When Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu made his Luton Town debut in a Conference game at Alfreton in December 2013, both he and the club were at a low ebb.

Luton, meanwhile, were in their fifth season of non-league football, having dropped through the divisions following relegation from the top flight in 1992.

Now, nearly a decade later, the 29-year-old sees himself as “part of the furniture” at Kenilworth Road and is one game away from becoming the first player to go all the way from the National League to the Premier League with the same club.

It has been quite a run for the midfielder, who told reporters following promotion from League Two in 2018: “I’m surprised I’m still here.”

Since that match at Alfreton, watched by a crowd 1,279, Mpanzu has gone on to make more than 360 appearances for the Hatters and gain two caps since 2021 for DR Congo.

And he views the prospect of promotion to the Premier League as the “icing on the cake” after what has been for him “a crazy journey”.

‘Iconic figure’

There is no doubting Mpanzu’s importance to Luton.

Following their 3-2 aggregate win over Sunderland a week ago in the Championship play-off semi-finals, among several celebratory tweets posted by the club was one which said: “One more 90 minutes until this man makes history.”

And former Hatters player and manager Mick Harford told BBC Three Counties Radio: “Pelly is an iconic figure at this football club.

“He’s pivotal to our success, the way he is, the way he interacts with everyone.”

Having arrived on loan, Mpanzu’s move was made permanent by then manager John Still in January 2014 and he scored his first Luton goal in a 7-0 win over Hereford the following month.

By the end of that season, they were celebrating promotion back to the English Football League (EFL) having won 30 of their 46 games and earning 101 points, 19 more than runners-up Cambridge United.

Having taken five years to escape non-league football, it took four more to take the next step as, having lost to Blackpool in the 2017 play-offs, they went up from League Two 12 months later under Nathan Jones.

By the end of the 2018-19 campaign, Jones had left for Stoke City, but club stalwart Harford was reinstalled as interim boss and guided them to a second successive promotion.

Looking back, how does Mpanzu regard that period?

“Dropping out of West Ham, you think ‘uh oh, here I am out of the league’, but to get promoted first season in that first six months I was here was a great achievement,” he told BBC Three Counties Radio.

“Then we just ran through the leagues, [but] that heartache of losing in the play-offs to Blackpool, drawing 3-3, conceding a goal in the last couple of minutes was tough.”

‘Every league is different’

Now just Coventry City stand between Luton – and Mpanzu – and a place in the Premier League, having lost out in the play-off semi-finals to Huddersfield last season.

Many players are moved on when a club wins promotion, as they look to freshen up the squad, but no matter who has been brought to Kenilworth Road, Mpanzu has met the challenge of a higher league and been a reassuring, positive presence in the home dressing room.

“Every league is different, from National League, to League Two, to League One, to the Championship, all through the leagues you’ve got to adapt your game,” he said.

“I’m here trying to play my best whatever manager I’ve had, which is John Still, Mick [Harford], Graeme Jones, Nathan Jones, Rob Edwards, even Andy Awford, who took over for a bit as well. All the managers have believed in me and hopefully I can pay them back [on Saturday].

“Even though they’re not here right now, they all played a part and made a platform for us to make it to the Premier League.”

He continued: “It’s been a great rise and everyone has played a part. The fans have played a part, the community, all the staff members, it’s been a real town effort and we’ve got one more [game] to make it a wonderful summer for everyone. I don’t think the party will stop on Saturday if we win.”

Luton’s intensity and self-belief were key factors as they overturned a 2-1 first leg deficit against Sunderland – and Mpanzu and midfield partner Marvelous Nakamba did a near faultless job of shielding their defence as the Wearsiders tried in vain to summon a goal to level the scores in the closing stages.

‘Embrace’ the big occasion

Playing at the national stadium is something every young player dreams of and the normally unflappable Mpanzu is uncertain how he will react when he steps on to the pitch for the first time.

“It can go two ways. You can be nervous and it can help you, or you can be nervous and don’t want the ball and be shy,” he said.

“I’m not really a nervous person but the nerves may come because I haven’t played at Wembley. It will be nice to go there on Friday, see the surroundings and embrace it all and enjoy it.”

It is that sense of enjoyment that has helped establish him as a “massive cog”, according to Harford.

“You’ve got to enjoy life. You never know what’s round the corner. Live life to the full every day and if someone needs to be cheered up, I try and do that,” said Mpanzu.

“I try to lighten the mood all the time, it’s just the kind of character I am. But on Saturday, we’ve all got to be calm, collected, play our game and enjoy it. You’ve got to enjoy these games. We can achieve something very big on Saturday.”

Should Luton succeed, he is looking forward to Premier League giants such as Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United facing a “hostile environment” at Kenilworth Road, before the club’s planned move to a new home at Power Court in 2024-25.

And Harford has no doubt Mpanzu will once again take his game to a new level and be part of it.

“If we were to get to the Premier League, I could see Pelly having no problem playing in the Premier League next season, he said.