When the young defender appeared as a substitute at Woking in the LDV Vans Trophy in October 2002, he became the first player to represent the club at Under-17, Under-19, Reserve and First-Team level within one season. And he impressed everyone with the way he handled this rapid progression, ending the season as a regular in the Youth and Reserve squads.

A former pupil of Icknield High School in Luton, Leon joined the club from Bushmead Wanderers as a 13-year-old. He signed scholarship forms in 2002 and played a vital role in the Hatters' FA Youth Cup run during the 2002-03 season as part of a defence that conceded just two goals over the five ties.

A versatile player, his preferred position is central defence, but he can also fill in as a full-back or makeshift striker, and he even appeared in goal for the Under-19s on the opening day of the 2003-04 season.

An impressive all-round sportsman, he has competed on a national scale in the triple jump, and his pace and athleticism are his great strengths on the football field. He is comfortable on the ball and powerful in the air, and can also be a nuisance in the opposing penalty area, weighing in with a useful six goals at all levels during the 2002-03 season, including two match-winning strikes for the Reserves.

Leon is one of many young players who has benefited from Reserve team football to further his development.

Leon continued his development at the club during the 2003-04 season, where he earned three first-team appearances along the way, appearing in LDV Vans Trophy victories over Stevenage Borough and Rushden & Diamonds and then in a 3-1 FA Cup First Round replay victory over Non-League Thurrock.

During the 2004-05 season, Leon was loaned to Southern League Premier Division side Aylesbury United at the end of November 2004 and he made his debut for the Ducks in a 1-3 home defeat to Histon.

He went on to make 5 League appearances and 1 FA Trophy appearance during his loan, earning rave reviews as he helped the club to four wins out of the six matches that he played in. Such was his impact that Aylesbury wanted to extend his loan spell, but, with a hectic Christmas period coming up, Luton Town manager Mike Newell decided that he needed Leon in the squad and he returned to Kenilworth Road.

In a season that saw the Hatters storm to the League One title in the most memorable season at Kenilworth Road for many a year, Leon found himself on the fringes of the first-team. However, by the end of the campaign he had made just one appearance at senior level – that coming in a 0-2 loss at Swansea City in the LDV Vans Trophy in September 2004. Unfortunately, Leon was sent off during that match for a professional foul.

Still a regular in the Hatters Reserve side during the season, and with the experience gained from his highly successful loan spell with Aylesbury United, Leon would undoubtedly be pushing for a regular first-team place during the forthcoming 2005-06 season as Luton embarked on a new chapter and life in the Championship.

Leon enjoyed an excellent 2005-06 season that really saw him blossom at Kenilworth Road and become a regular member of manager Mike Newell’s first-team squad.

A strong competitor that possesses a great leap and genuine pace, Leon made his first appearance of the season at senior level in mid-September when coming on as a very late substitute in a 1-0 victory at Hull City in front of the Sky television cameras. His first start of the season came just three days later in a 0-1 loss at runaway Champions Reading in the Second Round of the League Cup.

With regular central defenders Markus Heikkinen and Chris Coyne struggling with various injuries throughout the season – most notably Coyne with a recurring back problem – Leon pushed fellow central defender Russell Perrett – with some 11 years more experience in professional football – all the way to being the regular understudy to the popular Hatters defenders.

Looking to follow in the footsteps of another Luton Town youth graduate and central defender, Curtis Davies, who joined West Bromwich Albion in the August transfer deadline for a record Club sale of £3 million, Leon looked just as assured as Davies initially had when stepping into the first-team fold the previous season.

Manager Mike Newell certainly had no hesitation in throwing Leon straight into the action, as he demonstrated throughout the course of the season. By the end of the campaign, Leon had made 20 League first-team appearances, 12 of those starting appearances. The highlights of his season arguably were a strong performance in a 3-2 home win over Champions Reading in front of the Sky TV cameras that denied Reading setting a Football League record for undefeated matches, and a highly competent performance as a makeshift left-back when Sol Davis went off injured after just 17 minutes in a 1-1 draw at bitter rivals Watford.

Leon was rewarded for his excellent progress by manager Mike Newell with a new three-year contract that tied him to Kenilworth Road until 2009.

Leon had an excellent 2006-07 season, despite Luton Town’s poor form and relegation from the Championship.

With club captain Chris Coyne out injured, Leon was given a starting place alongside Markus Heikkinen in the centre of defence for the opening game of the season against Leicester City in front of the live Sky television cameras. He gave an outstanding display, his pace and jumping ability standing out and he was rewarded with a fine headed goal that gave the Hatters the lead – the first goal of Luton’s 2006-07 season. It set the Hatters on their way to a 2-0 victory.

He thereafter remained a mainstay in the side in the centre of defence, usually partnered by Markus Heikkinen or Chris Coyne, depending on the availability of the pair and, on occasions, by Russell Perrett. His consistently good form was alerting the attentions of the bigger clubs within weeks of the season starting. Just three matches after netting against Leicester City, Leon scored his second goal of the season in a 2-2 home draw with Stoke City as Luton made a solid start to the campaign.

A sending off at Brentford in the League Cup in mid-September was a brief disappointment for Leon, but he bounced back to once again cement his place at the heart of Luton’s defence. At one stage, he was even deployed in a central midfield role by manager Mike Newell, one particularly impressive performance from Leon coming in a 2-2 Sky televised draw at promotion-chasing Birmingham City.

However, as the season progressed, Luton’s form dropped and, by February 2007, the Hatters were in a real relegation battle – a battle they eventually lost. Manager Mike Newell was sacked for gross misconduct and replaced by Luton-born Kevin Blackwell, who had previously been in charge at Leeds United. One of Newell’s last decisions as boss was to try Leon as a centre-forward, but the move didn’t work out and Leon returned to the centre of midfield.

Blackwell continued to select Leon, but moved him from the central midfield role back to his previous central defensive position and Leon continued to impress as Luton were relegated to League One with a whimper.

Despite the awful season for Luton Town, Leon had impressed greatly, making 39 League appearances and scoring 3 goals. He was rewarded for his fine season by picking up the Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year awards.

However, with the Hatters now in League One, the bigger clubs came sniffing around for Leon’s signature. At one stage it looked as though he would be heading for Reading, but, in late July 2007, he did move. With West Bromwich Albion looking to find a replacement for former Hatter Curtis Davies – who Leon had ironically replaced in Luton’s defence after Davies’ transfer to the Hawthorns in August 2005 – they turned to Leon. Davies had requested a transfer at the Hawthorns, seeking a move to a Premiership side and it left Baggies boss Tony Mowbray needing a new central defender to replace Davies. He identified Leon as the man and, for the second time in Leon’s career, he would be replacing Curtis Davies. On July 25th 2007, a £2.5 million fee took Leon to West Bromwich Albion after just 59 League appearances and 3 goals during his Luton Town career.