Hatters legend David Pleat reveals what he feels is Luton's 'greatest achievement'

Former Luton boss David Pleat insists the Hatters’ efforts in winning promotion to the Premier League just a decade after being in the Conference should go down as the club’s greatest ever achievement in its near 130-year history.​

Having been relegated out of the Football League in 2009 after a 30-point deduction handed out by the FA and Football League, Town took five years to fight their way back, but once they did under John Still, went on to make rapid progress to reach the top flight with Rob Edwards in charge, a division they had last played in during the 1991-92 season.

Back then, Luton won promotion to the highest tier of English football with Pleat himself at the helm in 1982, as he was the architect of the club’s most successful period in their history, bringing some players like Ricky Hill, Brian Stein and Brian Horton who are considered some of the best to have ever graced Kenilworth Road.

However, the 79-year-old, who has published his autobiography called ‘Just One More Goal’ thought that paled into insignificance when looking at what the club has done since, saying: “I think Luton's greatest achievement, make no mistake, it’s not being in the Simod Cup final, it’s not winning against Arsenal in the League Cup final, it’s not in my time, getting promotion or playing in that magnificent game at Villa Park in the semi-final, the biggest achievement of Luton is after the harshest possible points deduction in any club’s history, was getting from non-league football back up to the Premier League.

"That is quite an amazing accolade and the present group of directors have done so well to put the club back on an even keel, on a good financial footing, so that when they go to Power Court, the town can be proud of them, and once they get into Power Court, they will no longer hopefully have to sell their best players to survive, as that’s always been the Luton story.”

Although Town couldn’t quite manage to stay up last term, Pleat, who was at Kenilworth Road on occasion to watch the club go up against the very best clubs in English football, he felt there was an element of misfortune to their relegation, adding: “I watched them a few times last season, they were very unlucky last season. Last minute goals, narrow defeats, very unlucky.”