A host of former players from Pleat's era at Kenilworth Road were in attendance, including Brian Stein, Raddy Antic and Mitchell Thomas.

Jones was signed by Pleat in 1995 for the Hatters, and although the ex-Tottenham Hotspur boss left shortly after, the two maintain a good relationship.

The gaffer said: "Well it's good for David because he doesn't suffer fools gladly and he doesn't sort of say anything generically really. I have a good relationship with David, he comes in my office most home games when he's there, to talk football and so on. He doesn't heap praise upon us, what he does is he is very constructive about certain things and I take that on board.

"But when people speak well of you – and it was a night at Luton Hoo for a celebration of a wonderful side they had in the 80s, so to be mentioned in the same breath as that team – it means that we're doing things right. I am very proud of that, but we don't get carried away, we are very grounded here. But it is nice to be mentioned in that way.

"I spoke to Raddy Antic who has obviously had a wonderful career both as a player and manager and mentioned certain things about what we do, that unless you know football, you won't bring up those things. It's stuff that we try to do – options and variations in the way that we play, and he recognised that and it was wonderful to hear.

"It was a wonderful celebration last night and it was great to see so many of the top players, I know quite a few of them and played with one or two, coached by one or two. So it was a real good night and it's good to celebrate those times, because it's a historic club Luton, I knew that. Being the manager you're basically a custodian of the traditions really, to have good attacking football and at this time we're able to uphold that."

With the January transfer window just around the corner, Jones was asked about Gary Sweet's programme notes from the Fleetwood Town edition of 'This Is Our Town', with the Hatters expecting an interesting month on and off the field.

"I think it's going to be a testing January – I think that's what he meant," Jones continued. "Certain things with the transfer window. We're in a good place, the squad is in a wonderful place, the players are developing at such a rate that there's going to be interest, we've got interest in other people as well, so that's going to be interesting for that reason.

"With the stadium as well with a few decisions in the middle of the month and at the end of the month that are going to be. So I think in context I think that's what Gary meant, in terms of the transfer window, because it's going to be a real interesting January within the transfer window, but anyone we get tested with is 1) going to need a lot of money and 2) have a wonderful project, because I think we have a group of players here who believe in what we do.

"So they're going to have to have a lot of money and have a better project than what we have and a way that they can develop our players better than we can. I challenge anyone to put themselves up for that."