Brian Horton: I relished the job of captaining Luton Town after joining from Seagulls

Former Town captain Brian Horton lines up for a picture with his new team-mates

Former Luton midfielder Brian Horton had no qualms about being named as Hatters captain immediately after signing at the start of the 1981-82 campaign.

Then aged 31, Horton was already steeped in top flight experience, having spent two seasons in Division One, the Seagulls reaching the top flight with two promotions during his six seasons on the south coast.

However, with his time at the Goldstone Ground at an end, he headed to Kenilworth Road, where he was instantly given the captain’s armband by boss David Pleat.

It paid off as well, Town winning the Division Two title to reach Division One for the first time in their history, as on receiving the honour, Horton said: “I’d done it with Brighton, I’d gone to Brighton and captained them.

“I’d been captain through my whole life, I was the captain at Port Vale, Peter Taylor made me captain at Brighton and Alan Mullery then kept me as his captain for all those years.

“David wanted me as his captain, so I relished it to be fair.

“I tried to organise things for players off the field as well, get a good team spirit going which we did, they had a spirit there anywhere.

“I spoke to Mossy (David Moss) this week, I keep in touch with quite a few of the lads and we had a reunion a while ago, so I knew I was walking into a good dressing room and a good team.”

Prolific winger Moss, who had been at the club himself since 1978, and scored 15 goals in 36 games that season, felt it was a great move by Pleat.

He continued: “Brian was a good captain, he had been used to promotions as a winning captain, so I think he was an inspired signing by David Pleat.

“He was a leader like that, a born captain.

“I think David Pleat realised maybe we needed that type of character to gel the dressing room and to get everybody together.

“He was very good at that Brian, and team spirit was excellent, it was just a good signing at the right time.”

Horton, who went on to have three fine campaigns with the Hatters, playing 132 games and scoring 10 goals, remembers his stint at Kenilworth Road fondly, as after reaching Division One, they stayed there for his next two seasons.

He added: “They were absolutely special times for me.

“I came from Brighton, where we’d gone up from the old Third Division to the top division and Alan Mullery had resigned, who I got on great with.

“I was his captain and he said to me, they wanted me to go as well, they wanted to sell Mark Lawrenson, myself, and change it round.

“He wouldn’t have it, resigned, Mike Bailey came in and said the same things, that I’d had to prove myself, which I didn’t fell I had to prove anything to anybody at Brighton.

“So he said David Pleat wanted to speak to me, Tony Grealish was going to Brighton and David wanted to speak to me about going to Luton.

“I did, and I knew what kind of team they’d got, as I’d played against them a few times.

“They’d got some excellent players, but they had a change around that year as well because Alan West left, Paul Price and Tony went, so the three of them went and I came in.

“The likes of Ricky Hill, Kirk Stephens were still there, you can go right through the team, Jake Findlay, Mal Donaghy, Mike Saxby, Lil Fuccillo, the list goes on.

“Mossy, Steiny (Brian Stein), Steve White had a great year that year, so I knew I was walking into a great team and David wanted me to be captain, which also helped.”