Former Hatters midfielder Wayne Turner can see similar signs of the togetherness in the current squad at Kenilworth Road to the one he was part of when Town spent their longest period in the top flight back in the 1980s.
After being promoted to what was then Division One in 1982, Luton went on to enjoy a decade at the highest level of English football, eventually dropping out of the division at the end of the 1991-92 campaign.
Now back there for the first time since, Turner, who was part of the team that were under the stewardship of legendary manager David Pleat in those days, and now back at Kenilworth Road once more as head of academy development, said: “I can see a real togetherness that we had 40 years ago when I played and 30 years ago when I coached.
“I can see a similar situation going on which makes me very excited.
“It’s a real close-knit club that has been brought together by Gary Sweet (chief executive) at the very top, and it filters down right through the football side of the club, so we’re very lucky.”
After featuring 30 times in their first season, he managed 19 Division One outings the following campaign and 24 in the 1984-85 campaign, before Peter Nicholas joined which saw the midfielder move on that summer in search of regular first team football.
He still managed 83 of his 102 outings in the top flight though and on what it was like to be around the squad in those days, he continued: “It was amazing because when we became part of it, I say we, the players, the club was a bit of a yo-yo club.
“In the 70s it had been up and down, through the division and back again and it had slowly been growing and going up the leagues when David took over.
“We had a couple of near misses, when I wasn’t really involved as an 18, 19-year-old, we had come close to getting up, but then that year the boys did brilliant.
“I went away on loan, came back and had a good run in the end, so for me to walk back into the group, and them doing that well was twofold.
“One for me to get back in the team, and two to go into a team that was doing that well, as we got up with about two or three games to spare.
“It was a fantastic achievement and then we stayed there for about 10 years, which was even more of an achievement.
“It was all a rollercoaster, it was new to all of us, getting into that top league and going to the Liverpool’s and drawing 3-3, losing 6-0 and going to West Ham and winning 3-2, Walshy (Paul Walsh) gets a hat-trick at Upton Park.
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