May 6th, 2007 is a memorable date in Luton Town’s history for all of the wrong reasons. A packed out Kenilworth Road played witness to the ultimate misery compiler in the form of a 5-0 home defeat at the hands of champions Sunderland in what was the most recent Championship appearance for the already relegated Hatters. Ninety minutes of two teams seemingly leagues apart unknowingly foreshadowed the ensuing decade of contrast for both clubs.

A topsy-turvy ten year spell in the Premier League for Sunderland may be an accurate description on the one hand, but one that is barely worth mentioning in comparison to the depths of despair that Luton Town fans had to endure.

On the back of two consecutive points deductions and consequent relegations as a result of administration, Luton spent five frustrating years in the Conference, including three play-off defeats before making their return to the Football League in 2014.

Another five years down the line, it is scarcely believable to think that two teams, separated by three places at the top of League One, sat 86 places apart exactly seven years ago. And after two 1-1 draws this season, the fixtures between the two teams have once again provided an accurate depiction of their difference in quality, or lack of, in this instance, which could well foreshadow a shared season of success for both clubs.

The two sides currently boast a combined unbeaten run of 29, with Luton winning fifteen and drawing four of their last 19 games and Sunderland winning ten, drawing eight and losing just one in the same period. And although the Black Cats currently occupy fourth place, a victory in their game in hand would see them one point away from joining Luton in the automatic promotion places.

After a rollercoaster ride of a decade for the Black Cats and the Hatters, there is a sense of romance that comes with the two great clubs colliding once more in a neck and neck bid to return to the Championship, the league that, ever since that final day fixture in ’07 had set them so far apart.