Out of the darkness cometh the Johnstone's Paint Trophy

The motto 'Out of Darkness Cometh Light' might not have been written with Luton Town in mind, but chairman Nick Owen can be forgiven for using it as his own this season.

31 Oct 2008

The lifelong Hatters fan is now in charge of the club he loves after a well documented turbulent close season.

And while the ancient phrase is actually Wolverhampton Wanderers' official mantra, Owen is hoping his side follows in the footsteps of the Old Gold and Black club - by winning the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.

Back in 1988, Wolves won the then Sherpa Van Trophy at Wembley to mark the beginning of a footballing renaissance, after the club plummeted to the bottom of the Football League pyramid.

Owen believes that 20 years on, a similar success for Luton Town would be their much needed chink of light to take the club away from any lingering darkness.

He said: "I read that Wolves held a 20 year reunion for their trophy winning players recently, and I can't understate how important that triumph was for the club. It made me think of our situation here at Luton.

"Wolves' board said that the competition was a turning point for them because it reminded everyone what it was like to win something.

"I can see parallels with us and the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, which is why the competition is so important to us.

"It was a fabulous feeling to beat Brentford on penalties in the last round and to be just four games from Wembley is a fact not lost on us.

"The Johnstone's Paint Trophy has started the ball rolling for us and to win it is a massive incentive."

Owen was also quick to reflect back upon 1988 for a far more memorable experience - when Town beat the mighty Arsenal to win the League Cup.

He said it would be poetic to give fans another trip to Wembley, under the tuition of Mick Harford - the man who starred in the number nine shirt on that emotional day in April.

"That was the proudest sporting day of my life. What a game that was!

"And what an opportunity we have to create a bit more club history by taking our fans back to the place that they will remember for a lifetime."

Luton Town travel to Bescot to play Walsall on Tuesday 4th November, 7.45pm in the Southern Area Quarter Final.

Johnstone’s. Bringing colour to the beautiful game.