BURTON ALBION
LAST SEASON
LEAGUE ONE 9th FA CUP First Round LEAGUE CUP Semi-finals TOP SCORERS Lucas Akins, Liam Boyce (14)
FANFILE JACK STOUT @Brewerstv
The big talking point among the fans is our new home kit, chosen by a fan vote only for the final choice to cause some frustration among supporters. There has also been a debate about who could replace last year’s on-loan keeper, Bradley Collins, as our No.1.
I won’t be happy unless we have a shot at promotion. After a season of settling into the league, and showing potential in the season’s later stages, we’d like a play-off challenge at least. Save the date for Accrington. We’re two of the league’s smallest clubs and always seem to have a good contest: last season featured a tense 1-1 draw away followed by a seven-goal thriller at our place.
Our best celebrity fan is The Stig. Our key player will be Lucas Akins [below]. He’s played in every outfield position for the Brewers. Last term he was mainly at right-back and he still scored 14 goals in all competitions, with a 23 per cent conversion rate. The best away ground is London Road in Peterborough, with its ornate away section featuring wooden seats and great acoustics.
The best thing about the matchday experience at Burton is the terracing. We have three terraced stands, when very few League One clubs still have it. The signature local dish is beer, of course. Since the 1700s, Burton has exported beer all over the world, with one brewery per 10,000 residents. Did you know that we’ve been in the Football League for only 10 seasons. In that time, we’ve had two seasons in the Championship and appeared in a League Cup semi-final.
The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is that Nigel Clough [above] has grown into a popular figure again. He came in for criticism in previous seasons, but it’s been a positive few months since he changed the style of play in February from 4-3-3, when we were solid defensively but struggled to score many goals, into a diamond. He’ll have a tougher job this season, as our fans’ expectations are higher. We’ll finish 5th, inside the play-off places after a productive campaign.