Match-up of former Brewers is on for spot in League
FRIENDS and former Burton Albiuon academy graduates Ben Fox and Joe Sbarra will go head to head in the National League play-off final at West Ham United’s London Stadium on Sunday.
The two midfielders came through their semi-finals in fine style at the weekend.
Fox was again hailed for a massive amount of work as Grimsby Town upset big-spending Wrexham 5-4 after extra time in a stunning thriller at the Racecourse Ground.
And Sbarra, the scorer of 18 goals this season for Solihull, played the first 77 minutes for the Moors as they won their home semi-final 3-1 against Chesterfield.
Burton-born Fox was on senior terms with his home town club from 2016 until being released last season and is making a good job of his second professional deal, making 35 appearances for Grimsby this season.
The Mariners did not go into the away tie against Wrexham as favourites and had had to beat Notts County to reach the semi-finals, for which the Welsh club had qualified automatically.
Wrexham were ahead through Paul Mullins’ penalty after 15 minutes but John Mcatee equalised by half-time and Luke Waterfall put Grimsby in front after 57 minutes.
Wrexham turned the tie around with goals from Ben Tozer (63) and Mullin (65) to lead 3-2.
But Grimsby again hit back, Ryan Taylor, the 34-year-old striker who had a spell on loan with Burton as long ago as 2007, equalising and Mani Dieseruvwe putting them 4-3 up with 12 minutes left.
Jordan Davies equalised two minutes after that and the game went to extra time before Waterfall scored a 119th-minute winner.
Another odd Albion-related fact was that two former Burton players whose time with the Brewers is separated by 19 years were unused substitutes for Wrexham – midfielder Tom O’connor, who moved to the Welsh club in January, and veteran goalkeeper Lee Camp.
It was hardly likely that the other semi-final could match that for drama.
But Solihull, the only one of the clubs involved in the play-offs who have not previously been in the Football League, had beaten Chesterfield twice before in the season and had the better of them again.
Goals from Andrew Dallas, Alex Gudger and Callum Howe gave the Moors victory over the Spireites in front of a record crowd of 4,026 at the Armco Arena in Solihull after they had fallen behind in the eighth minute to a Joe Quigley goal.
The win was met by jubilant scenes at the stadium with fans celebrating with the players – and Sbarra rather controversially holding aloft a flare as he was chaired from the field by supporters.
He has won the supporters’ and players’ player of the season awards for the club this season.
Meanwhile, it was heartbreak for a host of former Burton players and former manager Nigel Clough as Mansfield Town went down 3-1 to Port Vale in the League Two play-off final on Saturday.
Clough had dragged the Stags from near the bottom of the table in October to reach the play-offs but they fell short and were left to rue a missed chance by former Brewers loanee Jamie Murphy before Vale opened the scoring.
Oliver Hawkins was sent off for Mansfield in the first half when they already trailed 2-0 and there was no way back.
Murphy, Stephen Quinn and John-joe O’toole were the ex-brewers who started the game for Mansfield.
Lucas Akins and Kieran Wallace were on the bench, Akins going on after 79 minutes.