An incredibly useful asset, 2016/17 became somewhat of a breakthrough season for the young centre-half, seeing him make 21 first team appearances as the Grecians fought their way to the League Two play-off final.
13 – Unfortunately, having earned himself a permanent deal at St James Park, 2017/18 proved to be a frustrating campaign for Luke. Beset by a brutal run of injuries and having to play understudy to an in-form Jordan Moore-Taylor, he found himself unable to make as big of an impact, with just 13 outings in red and white.
13 – In spite of this, displaying a true centre-half’s grit, Luke fought his way back to full fitness, stepping up following injuries to Troy Brown and Craig Woodman to make 13 appearances so far, starting eight League Two games on the trot.
5 – What will please Grecian fans even more, however, is his sterling run of form. Having struck up a solid understanding with his partner at the heart of defence, Aaron Martin, Luke has kept a clean sheet in five of his 12 outings thus far this season.