Brayford wants to drive on for Albion
JOHN Brayford said there is still much more he wants to achieve with Burton Albion.
The 32-year-old defender signed a new contract with the Brewers this week, extending his stay with the club that gave him his professional debut in 2006.
Brayford had a year of his contract remaining but has agreed a new two-year deal - on reduced money to do his bit to help the club come through the financial challenges posed by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
With a smaller squad to work with, Brayford is an experienced player who gives player-manager Jake Buxton options at right-back and centreback, as well as being one of the squad leaders in the dressing room.
He said he was happy to accept a pay cut to help the club, adding: “I spoke to the new manager about it and I decided it was the right thing to do.
“If reducing my pay was going to help the football club in the long run, then I was happy to help.
“Being offered an extra year on my original deal allows me to stay around here and I think there’s still some unfinished business to achieve.
“In the current climate nobody knows what the future holds but I feel that there’s a lot that this squad can achieve.”
Though he has had spells away since developing through the club’s youth system as a teenager, Burton are very much Brayford’s club.
He left the Brewers in 2008 to sign for Crewe Alexandra, before going on to play for Derby County, Cardiff City and Sheffield United.
He returned to the
Brewers on loan from the Blades in the 2016-17 season before completing a permanent move and has been a major part of the Brewers’ defence for the last three years. Brayford’s was one of three new deals announced by Burton this week, with Stephen Quinn and Kieran Wallace also committing for another year. When retained list was announced last month, Burton had also offered new deals to Colin Daniel, Jevan Anderson and Ben Hart.
Nobody knows what the future holds but I feel that there’s a lot that this squad can achieve.
John Brayford