Today's encounter with AFC Wimbledon presents a very intriguing and exciting clash, not just between two ambitious, progressive sides competing for promotion to the Football League from the Blue Square Conference Premier, but also as two clubs who currently sit in a similar league position at diverse stages of recovery after similar crises had plagued both clubs.
Please join me in warmly welcoming AFC Wimbledon to Kenilworth Road today. We welcome their officials, staff and players but, above all, their supporters. Given the fact that Wimbledon are possibly the only club Luton Town fans would prefer not to have exchanged places with over recent years, the commitment and compassion of the travelling faithful today is without question.
As both clubs proudly boast 1980's Wembley Cup success, a mutual respect exists between us and one which both clubs will adhere to today.
As a founder director of Trust In Luton, I am personally indebted to the assistance and advice the Dons Trust gave us back in the dreaded Gurney era when a phoenix club for Luton was being planned, just in case. Perhaps without their help our own Trust may not have mobilised so quickly and who knows what 'sliding door' consequences may have occurred.
So many players have represented both clubs well and whom we would remember so fondly; Mick Harford, John Hartson, Ceri Hughes, Kelvin Davis, Chris Willmott, Clive Goodyear to name but a few (no disrespect to Messrs Kimble, Perry and Jupp).
Even Curtis Davies who left Wimbledon as a 15-year-old to join our Centre of Excellence, the illustrious Mr Joe Kinnear and, our current reserve keeper Shane Gore, extend the dynamics of our relationship on the footballing side.
Off the pitch, the infamous march against a Hatters move to Milton Keynes over 25 years ago and the potential mergers between newly formed MK Dons and Luton Town in 2003, and the ethical resistance of such actions which go against football's traditions, are political issues that unite our two sets of supporters.
Of course, it was the relationship between the two supporters' trusts that enabled the memorable friendly at the beginning of 2003/04 season which is still vivid in my memory.
The showcasing of one Enoch Shomunmi came only second to my memory of being able to walk around the ground, beer in hand, to watch the Hatters attack in each half; something I used to do at many other grounds in my early days as a Hatter.
So, as Wimbledon can be heralded as the ultimate Phoenix club and with a new, confident and positive era at Luton Town in sight, it must provide some comfort to the many other clubs all the way up to the Premier League, that despite catastrophic unrest, proper community clubs who look after their finances can survive and thrive.
I have frequently expressed the theory that to establish longer term boardroom and financial stability is the most important job we, as a board of directors and a pack of Hatters fans, have.
Whilst Luton Town and Wimbledon steadily and patiently climb our way back to where we belong in the echelons of the League, others will increasingly crumble and fall - accelerating our own progress in the process.
I make no apology for being boring in writing about the politics in football. While stability and perseverance doesn't necessarily make good reading or sell tickets, with so many other clubs facing financial challenges at present, it is clear to us that ambition can only follow prudent executive management.
We shall always remain as ambitious a football club as we possibly can be at Luton and we hope that, this season, your perseverance will pay off as our performances improve on the pitch.
Today, I would also like to welcome Mr Brian Lee, Chairman of the Blue Square Conference, and his wife, for their first, and hopefully not their last, visit to Kenilworth Road this season.
It has been a busy and tough week for the Conference Board, which both Erik Samuelson, Wimbledon's Chief Executive, and I are members of, particularly in light of the situation surrounding Chester City's potential expulsion.
Whilst, from an external perspective, it may seem to some as though aimless deliberation or splinter-breeding fence-sitting has been the order of the day over the last couple of weeks, I can assure you that this is miles from the truth.
In fact, I am proud to be a member of a board which has sought to preserve the honour of the game, and Chester's inclusion within it, by carrying out the correct and proper procedures according to company law and its own rulebook.
Whatever happens to Chester, you can be assured that the lavish image of boardroom politics some may have is far removed from the serious, considerate and sensitive debate that actually exists in order to protect both the game of professional football and Chester City.
Despite the fact that both Luton Town and AFC Wimbledon may benefit from Chester's exit, I can categorically assure you that even if a vested influence may be able to have any impact on the end result, any such outcome would significantly dilute the pleasure for us should Luton Town's progress this season because of another club's demise.
Enjoy the game and celebrate the future of two great clubs by creating a special atmosphere!
Gary.
