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| February 2000 News and Reports |
| Date | Story | Type |
| 22-2-00 | "Staffordshire stalemate" | Report: Tamworth (a) |
| 15-2-00 | "Brewers are a Glass act!" | Report: Dorchester (h) |
| 8-2-00 | "Away win at Lynn" | King's Lynn (away) detail |
| 8-2-00 | "A Brewer once Moore!" | Club record signing |
| 8-2-00 | "Ten men hold Martyrs" | Merthyr (away) detail |
| 1-2-00 | "Anton swap deal is off" | Transfer latest/ Tamworth (BSC) details |
Tuesday 22nd February 2000 Staffordshire stalemate Dr. Martens League: Tamworth 1 Albion 1 The Brewers began a series of three difficult away trips in eight days by picking up a hard earned, but barely useful point in the Staffordshire derby at the Lamb on Saturday. The result, while hardly a disgrace against a side in such rampant form of late as Tamworth, effectively brought to an end the latest lingering hopes that the Brewers might mount a late title challenge, with leaders Boston United marching on unrelentlessly at the top of the table. This was your classic game of two halves, with Albion rampant in the first, and forced to mount a rearguard battle against the Lambs' so-called 'H-bomb' strike force of Warren Haughton and Mark Hallam in the second. The turning point was Tamworth's equalizer, two minutes before the interval. Albion had started in the form which saw them breach King's Lynn's home fortress, and demolish Dorchester at Eton Park last week, and it was just reward for their dominance that they took the lead on 29 minutes. Neil Glasser and Nigel Clough swapped passes to set up David Holmes to fire home a finely targetted shot from 15-yards, past the despairing arms of former Brewers 'keeper Darren Acton. And it could have been 2-0 soon after, when Christian Moore spurned the chance to open his Albion account, heading wide from Clough's free-kick. Instead the large away contingent in Tamworth's biggest gate of the season had to witness an all-too-familiar scenario - the goal conceded just before half time. It was a beauty, struck powerfully into the roof of the net from the edge of the box by Brian Gray, although Brewers' 'keeper Nick Goodwin complained bitterly that he'd been impeded by Hallam in the goalmouth melee immediately preceeding. All Goodwin got for his complaints was a yellow card. The goal revitalized Tamworth, who came out for the second half looking a totally different side. But while Albion's defence held firm to the buffetting from the home side, they could not fashion any kind of chances up front. It was quite ironic, after a season in which scoring has been the major problem, that when the 'dream ticket' of Christian Moore and Dale Anderson - on as sub for Aaron Webster early in the second half - had finally been assembled, the chances dried up. And so the half ended as it had begun, with the scores level, and with neither goalkeeper having had to exert himself. The two sides may become very familiar to each other by time the season reaches it's end, having already met in the Birmingham Senior Cup. If Tamworth beat King's Lynn tonight (Tuesday), they will travel to Eton Park for the Dr.Martens League Cup semi-final, that in addition to the return league meeting between the two sides in April.
The Brewers moved
into the last four of the League Cup last Tuesday night, with Darren Stride's
goal proving enough to get past Worcester City, who's star striker
and one-time Albion transfer target Mark Owen missed a sitter. The Brewers
have home advantage for the semi-final, which is played over one leg only.
Meanwhile the Brewers continue to clock up the miles tonight (Tuesday) when
they travel to fourth placed Margate in league action.
Tuesday 15th February 2000 Brewers are a Glass act! Dr. Martens League: Albion 5 Dorchester Town 0 Neil Glasser was the hat-trick hero as the Brewers handed out a footballing lesson to Dorchester Town for the second season running at Eton Park on Saturday. Last season it was 7-0, this time the 931 present had to be content with 'only' five goals, as the Brewers confirmed their return to form in decisive fashion. Glasser is one of the most consistent performers in the team, but his work at the heart of midfield often goes unsung. Not on Saturday, as the former Grantham midfielder grabbed the headlines for himself with three strikes of true quality. At start of play, all eyes were on Christian Moore, the Brewers' record signing making his home debut. And it was the former Ilkeston striker who helped ignite a hitherto uneventful game by setting up the first goal, on 28 minutes. Exchanging passes with David Holmes, Moore raced down the left flank and chipped in a perfectly flighted cross for Holmes to head in past 'keeper Dungey. Holmes and Moore are friends from way back, and are already showing encouraging signs of developing a fruitful partnership on the pitch. Four minutes before the break, and it was time for the Neil Glasser show to begin. First, the Brewers number 4 picking up Nigel Clough's defence-splitting pass on the edge of the box, to rifle a left foot shot inside the post. Five minutes later it was effectively game over for Dorchester when this time David Holmes supplied the lay-off for Glasser to fire home his second, this time with his favoured right foot. The Moore - Holmes combination almost paid dividends shortly after the break, with the latter sending his header the wrong side of the post, after Moore had left his defender for dead before turning to play the cross in. This was, however, the last action of the game for the debutant, who had twisted an ankle in the process. After a period of treatment, Moore limped to his feet and was ready to return to the fray, but was signalled to go off by the bench. Andy Garner arrived on the field as his replacement, much to the disgust of a large section of fans for whom the veteran striker has become almost a figure of hate recently, and had to endure unbelievable and unnecessary abuse from some sections of the crowd. Soon after, the Brewers were forced into another change as Darren Stride limped off injured, and his replacement - Pat Lyons - enjoyed a more favourable entrance. With his first touch of the game he found his name on the scoresheet after his shot took a wicked deflection of a Magpies defender and into the net.
Lyons should have
added to his tally later in the game, but the final say was left to Neil
Glasser, who completed his hat trick just before the hour mark. Embarking
on a 20-yard run through the hapless Magpies defence, he unleashed another
excocet missile of a shot into the bottom corner of the net - goal of the
game for the man of the match.
Tuesday 8th February 2000 Away win at Lynn Christian Moore made his Burton Albion debut as the Brewers chalked up their first away league win since September at King's Lynn on Tuesday night, but the decisive goal came from a defender - Mark Blount. Blount blasted in a 15-yard drive on 38 minutes at the Walks Stadium, the culmination of an intense period of Albion pressure. It was a performance which had boss Nigel Clough purring. "Overall it was an excellent performance by the whole side," he said, "Football-wise we were back to our early-season form and we didn't really look like conceding a goal. "In fact we looked capable of scoring more ourselves and we could easily have been two or three up by half time. They came at us a bit more when they had the wind behind them in the second half but our 'keeper and the back four were magnificent." The result lifts Albion above Tamworth into fourth place, ahead of next Saturday's derby clash between the two sides at the Lamb. Tuesday 8th February 2000 A Brewer once Moore! Nigel Clough delivered the signing the fans have been crying out for yesterday, breaking the club's record transfer fee to bring Ilkeston Town striker Christian Moore to Eton Park. Moore, 27, a favourite with the supporters at the New Manor Ground, is a proven goalscorer at this level, and currently lies third in the Dr. Martens League scoring table, with 20 goals this season - including one in the Robins' 1-1 draw at Dorchester on Saturday. Ironically, the move comes after Ilkeston boss Keith Alexander announced he was placing his entire squad except Christian Moore on the transfer list, to rebuild for next season. Moore had signed a new contract with the Robins just days ago, which was set to keep him with the club up to the end of the 2001-2002 season. He arrives at Eton Park for an undisclosed fee, but one which, it was confirmed, breaks the previous record - £10,500 - the amount paid each for Rob Jones and Jon Pearson from Kidderminster back in 1989. Moore has signed a three and a half year deal with the Brewers. While Christian Moore is well known on the Dr. Martens league scene, having firmly established himself with Ilkeston after spells with Gresley and Forest Green Rovers, it's a lesser known fact that the striker had a short spell at Eton Park back in the 1992-93 season. Moore made one full appearance and a handful as substitute, scoring three goals in Birmingham Senior Cup matches, before being shown the door by then Brewers boss Brian Kenning. Current incumbent Nigel Clough said yesterday: "Christian's a player we've been keeping a close watch on for six months, but it was always a question of availability. However, Ilkeston are now looking to rebuild themselves and we've taken advantage of that situation to sign a player who has a phenomenal scoring record. Clough continued: "Over the last two and a half seasons he's scored around 80 goals - and that's a lot at any level. Judging by the chances we create he should do all right with us as well." A sentiment which will be echoed by Brewers fans who time and again this season have seen intense pressure in matches come to nought for lack of a goalscorer. If Albion are to keep alive their increasingly distant hopes of catching up with the frontrunners, they need to start winning away from home, beginning with tonight's trip to King's Lynn (kick-off 7.45pm). Tuesday 8th February 2000 Ten-men hold Martyrs Dr. Martens League: Merthyr Tydfil 1 Albion 1 Darren Stride was left eating his words, after being sent off in the Brewers' 1-1 draw with Merthyr Tydfil at Penydarren Park on Saturday. The Brewers skipper, who praised Albion's improved disciplinary record in an interview with the Burton Mail just days before the game, saying: "Apart from Anton Thomas..we've not had anyone suspended - not even me! - which is definitely a rarity at this club" - proceeded to get himself red-carded for a second bookable offence, and will miss the big local derby clash at Tamworth in a fortnight's time! Stride picked up his first yellow for dissent towards a linesman, and the second for a foul on Merthyr's Richard Gardner, which left the Brewers a man short, just four minutes after they had come back into the game by equalizing Tom Ramsut's 6th minute header for the Martyrs. Involved in the goal was new signing Andy Murfin, a 22-year old Loughborough University student who joined the Brewers last week. Murfin, who came on as substitute for Aaron Webster at half-time, delivered the cross for David Holmes to find the scoresheet for the second week running. Murfin, a former Scunthorpe United player, was joined in the arrivals lounge at Eton Park last week by young midfielder Steve Froggatt from Heanor Town, described as Nigel Clough as "a signing with potential." Meanwhile the Brewers' out-of-favour striker Anton Thomas has been shipped out to Dr. Martens Western Division side Hinckley United on a month's loan, and scored on his debut in the 3-2 win at Shepshed Dynamo on Saturday. Back at Penydarren Park, the Brewers thought they had earned a late winner but were controversially denied by a linesman's flag. Substitute Craig Smith headed home David Holmes's cross, but was adjudged by the official to have handled the ball. Three points would have come in very handy for Albion on a day when three of the teams above them in the table failed to win, with leaders Boston losing at Margate and Tamworth crashing to a shock defeat at home to Grantham. As it is, Albion remain a distant 16 points adrift of Boston but with four game in hand, and a daunting string of away matches facing them in February. Albion visit King's Lynn tonight (Tuesday - kick-off 7.45pm), Tamworth a week on Saturday and the make the long treks to Margate and Newport in the space of five days, needing desperately to improve their away form, which has seen them without a win on their travels since the trip to Cambridge City back in September. Albion also have a home game against Dorchester Town this Saturday (3pm), and face Worcester City at Eton Park the following Tuesday, in a Dr. Martens League Cup tie. Tuesday 1st February 2000 Anton swap deal is off Nuneaton Borough striker Dave Hanson has turned down the chance of a month's loan at Eton Park, killing off a deal which would have seen former Boro' star Anton Thomas returning to his old club in a two-way loan swap deal. Nigel Clough had hoped to pull off the deal to bring in a much-needed striker with Dale Anderson still injured, and hopefully to benefit Thomas and Hanson, both out of favour with their clubs, but Hanson refused to make the move, citing 'work and travel problems' as his reasons. Clough told the Burton Mail: "We want to get a fresh face in but I have to admit that we're struggling a bit at the moment. We had a look at a few players at clubs like Sheffield united but while they're very good prospects they're only 18 and ideally we would like to bring in someone with a bit more experience." Clough left himself, and fellow first team regulars Mark Blount and Darren Stride out of the side for Tuesday night's Birmigham Senior Cup home tie against Tamworth, which saw the Brewers exit the competition after going down 2-0. Tamworth, in a rich vein of form in the league at present, fielded a strong side, and it was prolific strike duo Warren Haughton and Mark Hallam who got the Lambs' goals. Haughton converted after Nick Colley's shot came back off the woodwork on 15 minutes, and Hallam made it 2-0 shortly after the break with a goal which had a suspicion of handball. The Brewers' sole remaining cup interest this season is now in the Dr. Martens League Cup, where they've been handed a home tie against John Barton's Worcester City, who beat Albion 3-2 in the recent league game at Eton Park. The Brewers are next in action on Saturday when they travel to Penydarren Park to face Merthyr Tydfil. Note that this game has a 2pm kick-off, to avoid a clash with the televised Welsh rugby International.
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