Luton Town Business Club and Executive Members found out together that the Town’s first top-flight fixture for 31 years would be at Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday 12th August.
Sky Sports News cameras were present to capture the community spirit in full flow, with fellow newly-promoted club Burnley set to be the first to visit Kenilworth Road for a Premier League fixture the following weekend.
Community ambassador Mostaque ‘Raj’ Koyes (pictured below, right) and Luton Town Supporters’ Trust board members Paul Stephens and Derek Sheppard were interviewed (first gallery picture), before CEO Gary Sweet went live on air after the fixture release.
On the opening day opponents, with the Hatters having beaten Brighton in both of their only previous top flight meetings in the 1982-83 campaign, Sweet said: “And we beat them in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy semi-final, which is the last thing I remember!
“It’ll be great to go to Brighton, give the fans a great day out in the sunshine hopefully, and they’ll enjoy it. It’s a friendly club, Brighton, and we’ve been with them this week, so we’re really looking forward to that.
“They are a fantastic model, with the way they run the business, the stadium development they’ve done and the way they have transformed the city. They have been terrific and are an example to us.
“Clearly we will have to do things very differently here, but we’ve got to look at examples like Brighton and Brentford and what they’ve delivered.”
And on Vincent Kompany’s Burnley, who last visited the Kenny in February and won 1-0 on their way to the Championship title, Sweet added: “Vincent actually quite likes coming here, he told us. He likes this place. He might be one of the few!
“Again, we are good friends with Burnley, having travelled through the Championship with them last season and having seen what excellent progress they’ve made on their bounce-back, so it’s another one to look forward to.”
Photo Gallery: David Horn