Since 1987 how many promoted Conference teams have been relegated in their first season of league football? None out of 38 promoted sides.

Cambridge United and Luton Town, the two most recent additions to the Football League, face each other today in a fierce local derby which will attract an attendance of over 6,000.

Luton have had a difficult start but showed what they are capable of recently, as a Marc Cullen goal gave them a 1-0 victory over Cheltenham last week, who had previously been unbeaten. 

The Hatters backed this up with a creditable goalless draw at York in midweek, in which the Hatters forced home keeper Michael Ingham into four excellent saves. 

Luton possess a proven goalscorer and a proven manager in Cullen and John Still, who together have worked wonders with Dagenham at this level previously. 

Though they have lost Andre Gray to Brentford, the income from this sale and their strong home support should allow them to mount a play-off challenge.

I recently witnessed Cambridge United’s first away win this season, a 3-2 success at Dagenham and Redbridge, who passed the ball around with confidence led by midfield playmaker Andre Boucaud. 

The Daggers took the lead but the U’s showed their worth through an effective, if not aesthetically pleasing, second-half response. Ryan Donaldson produced a precise free-kick to level the scores before providing an assist through an accurate corner that Michael Nelson nodded home. 

A poacher’s goal from Ryan Bird meant that a late Daggers goal proved only a consolation, giving Cambridge a valuable away win. This showed particular character as they were suffering from a severe injury list, with six key players out

The U’s fell to a disappointing 2-1 home defeat to Exeter in midweek, claiming the lead through Bird again before flattering to deceive in falling to a defeat. 

This is to be expected for a side still adjusting to a higher division and one would expect both themselves and Luton to improve as the season continues.

Donaldson has been the creative fulcrum of the Cambridge side, having represented England U-19 during his time at Newcastle, before being released and signing for Conference side Gateshead. 

Confident on the ball and lethal from set-pieces, his ability is obvious and credit must go to Richard Money who coached him in the academy at the Magpies. 

Money then brought Donaldson to Cambridge and is now rightly building his side around him, particularly after the summer departure of talented midfielder Luke Berry to Barnsley. 

Donaldson is symptomatic of why the standard of Conference football is improving. Academies of English clubs are now taking on more players than ever, meaning more players who are released reignite their careers via the Conference. 

These players have potential in abundance but need exposure to first-team football to allow this to flourish into actuality. Donaldson is a shining example of this, with a useful knack of scoring important goals, most recently three at Wembley last season — two in the FA Trophy final and a stunning free-kick that sealed Cambridge’s promotion.

Donaldson is certainly one to watch this season, as Cambridge and Luton go about showing the Football League that they are more than deserving of their place.