Hatters manager Mick Harford is delighted with of the irony of facing former club Wimbledon on the opening game of new season in the Blue Square Premier.

The Conference fixtures have pitted Harford's men to play AFC Wimbledon at Kingsmeadow on Saturday 8th August in both teams' first match in the division.

Founded following the original Wimbledon's move to Milton Keynes, AFC have climbed to non-league's top flight in the space of seven year since forming in 2002.

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And although Harford was always looking forward to playing the Dons it was a pleasant surprise to be meeting them so early in the campaign.

"Obviously as a former Wimbledon player it was always going to be a fixture I was looking forward to," Harford exclusive told lutontown.co.uk.

"They've done tremendously well to work their way up the pyramid to now get within one promotion of the Football League.

"It's ironic in some ways that we should play each other on the first game of the season.

"It will be a massive game for both clubs and I'm looking forward to it - both home and away games.

"I knew we would meet at some point in the season but I didn't expect it to be so early."

With plenty of local derbies next season the manager is also looking forward to a number of high-profile fixtures.

"We end the season with a game at Rushden and throughout the season there are a lot of local games which will be good for the supporters.

"Stevenage, Cambridge and Oxford all did well last season so we're under no illusions that this league is going to be easy - there are a lot of ex-league teams in the division, too."

And with four games scheduled in the space of two weeks it means the suspensions of skipper Kevin Nicholls (four-game ban) and new signing Alan White (three-game ban) will expire sooner rather than later.

"It's good that come the end of the first fortnight of the season those suspensions will be over," Harford said.

"They are influential and experienced players for us and it's up to us to find the cover to replace them while they are out of the side."