Former Luton boss David Pleat has hailed the ‘amazing story’ of the Hatters’ fall and rise at the guiding hands of the 2020 board that rescued the club from oblivion.
The two-time Town manager, who turned 75 yesterday, confessed he still has a ‘lot of feelings’ for Luton, so has been delighted to see the club return to the Championship this term after surviving a never repeated 30-point punishment meted out by the game’s governing bodies in 2008.
While things on the pitch aren’t going well this season, with Luton bottom of the table, off the pitch there has been a string of successes, the latest being a final legal hurdle jumped in the long-running saga to deliver a new 17,500-seat stadium after 60 years of trying.
Pleat, who was speaking at a Hatters Heritage event, had explained how important a move away from the 115-year-old Kenilworth Road is so vital for Luton’s future.
But in talking about the progress to get to this stage both on and off the pitch, the former manager said: “It’s good to see how the club has not just survived but overturned what happened.
“I know someone who was on that (FA) committee when they were docked 30 points. It’s an incredible thing, but how these people (former owners) that were running this club allowed that to happen, it was terrible.
“I have to say, to come back in the way that it has come back – and to be directed and managed by the top people – because people often look at the manager, but it’s not just the manager, it’s the people who are dictating the polices. It’s far bigger than just the manager and the coaches.
“Just to get this (club) back on the road is quite an amazing story really.”
Pleat was speaking at a special Hatters Heritage event in October, hosted by club historian Roger Wash and commentator Simon Pitts.
Created to encourage the preservation and appreciation of the heritage and history of Luton Town Football Club, the group are hosting a series of Family Roadshows this year, staring on Sunday.
Hatters Heritage want to document Luton memorabilia and record fans’ memories to create an archive on their new website.
Each event will include a mini-exhibition, featuring items from Hatters’ Heritage collection of 35,000 items.
This weekend will see the first of four events, so if you’re not heading up to the Nottingham Forest game, go to the Eric Morecambe Suite at Kenilworth Road Stadium between 11am and 4pm, where you’ll also be able to meet former striker Brian Stein.
There will also be activities for all ages and a chance to meet a player on one of the following dates:
Sunday 2 February 2020, 11am-4pm at The Swan Hotel, The Embankment, Bedford
Thursday 5 March 2020, 5-7:30pm at Barnfield College, New Bedford Rd, Luton
Sunday 29 March 2020, 11am-4pm in the Eric Morecambe Suite at Kenilworth Road Stadium.
You can follow Hatters’ Heritage on Twitter at www.twitter.com/hattersheritage
