The Hatters Christmas Dinner at the Auction House was a roaring success as three of the League One promotion winning players from the 2004/05 campaign spoke highly of their time with the club.
Rowan Vine, Curtis Davies and Marlon Beresford shared their memories of that season, with the trio reminiscing about what Rowan called “probably the best time of my career.”
“When they contacted me a few weeks ago I couldn’t wait to come down,” the former Portsmouth and Birmingham City striker explained. “For me, Luton Town Football Club has been a massive part of my career and I am honoured to have been invited and to meet the supporters here tonight.
“I think if you speak to any footballer about success, proper success and winning things, they will always remember that. When we won League One, it was the first bit of real success I had in my career. I was speaking to Curtis last week, and we have both gone on to have good careers, but we both agreed it was one of the best seasons of our careers.
“It’s not just because we had success, but the feeling we had here, you feel part of the club. I hold this club close to my heart and for me, it’s probably the best time in my career.
“It’s been a brilliant night, I have been humbled by all the people that are here. I will always look back at the two years I had here as the grounding for my career.”
Marlon spoke just as well of that campaign, and what a great experience the evening was being back amongst supporters who he remembers cheering on the side when he was in-between the sticks.
He said: “It’s great to see Curtis and Rowan. A bit of reminiscing, memories, a few drinks and a really good evening.
“It’s excellent to see those faces that were here ten, 15 years ago when I was playing. Being back amongst those supporters. I follow Luton, I go and watch a lot of the games anyway, so I am aware of what’s going on. It’s always nice coming back.”
Curtis – who is a regular for fellow Championship outfit Derby County – was delighted to be back at a club he holds close to his heart.
“It’s good to see all the familiar faces – the Luton Town fans who did and still come to all the events. It’s good to see Marlon and Rowan, I’ve always wanted to get the band back together. I have always been welcomed here, I was only here a short time, but I have always been welcomed back with open arms, which I really appreciate, it’s a club that I love.
“We’ve been speaking about changing rooms and the way that people are. Our changing room back then was ruthless, that’s what kept us winning. We had people like Nico, Stevie Howard, Steve Robinson, that aren’t scared to say anything.
“We lost six games all season and after those losses we were at each other’s throats. I was one of the younger ones hiding in the corner! That’s what we demanded of each other though. We finished with 98 points, it could have been 100 and we ended up getting promoted. I wish a few more of the lads were here!”
A huge thank you to all the supporters who attended the evening, which also saw over £2,000 raised for Club Partner Charity of the Year, Signposts.