Proud England U21s boss Ben Futcher, son of Hatters hero Paul, will relish leading Young Lions out at Luton

England U21s interim boss Ben Futcher is relishing what will be a hugely proud moment for both him and his family when leading out his country at Kenilworth Road this evening, the same venue where his dad and uncle made such big names for themselves during their playing careers.

The 43-year-old is the son of Paul Futcher, widely regarded as one of the best players of his generation to play for the Hatters after being signed by then Luton manager Harry Haslam for £100,000 from Chester in June 1974. Known for his sterling displays in the heart of Town’s defence, he turned out 142 times for the club, before being sold to Manchester City in 1978 for a fee of £350,000.

The centre half went on to play for Oldham Athletic, Derby County, Barnsley and Grimsby Town, also managing Darlington, Gresley Rovers and Southport, whom he took to the FA Trophy final in 1998, plus Stalybridge Celtic and Ashton United following his retirement. It wasn’t just Paul who starred while in Bedfordshire either, as twin brother Ron moved south from Chester at the same time, the centre forward quickly netting a hat-trick against Wolverhampton Wanderers, going on to score 43 goals in 133 appearances.

He also headed to Maine Road along with Paul, but then went to America to play for Minnesota Kicks, Portland Timbers and Tulsa Roughnecks, although returned to England to enjoy spells for Barnsley, Oldham Athletic, Bradford City, Port Vale, Burnley, Crewe Alexandra and Boston United, finishing a prolific career with over 250 goals to his name.

Sadly Paul died in 2016 from cancer at the age of 60, but discussing his father’s stint with Town during the pre-match press conference staged at Luton Hoo on Sunday evening, asked what the Hatters had meant to him, Ben, who took over as interim boss of the U21s last month, following Lee Carsley’s promotion to the first team job after Gareth Southgate’s resignation, said: “A lot as my dad had an amazing time at Luton.

"My mum will come down to the game, she was with my dad when he was here, when they were young, so she’s had very fond memories of it. From that family aspect it’s quite nice it’s fallen this way, but he used to talk about it. He used to tell me how good he was at Luton. He said if I was playing now I’d be worth this, worth that. I used to never be quite sure to believe him as it was that long ago, there was no footage, but it’s been really nice.

"I’m really proud as obviously he’s not with us anymore and what he achieved as a player, where he played and how he played and what he achieved. As his son it makes me very proud and my mum, it still means a lot to her, so it’s really nice. Funnily enough my uncle Ron lives in America now. He was over about three months ago, so I spent a bit of time with him and he’s the same, he still says how good he was at different clubs, so they’re very similar.”

Although Paul didn’t quite make it to England senior level, he still represented his country when winning 11 caps for the U21s between 1976 and 1978, which is something that also meant a lot, as Futcher added: “His U21 caps are up at the family house on the wall at mum’s house, so they’re always there as a reminder. It’s really nice to be leading them out at the minute. It’s a very proud moment for me and the family as well.”