STEVE BRUCE led his Manchester United side to victory on the fiercest stages in football, but the little Kenilworth Road will always send a shiver down his spine.
For almost a decade he was the rock in defense of a side that dominated England at the start of the Premier League era and won nine major trophies.
Yet two successive trips to Bedfordshire ahead of the start of the Prem turned into a nightmare for Bruce.
In September 1990, he set the unwanted record by becoming the first top player to be sent off for a professional foul, after rule changes made it a red card.
And the following season, Bruce was in the side that stumbled to a point at Luton, leading to a collapse that dashed dreams of a first title in a quarter of a century.
With five games to go, United were five points clear of Leeds with two games to go, albeit in the middle of an 11-match schedule in the final six weeks.
Then came that misstep against a Hatters side facing relegation, three straight defeats for the Reds, three straight wins for ultimate league victors Leeds and Man Utd's 26-year title drought.
So with United about to return for the first time since that dismal 1-1 draw in April 1992, it's no wonder Bruce is struggling to watch the match with any fondness.
Now 63, Bruce admitted: 'When we went to Luton we were in the middle of a ridiculous schedule. At one point we had four games in a week.
“Before January we had blown teams away, but towards the end we couldn't lift a leg – and Luton was the start of it.
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“The pressure of knowing that we had not won the competition for so long was increasing. You also get injuries with so many games, and we made a mistake.
“It was very painful at the time and signing with Luton played a big role. That was the start of our worst period of the season and that ruined it for us.”
Lee Sharpe had put United ahead but then Mick Harford equalized and almost from that moment the wheels came off as Leeds surged past to win the last ever Division One crown.
As a centre-back, Bruce made more than 300 appearances for the Red Devils over the course of nine years at Old Trafford.
And he recalls that his previous visit to Kenilworth Road had been just as tortuous – on a more personal level, as it took him just 39 minutes before he put that unfortunate thing first.
United were in the lead thanks to Mark Robins' header when Iain Dowie turned away, Bruce pulled his shirt and referee Ray Lewis sent him packing.
He added: “To be honest I couldn't even remember who I had fouled – it certainly wasn't Mick as he would never have sprinted anywhere! But yes, it was intentional.
“It was that horrible plastic pitch, I grabbed his shirt and left. The first to receive a red card under the new rules. Thanks for reminding me!
“So no, not the happiest place for me at that moment. It wasn't a good period for me at Luton, although in a crazy way I believe it helped us a lot to win the title the following season.
“I wouldn't say we bottled it, but it became more and more difficult to deal with. It was a little bit of everything.
“There was of course the pressure of not having won the title for 25 years. That's something the current team will feel soon because it's been 10 years for United.
“We didn't really have the experience of winning at the time, so I think it gave us the kick not to go through it again – and Luton was the start of it.”