 | ||||
| Full name | Burton Albion Football Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | Brewers, The Yellow and Black Army | |||
| Founded | 6 July 1950; 75 years ago (1950-07-06) | |||
| Ground | Pirelli Stadium | |||
| Capacity | 6,912 | |||
| Owner | Nordic Football Group | |||
| Chairman | Wouter Gudde (Interim) | |||
| Manager | Gary Bowyer | |||
| League | EFL League One | |||
| 2024–25 | EFL League One, 20th of 24 | |||
| Website | burtonalbionfc.co.uk | |||
 Current season | ||||
Burton Albion Football Club is a professionalassociation football club in the town ofBurton upon Trent,Staffordshire, England. The team competes inLeague One, the third level of theEnglish football league system. The club moved its home ground in 2005 to thePirelli Stadium fromEton Park. The club's nickname, The Brewers, evokes thebrewing heritage of Burton upon Trent.
Burton Albion were formed in 1950 and initially joined theBirmingham & District League before switching to theSouthern League eight years later. They were promoted from the Southern League Division One in 1965–66, 1971–72 and 1973–74 and were relegated from the Southern League Premier Division in 1970, 1973 and 1977. Burton spent 1979 to 1987 in theNorthern Premier League, before reverting to the Southern League Premier Division. The club rejoined the Northern Premier League in 2001 and were promoted to theConference as Northern Premier League champions in 2001–02.
Nigel Clough spent seven seasons as the club's player-manager in the Conference and then led them into theFootball League as champions of the Conference in 2008–09. They lost the2014 League Two play-off final, but went on to win the League Two title in 2014–15 and were promoted from League One in 2015–16. Burton spent two seasons in theChampionship until relegation in 2018.
Burton Albion were formed in 1950, and joined theBirmingham & District League.[1] They finished the 1953–54 season as runners-up, and in 1958–59 joined theSouthern League North Western zone.[1] In 1965–66, Burton missed out on the runners-up place ongoal difference, but were still promoted to the Southern League Premier Division.[1] They avoided relegation in 1968, due toStevenage Town folding, but were relegated to Division One after an unsuccessful 1969–70 season.[1]
Burton missed out on promotion on goal average in 1970–71, but finished as runners-up the following season and were promoted back to the Premier Division.[1] The next two seasons saw them relegated, and then promoted back to the Premier Division again.[1] They stayed in the same division until being relegated once more at the end of 1976–77.[1] League rearrangements saw Burton moved to theNorthern Premier League, because of their location in the centralMidlands, and then back to the Southern League in 1987–88, the season after losing in a replayed FA Trophy Final toKidderminster Harriers.[1]
In October 1998,Nigel Clough was appointed as player-manager[2] and he led the club to two successive runners-up spots, in 1999–2000 and 2000–01.[1] Burton were again moved to the Northern Premier League Premier Division in 2001–02, which they won by a margin of 15 points, scoring 106 goals in the process.[3] The club were promoted to theFootball Conference for the first time.[1]
The club was brought to national attention when they were drawn at home against eleven-times winnersManchester United in thethird round of the 2005–06FA Cup. The Brewers held the Premier League team to a 0–0 draw at home, but lost the replay 5–0 in front of over 11,000 Burton fans, setting a record for number of away fans atOld Trafford.[4]
In January 2009, with Burton 13 points clear at the top of the table, Clough left the club to become the manager ofDerby County, withRoy McFarland installed as caretaker manager until the end of the season. Despite this managerial change, Burton went on to set a league record for the most consecutive wins, and in February 2009, when the team was 19 points clear at the top of the table, Conference sponsors Blue Square declared Burton the winners of the 2008–09 title in a public relations stunt, in which they paid out all bets. Following that announcement, the club saw their lead reduced week by week, but secured promotion to theFootball League in the final game of the season, despite losing 2–1 away toTorquay United, whenCambridge United could only manage a goalless draw toAltrincham. At the end of the season Roy McFarland left the club and was replaced byPaul Peschisolido, withGary Rowett acting as his assistant.
Burton's first win in the Football League was 5–2 againstMorecambe at the Pirelli Stadium, and they finished 13th in their first campaign in the Football League. In their second season, Burton claimed a notable scalp in theFA Cupthird round when they knocked out championship team Middlesbrough 2–1 at the Pirelli Stadium.[5] In the league, Burton experienced a 17-game winless run and fell from fifth place onBoxing Day to 17th place at the end of the2011–12 season, which led to the sacking of Peschisolido.
Gary Rowett was appointed as the new manager of Burton in May 2012.[6] In his first full season in charge, he led Burton to a fourth-place finish and the play-offs, missing out on automatic promotion by two points.[7] Burton lost their play-off semi-final 4–5 on aggregate toBradford City despite winning the first leg 3–2 atValley Parade.[8] In the2013–14 season, Burton finished sixth, reaching theplay-off final in which they lost 1–0 againstFleetwood Town.[9]
During the 2014–15 season, Rowett left to joinBirmingham City, and was replaced byJimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.[10] Under Hasselbaink, the Brewers wonLeague Two and were promoted toLeague One for the first time in their history.[11][12] Hasselbaink left by mutual consent in December 2015 to joinQueens Park Rangers as manager. Clough returned to Burton to replace him for his second spell as manager and led the club to a second-place finish in the league, earning promotion to theFootball League Championship, another first for Burton.[13]
The Brewers opened their first season in the championship with a 4–3 loss to local rivals Nottingham Forest.[14] Burton went on a six-match streak without losing between 18 February and 18 March, beginning with a 2–1 win at home to ex-Premier League opponents Norwich City and culminating in a 3–5 defeat to Brentford and including a 1–0 win over Nottingham Forest in the reverse fixture.[15] Burton secured their championship status on 29 April 2017 after a 1–1 draw withBarnsley.[16] Burton spent much of their second season in the championship in the relegation zone. three wins in the late stage of the season boosted their chances of survival, including a 2–1 win over relegation rivalsSunderland.[17] However, following a 2–1 defeat toPreston North End on the final day of the season, Burton were relegated back to League One.[18]
In2018–19, in spite of being in mid-table in League One, they made the semi-finals of theEFL Cup, after wins overShrewsbury Town,Aston Villa,Burnley,Nottingham Forest andMiddlesbrough.[19] FacingManchester City, Burton lost the first leg 9–0 at the Etihad Stadium, eventually losing 10–0 on aggregate.[20][21]
2019–20 saw Burton reach the fourth round of the EFL Cup, defeating Premier League clubAFC Bournemouth before losing 3–1 at home toLeicester City.[22] The final nine games of the season would be permanently suspended due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, with Burton finishing the season in 12th place. The summer of 2020 saw significant change withNigel Clough stepping down as manager, bringing to an end a 228-game long second spell at the club and surpassing 900 games in total with the Brewers.[23] His successor,Jake Buxton, struggled to fill the void and was sacked on 29 December 2020 after winning just two of his 21 league matches, and with Burton sat six points from safety at the bottom of the League One table.[24] The club would soon respond by announcing the return ofJimmy Floyd Hasselbaink as manager.[25] Tasked with securing survival, the new management team completed a remarkable turnaround, climbing out of the relegation zone by the start of March and finishing 16th, 10 points above the bottom four. The turnaround included a club-record run of six consecutiveEFL victories.[26]
After a disastrous start to2022–23, Hasselbaink resigned as Burton Albion manager.[27] Dino Maamria took over the reins of a club that had just one point after seven matches, successfully guiding the club to survival in 15th place.[28]
Dino Maamria's tenure as manager would end in December 2023,[29] and was succeeded byMartin Paterson.[30] The Brewers ultimately avoided relegation on the final day of the season, however, Paterson would depart the club at the end of the season.[31][32] with first team coaches Gary Mills and John Dreyer also departing the same day.[33]
In June 2024, Chairman Ben Robinson sold the entire majority stake in the football club to the Nordic Football Group (NFG).[34] NFG's acquisition of Burton Albion includes a large group of investors from theNordic countries. The following day, NFG made their first appointment, announcing the arrival ofChelsea U21 head coachMark Robinson.[35] After a poor start of 11 league games without a win, Robinson was sacked and replaced with interim bossTom Hounsell, who picked up the clubs first league win of the season at the 14th attempt and after 3 months of trying[36]
Albion began life at the Lloyds Foundry ground on Wellington Street, but high attendances meant that the club quickly searched for a more suitable home.Eton Park was built off Derby Road and officially opened on 20 September 1958, coinciding with the club's promotion to theSouthern League. Until its demolition in 2005, the Brewers played all their home games at Eton Park.
ThePirelli Stadium on Princess Way was built in 2005 and is the current home of the Brewers, replacing Eton Park, also on the same road, which was demolished and developed into housing.[37] The ground cost £7.2 million to build, and was built on the former site of the Pirelli UK Tyres Ltd Sports & Social Club. The land was donated to the club byPirelli in return for naming rights.[37]
The ground was designed by architect Jon Hawkeye, and has served as the inspiration for numerous newer grounds, includingMorecambe'sGlobe Arena and the proposedHayes & Yeading stadium.[38] It gained its most recent safety certificate fromStaffordshire County Council on 12 July 2010,[39] having been subject to crowd trouble on 8 May 2010 at the hands ofGrimsby Town fans following their relegation fromFootball League Two.[40]
The Pirelli Stadium has seen minor capacity changes since its construction, and the current capacity is 6,912, with 2,034 being seated in the South (Main) Stand. The current record attendance for the stadium stands at 6,746 for anEFL Championship match againstDerby County on 26 August 2016.[41] Previous records include 6,192 for aConference National 1–0 defeat againstOxford United, during the club'stitle-winning season,[42] and 6,191 for anFA Cup third-round match on 8 January 2006 againstManchester United.[43]
The stadium also hosts the National ISFA Under-13 tournament final.
In their non-League days the Brewers' local rivals wereGresley Rovers,[44]Nuneaton Borough,Stafford Rangers[45] andTamworth. However, since the club's rise to theFootball League these rivalries have become less intense.
Following promotion to the Football League, local rivalries withPort Vale,Notts County,Chesterfield andWalsall have arisen. Except for Notts County, all these clubs had been rivals to Albion's predecessor club,Burton United, in the early 1900s. There is also a largely friendly rivalry with near neighboursDerby County, partly because of the shared fanbase, but particularly following the transfer of manager Nigel Clough to thechampionship club in 2009 and the arrival of several ex-Derby players during thePaul Peschisolido era.
Their 2016 promotion into the championship resulted in matches with local big clubsAston Villa,Birmingham City,Nottingham Forest andWolverhampton Wanderers.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
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Bobby Goodwin Phil Annable John Beresford Frank Gregg Phil Annable
Brendon Phillips Phil Annable Barry Alcock Phil Annable Ken Blair Bryan Kent Bob Gauden Clive ArthurPaul Evans Doug Newton Alan Kamara Alan Kamara Ian Straw Nick Goodwin Nick Goodwin Mark Owen Nick Goodwin
Alan Kurila Nicholas Harlow Darren Acton Matt Smith Simon RedfernMark BlountMark BlountDarren StrideDarren WassallDarren StrideMatt Duke1 Christian Moore1Aaron WebsterAndrew Corbett
Darren TinsonKevin Poole
John McGrathJake BuxtonTony JamesAdam Legzdins
Calvin ZolaLee BellIan SharpsStuart BeavonStuart Beavon
Jackson IrvineLucas AkinsLucas AkinsRyan EdwardsJohn BrayfordSam Hughes
Max CrocombeRyan Sweeney1Matt Duke and Christian Moore joint recipients of 2003 award.
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Interim Chairman |  Wouter Gudde |
| Sporting Director | Richie Dorman |
| Chief Operating Officer |  Tom Mahon |
| Chief Financial Officer |  Henry Pu |
| Head of Football Operations | Baillie Coupland |
| Head of Ticketing | Jodie Carter |
| Head of Stadium Operations | Paul Calladine |
| Head of Communications | Chris Deacon |
| Head of Community | Dominic Anderson |
| Head of Sales | Jordan Worthington |
Source:[1]
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager | Gary Bowyer |
| Assistant Manager | Pat Lyons |
| First Team Coach | John Brayford |
| Head of Goalkeeping | Jake Kean |
| Head of Sports Science | Tom Bromley |
| Sports Scientist | Liam Watkins |
| Analyst | Ed Marsden |
| Analyst | Ciaran Frost |
| Head of Medical | Matt Pearce |
| Sports Therapist | Joel Ward |
| Sports Therapist | Kezia Scarratt |
| Kit Manager | Richard Smith |
Source:[2]
Most appearances
As of 15 June 2012 (competitive matches only):
| # | Name | Career | Apps | Goals | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darren Stride | 1993–2010 | 646 | 124 | [48] |
| 2 | Aaron Webster | 1998–2013 | 588 | 100 | [49] |
| 3 | Phil Annable | 1970–80, 1981–83 | 567 | 70 | [50] |
| 4 | Nigel Simms | 1981–1993 | 535 | 11 | |
| 5 | Nick Goodwin | 1988–95, 1997–99 | 508 | 0 |
Most Football League appearances
As of 23 April 2020. (Football League matches only):
| # | Name | Career | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lucas Akins | 2014–2022 | 307 | 65 |
| 2 | Damian McCrory | 2012–2019 | 196 | 10 |
| 3 | Robbie Weir | 2012–2016 | 160 | 7 |
| 4 | Jacques Maghoma | 2009–2013 | 155 | 26 |
| 5 | Jon Mclaughlin | 2014–2017 | 113 | 0 |
| 6 | John McGrath | 2007–2013 | 123 | 4 |
| 7 | Andrew Corbett | 2003–2013 | 123 | 2 |
| 8 | Jimmy Phillips | 2009–2015 | 121 | 5 |
| 9 | John Mousinho | 2014–2017 | 118 | 2 |
| 10 | Aaron Webster | 1998–2013 | 108 | 18 |
Appearances and goals count forFootball League only.
Source:Burton Albion,Football League
Top goalscorers
As of 20 September 2010 (competitive matches only):
| # | Name | Career | Goals | Apps | Average | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richie Barker | 1960–62, 1963–67 | 159 | 270 | 0.58 | [51] |
| 2 | Stan Round | 1963–67 | 149 | 199 | 0.75 | [52] |
| 3 | Darren Stride | 1993–2010 | 124 | 646 | 0.19 | [48] |
| 4 | Aaron Webster | 1998–2013 | 101 | 588 | 0.17 | [53] |
| 5 | Simon Redfern | 1987–97 | 86 | 457 | 0.19 | [54] |
Top Football League goalscorers
As of 16 July 2022, goals not appearances, they are since 23 April 2017 (Football League matches only):
| # | Name | Career | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lucas Akins | 2014–2022 | 307 | 65 |
| 2 | Billy Kee | 2011–2014 | 95 | 39 |
| 3 | Shaun Harrad | 2005–2011 | 62 | 31 |
| 4 | Jacques Maghoma | 2009–2013 | 155 | 26 |
| 5 | Calvin Zola | 2010–2013 | 79 | 25 |
| 6 | Greg Pearson | 2008–2012 | 89 | 19 |
| 7 | Aaron Webster | 1998–2013 | 108 | 18 |
| 8 | Adam McGurk | 2013–2015 | 71 | 15 |
| 9 | Stuart Beavon | 2014–2017 | 97 | 13 |
| 10 | Justin Richards | 2011–2013 | 48 | 12 |
Appearances and goals count forFootball League only.
Source:Burton Albion,The Football League
Other goalscoring records
Burton Albion players who have represented their country while contracted to the club.
DR Congo –Jacques Maghoma(2010)
Luxembourg –Aurélien Joachim(2015) Australia –Jackson Irvine(2016) Jamaica –Lee Williamson(2016) Northern Ireland –Jamie Ward(2016) Northern Ireland –Tom Flanagan(2017) Northern Ireland –Matthew Lund(2017) Northern Ireland –Liam Boyce(2018) Ireland –Kieran O'Hara(2019) Jamaica –Adrian Mariappa(2022) New Zealand –Max Crocombe(2023)1Before re-arrangement of non-League pyramid to include Conference North/South.
Source:Burton Albion | Club | History | Honours | Club Honours
| Name | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Donald MacPhail | 1950 | 1951 | |||||
| Billy Wrigglesworth | 1951 | 1952 | |||||
| Tally Sneddon | 1952 | April 1953 | |||||
| Reg Weston | 1953 | April 1957 | |||||
| Sammy Crooks | 1 June 1957 | 13 November 1957 | |||||
| Jackie Stamps | 13 November 1957 | 28 October 1959 | |||||
| Bill Townsend | 1959 | October 1962 | |||||
| Peter Taylor | 1962 | 1965 | |||||
| Alex Tait | November 1965 | 1968 | |||||
| Ian King | 1968 | 1969 | |||||
| Richie Norman | 1970 | 1973 | |||||
| Ken Gutteridge | 1973 | 1975 | |||||
| Harold Bodle | 1975 | February 1976 | |||||
| Mick Walker | 1976 | 1977 | |||||
| Phil Waller | 1977 | 1978 | |||||
| Ian Storey-Moore | 1978 | 1981 | |||||
| Neil Warnock | January 1981 | February 1986 | |||||
| Brian Fidler | 1986 | 1988 | |||||
| Vic Halom | 1988 | 1988 | |||||
| Bobby Hope | 1988 | 1988 | |||||
| Chris Wright | 1988 | 1989 | |||||
| Ken Blair | 1989 | 1990 | |||||
| Frank Upton (caretaker) | 1990 | 1990 | |||||
| Steve Powell | 1990 | 1991 | |||||
| Brian Fidler | 1991 | 1992 | |||||
| Brian Kenning | 1992 | 1994 | |||||
| John Barton | 1994 | September 1998 | |||||
| Nigel Clough | October 1998 | 6 January 2009 | 709 | 310 | 101 | 298 | 043.72 |
| Roy McFarland | 6 January 2009 | 18 May 2009 | 22 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 040.91 |
| Paul Peschisolido | 18 May 2009 | 17 March 2012 | 102 | 33 | 26 | 43 | 032.35 |
| Gary Rowett | 17 March 2012 | 27 October 2014 | 142 | 63 | 34 | 45 | 044.37 |
| Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink | 13 November 2014 | 4 December 2015 | 54 | 33 | 11 | 10 | 061.11 |
| Nigel Clough | 7 December 2015 | 18 May 2020 | 228 | 78 | 57 | 93 | 034.21 |
| Jake Buxton | 18 May 2020 | 29 December 2020 | 21 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 009.52 |
| Chris Beardsley (Caretaker) | 30 December 2020 | 2 January 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 000.00 |
| Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink | 2 January 2021 | 5 September 2022 | 85 | 30 | 18 | 37 | 035.29 |
| Dino Maamria | 5 September 2022 | 9 December 2023 | 46 | 19 | 11 | 16 | 041.30 |
| Gary Mills (Caretaker) | 11 December 2023 | 11 January 2024 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 028.57 |
| Martin Paterson | 11 January 2024 | 24 May 2024 | 20 | 5 | 3 | 12 | 025.00 |
| Mark Robinson | 4 June 2024 | 23 October 2024 | 14 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 007.14 |
League
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| National | |
