Such promise – then 2020 was a year to forget
What could go wrong did for Burton as the world changed
MOST people are happy to see the back of 2020 for many reasons, including all the obvious ones, but it has certainly been a bad year for Burton Albion.
A calendar year form chart is produced by the Press Association and it shows the Brewers sitting 88th of the 92 clubs in the top four tiers of the English game, taking 0.91 points from each of 34 matches played during the year.
One thing it does make clear, not that we were unaware, is that the decline in playing fortunes is not limited to Jake Buxton’s time in charge.
Burton have only six wins in the calendar year, two of them this season, so there were only four from the point in January when they were still hoping to make a push for the League One play-offs.
There was only one win in the last 10 games of last season, before it was ended prematurely, and that was against a Southend United side destined for relegation.
That 88th place has Burton as the worst performing of the current League One clubs, with only Southend, now in League Two, below them – although they actually won one more game in 2020.
A table like this can throw up some oddities. Wycombe Wanderers are only three places above Burton, yet part of their year included promotion from League One. Portsmouth, Doncaster Rovers and Peterborough United are the highest-placed League One clubs, occupying fifth to seventh overall, but none won promotion. Here’s how 2020 panned out for the Brewers. Look away now if you can’t bear it.
A 4-1 defeat away to Ipswich sealed the end of the play-off hopes, with them now 10 points short of the top six
JANUARY
The year started, as it was to end, with a seven-goal thriller but, away to Bolton Wanderers on New Year’s Day, the Brewers came out on the right side of a 4-3 scoreline, hitting back to lead by half-time after falling two goals behind.
The result saw Burton 12th but, in a congested top half, only three points off the play-off places. A rampant Northampton Town, on their way to League Two promotion, knocked the Brewers out of the FA Cup the following week but successive 1-0 wins over Fleetwood Town and MK Dons edged them into the top six.
Draws with Accrington Stanley and AFC Wimbledon saw out a month in which leading scorer Liam Boyce was transferred to Hearts, while Joe Powell came in from West Ham United in a permanent deal and winger Jamie Murphy signed from Rangers on loan.
FEBRUARY
Burton were unlucky to lose an absolute cracker 3-2 away to leaders
Rotherham United, Murphy scoring a brilliant opening goal. A drab 0-0 against Gillingham followed and remains the last clean sheet recorded by the team, 34 matches ago.
The Brewers then surrendered the lead twice to draw 2-2 at home to Oxford United and a 4-1 defeat away to Ipswich Town realistically signalled the end of the play-off hopes, with them now 10 points short of the top six.
The 3-2 win away to Southend United next time out was to be the last of the season, the only win in their last 10 matches.
They drew 1-1 at home to Peterborough United to end the month but the growing menace of Covid-19 was starting to make us wonder how long the season would last.
MARCH
Burton contrived to lose a genuinely bizarre game 3-2 away to Lincoln City, dominating in all areas of the pitch except for the conversion of chances.
The Imps scored all three of their on-target efforts and, by this time, manager Nigel Clough’s frustration was palpable.
It was a case of when rather than if the season would be shut down by the time Bolton arrived at the Pirelli on Tuesday, March 10, and the Brewers came from behind twice to draw 2-2. The second equaliser, despatched with aplomb by Murphy from Reece Hutchinson’s cross after a brilliant move involving nine of the team, left us with a tantalising glimpse of how good the Brewers could be but they had simply not done it often enough.
APRIL
The month was spent wondering whether or not the season would be able to restart. After the temporary suspension of March 13, it was suspended indefinitely on April 3. Protracted discussions and votes were held about how to end the season if that had to be the case.
MAY
With the resumption of regular fixtures for the 201920 season now looking a remote possibility, Nigel Clough stepped down as manager. It had been apparent for a while that he was becoming more frustrated with operating on an uneven playing field, given the free spending of many rivals – proven to be money they did not have in at least two significant cases – as Burton fell from the Championship and battled to establish themselves again in League One.
Jake Buxton was immediately announced as Clough’s replacement, the club saying that had always been the intention but that the opportunity was arising sooner than expected for the club captain.
JUNE
The clubs finally voted to decide the League One placings on a points per game basis, a decision that left Burton 12th and saw Coventry City go up as champions, accompanied by Rotherham United.
That elevated Wycombe Wanderers into a play-off spot and they duly won the play-offs, while in-form Tranmere Rovers were to relegation despite looking the likeliest of the strugglers to get out of trouble.
JULY
Buxton announced his first signing of the summer, Steve Lawless, a winger from Livingston in the Scottish Premiership, soon followed by former Derby County forward Charles Vernam, from Grimsby Town.
AUGUST
The Brewers announced the double signing of former Lincoln City defenders Neal Eardley and Michael Bostwick, soon followed by Burtonborn striker Kane Hemmings from Dundee. Buxton early work in the transfer window was noted with approval by supporters.
SEPTEMBER
Having sold England Under-18 goalkeeper Teddy Sharman-Lowe to Chelsea, Burton immediately loaned him back and added Jack Roles, from Spurs, and Indiana Vassilev, from Aston Villa, to the loans list.
The season kicked off with victory in a penalty shoot-out over Accrington Stanley in the Carabao Cup after a 1-1 draw but the Brewers also lost Vernam to a knee injury in the game. They lost their first League match 2-1 away to Fleetwood Town, but beat Accrington 2-1 at home to register their first win.
Aston Villa won 3-1 at the Pirelli in the Carabao Cup but the month ended with an alarming 4-2 defeat away to Swindon Town, in which John-Joe O’Toole was sent off.
OCTOBER
Portsmouth won 4-2 at the Pirelli with former Brewer Marcus Harness scoring a brilliant hat-trick. Defensive frailties were clear and Buxton added centre-half Sam Hughes, from Leicester City on loan.
Hughes was a hit but results were still poor, a defeat away to Plymouth Argyle in which John Brayford was injured and a poor 1-0 defeat at home to Rochdale.
A promising 2-2 draw away to Peterborough United, in which Burton looked the better side, was followed by another flat display in a 2-1 defeat at home to Blackpool.
NOVEMBER
Burton were unlucky to concede a 99th-minute equaliser away to Shrewsbury Town, then went out of the FA Cup 1-0 away to National League strugglers Barnet.
Hull City beat a Covid-depleted Brewers 2-0, with Hughes sent off in the 18th minute, before a shocking 3-1 defeat at home to Northampton Town.
Buxton had harsh words for his team and they sparkled next time out, beating Charlton Athletic 4-2.
Tuesday night’s 4-3 defeat at home to Wigan Athletic was the last straw and Buxton was sacked after seven months
DECEMBER
Albion led in successive games against Sunderland, Crewe Alexandra and MK Dons but were pegged back for 1-1 draws in each, then lost four matches straight to finish the year on the bottom of the table.
A cruciate ligament injury to end Hughes’ season against Doncaster Rovers rubbed salt in the wounds.
Tuesday night’s 4-3 defeat at home to Wigan Athletic, in which they led three times, was the last straw and Buxton was sacked after seven months in charge.