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| September 1998 News | |
Wednesday 30th September 1998 Last in, first out for Barton signings John Barton's last two signings are to leave the club in light of the resignation of the man who brought them to Eton Park. Stuart Lake and Kevin Collins both joined the club - Lake as a loan signing - from Hednesford Town less than three weeks ago. Between them they made just seven appearances between them during their brief, and largely inauspicious spell at the club. Veteran defender Collins - who was in his second spell at Albion - may be off to Hereford United, as the Conference outfit have expressed an interest in signing him. Lake will presumably return to Hednesford when his loan spell expires next week. Meanwhile, the search for a new manager begins in earnest, with the club taking out an advertisement for a successor to John Barton in the Daily Mail this week. Steve Spooner and Andy Garner - in temporary charge of team affairs along with Nick Goodwin - have expressed an interest in the position, following the thrilling 5-3 victory over Gloucester on Saturday - their first match at the helm. This weekend they preside over the beginning of this season's FA Cup campaign, with the Brewers travelling to East Staffordhire neighbours Rocester of the Interlink Express Alliance (kick-off 3pm), in the Second Qualifying Round match. Saturday 26th September 1998 Brewers bounce back in eight-goal thriller Dr. Martens League Premier Division: Burton Albion 5 Gloucester City 3 David Holmes netted a hat trick against his old club, as managerless Albion got the post-Barton era underway with a bang. The BrewersNet-sponsored striker was on top form as Albion turned in a spirited display, twice coming from behind in a thrilling Eton Park contest. Full match report... Thursday 24th September 1998 Barton pays the price of failure John Barton is no longer manager of Burton Albion Football Club. Following a meeting with Chairman Ben Robinson tonight, Barton has parted company with the club after four years in the job "by mutual consent". The announcement comes two days after the Brewers slumped to defeat against Halesowen Town - the embarrasingly poor performance provoking loud calls for the manager's resignation from the terraces. Now those supporters have their wish, and the position will be advertised, with a trio of senior players - Steve Spooner, Andy Garner and Nick Goodwin - taking temporary charge of the team for Saturday's home game against Gloucester City. Barton's assistant John Newman will also be leaving the club. Disenchantment on the Eton Park terraces has been growing in recent weeks, following yet another poor start to a season which promised so much. With hundreds of thousands of pounds being pumped into players and ground improvements over the past two years, Barton has paid the price of failing to provide a team with the consistency to challenge for the title, and to live up to the high ambitions of the fans and board. Barton has time and again had to face the wrath of supporters during his four years at the club, despite the fact that - on paper - those have been years of relative success for the club. In his first season at Eton Park, Barton lead the Brewers to a record third place finish in the League. He also brought silverware to the club for the first time in over a decade, winning the Southern League Cup and Birmingham Senior Cup in 1996-97, and inbetween came close to pulling off a major upset against Bradford City in the FA Cup First Round. Last season the Brewers were amongst the favourites to win the Dr. Marten's League title, after having spent heavily on players. However, the team never lived up to the hype, and only a late-season rally which saw the Brewers reach another third place berth, earned Barton a one year extension to his contract - which he will now not see out. Whilst this might not seem like the record of a failure, Barton's critics would counter that in his years in charge the club have constantly failed to progress past the early rounds of the competitions which matter - the FA Cup and FA Trophy - and that, despite being in charge at a time when the club has never been in better financial shape, with what is - on paper - their best team for years, the manager has never been able to motivate his players to live up to their potential, or to acheive the consistency required of title winning teams. He made two signings in the past week - Kevin Collins and Stuart Lake - from Hednesford Town- in an attempt to strengthen the weak areas of defence and midfield which have let the side down this season, but it was noticeable that both of what turned out to be Barton's last signings came in for scathing criticism from the terraces for their part in Tuesday evening's debacle against Halesowen. Despite being universally acknowledged as a "good bloke", Barton has never really had the home fans behind him, and has had to endure some unsavoury treatment in recent years, including fans beating on the dressing room wall and calling for his head after the FA Cup defeat at Solihull last season, and being spat at by a "supporter" at Worcester. No-one deserves this kind of treatment, but to his credit Barton dealt with these kind of personal attacks on him with quiet dignity. He has also had to deal with real tragedy in the club, with the death of long serving player Simon Redfern almost a year ago. It's a shame that John Barton wasn't able to bring to the club the success the fans crave, now perhaps we should wish him well for the future, and remember the good times he brought to the club - notably that amazing match at Valley Parade three years ago. Who should take over? Have your say in the BrewersNet Forum The Eton Park life and times of John Barton
Tuesday 22nd September 1998 Yeltz hammer another nail in Barton's coffin Dr. Martens League Premier Division: Burton Albion 0 Halesowen Town 1 Forty years almost to the day since the first ever game at Eton Park - and for the most part "forty years of hurt, forty years of dreaming" (if you'll excuse the pun). As far as the 620 assembled faithful are concerned, dreaming is just what John Barton is doing if he thinks he has a team remotely capable of challenging for the Dr. Martens League championship. With one month of the season gone, the Brewers slumped to their fifth league defeat in embarassing fashion at Eton Park tonight. Full Match Report... Sunday 20th September 1998 Brewers' take a Roman holiday Albion will make the short journey to Staffordshire neighbours Rocester in the Second Qualifying Round of the FA Cup. The Romans, currently lying third in the Interlink Express Alliance, disposed of United Counties League side Holbeach United with a 3-0 victory in yesterday's First Qualifying Round tie at Hillsfield. In other Second Round ties of interest, Atherstone United have a mouthwatering local derby against Warwickshire neighbours Nuneaton Borough - who extended their lead at the top of the Dr. Marten's League to four points with a 4-0 win at Worcester yesterday. There are three more all Dr. Martens Premier ties - Dorchester have a west country derby against Salisbury City, Merthyr take on Weymouth, and Bromsgrove play King's Lynn. Grantham and Crawley could both take on the "old bill" in their second qualifying ties - Grantham play West Midlands Police, while Crawley face the Metropolitan Police if they beat Canterbury City. In other matches involving Dr. Martens Premier teams, Tamworth and Gresley Rovers both travel - to Leek CSOB and Shepshed Dynamo respectively. Boston United are also away at Congleton Town, while Worcester City travel to Mangotsfield United. Hastings are away to Newmarket Town or Great Yarmouth Town, and Rothwell Town will be in this neck of the woods when they visit Stapenhill. Gloucester City have a home tie against Paulton Rovers, Bath City are at home to either Cirencester Town or the wonderfully named Odd Down, and Halesowen take on Eastwood Town. Finally, Ilkeston Town play Dr. Martens Midland Division Moor Green, and Cambridge City take on Glossop North End. All ties to be played on Saturday 3rd October 1998 Saturday 19th September 1998 A Broadfield bore-draw Dr. Martens League Premier Division: Crawley Town 1 Burton Albion 1 A wonder goal from Andy Garner was not enough to give the Brewers all three points at the Broadfield Stadium yesterday. Garner's delightful lob from a narrow angle put Albion in front on 53 minutes, after a dull first-half, and loan signing Stuart Lake nearly made it two, rattling the crossbar soon after. Ben Abbey equalised for Crawley on 65 minutes, and Mark Blount had to make a desperate goalline clearance from Ryan Andrews late on to prevent the home side snatching three points. The Brewers now have two crucial home matches in a week for John Barton's team to deflect renewed pressure on their manager, in the wake of another patchy start to a season. Halesowen Town visit Eton Park on Tuesday evening, hoping to avenge their 3-1 defeat at The Grove last month. Then Gloucester City are the visitors this Saturday, before a month of mostly cup football gets underway in October.
Monday 14th September Collins' return can't shore up leaky defence Dr. Martens League Premier Division: Worcester City 2 Burton Albion 0 A second new signing in four days made the starting line-up at St. George's Lane on Monday evening - veteran full-back Kevin Collins returning to the Brewers almost a decade after his first spell with the club. Collins, who played alongside current Brewers boss John Barton for Kidderminster against Albion in the 1987 FA Trophy final, follows midfielder Stuart Lake - signed last week - from Conference side Hednesford Town. Collins played reasonably well on his return to Albion colours, but the Brewers were let down by more poor defending by his colleagues, as two first-half goals for Worcester in the space of three minutes gave Burton a mountain they couldn't climb, despite having the best of the chances at a ground where they always struggle. Full Report...
Saturday 12th September 1998 Danny Boy is Brewers "get out of jail" card Dr. Martens League Premier Division: Burton Albion 2 Bromsgrove Rovers 1 An injury time winner from young substitute Daniel Davidson gave the Brewers a scarcely deserved victory against Bromsgrove in a poor match at Eton Park. Full Match Report... Tuesday 8th September 1998 Manor misery as Brewers are mugged Dr. Marten's League Premier Division: Nuneaton Borough 4 Burton Albion 1 Just days after handing out a four goal drubbing to Cambridge City, Albion found themselves on the end of the same scoreline at the hands of their oldest rivals, as, with a little help from referee Hubbard, cock-a-hoop Boro sent the Brewers back down the A444 with tails firmly between their legs. Full match report... Saturday 5th September 1998 Two-goal Garner leads Albion to victory Dr. Marten's League Premier Division: Burton Albion 4 Cambridge City 1 Brewers "man of the moment" Andy Garner continued where he'd left off at The Grove on Monday evening, grabbing two more goals to drive the Brewers on to a resounding first home victory of the season...Full Match Report |
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