Wembley '87
Albion fans had never seen anything like it! Every other coach on the M1 had the name Burton-On-Trent on it's side. Service stations on the approach to London were a sea of Yellow and Black. For the supporter of a club who can expect to take a couple of hundred to an average away match, there is nothing like a trip to Wembley, to stir the imagination of a town and bring out the latent support of a club. The atmosphere at Wembley, both on and off the pitch was passionate, but at the same time sporting, all too welcome at a time when flick-knives and Doc Marten's were, in the public imagination at least, the standard get-up of a football supporter.
The Brewers, of what was now being called the Multipart League were the underdogs to Conference side Kidderminster Harriers. And though praised for their team spirit and organization under Brian Fidler, most experts expected the superior class of the Worcestershire side to win the day. In the event 120 minutes of football could not seperate the sides but Albion's performance that day earned them the respect and admiration of every one of a 23,000 crowd. The Brewers received passionate support from their army of supporters at the Tunnel End, but almost received an early shock , Adrian O'Dowd and star-striker Kim Casey coming close in the opening stages. Albion, however, recovered to match Harriers in every area of the pitch, and both teams had their chances to break the deadlock.
A challenge from Brewers' classy defender Alan Kamara causes Harriers' Kim Casey to shoot over (1), whilst Paul Groves and Dave Redfern outleap the Kidder defence, as striker Bob Gauden (right) looks on(2).
Treading the hallowed turf- Dave Redfern goes up for a header
As the game wore on, the Burton players seemed to tire less than Kidder', thanks perhaps to an "electrolyte cocktail" served up to the Brewers' players by the team doctor. Nothing illegal - just a mixture of salts, sugar and glucose, to help retain fluids and keep tired limbs going on Wembley's legendary energy-sapping pitch. The Doc was also responsible for giving pain-killing jabs to Captain David Vaughan playing through the pain barrier in defence. And Vaughan was not the only hero in yellow and black that afternoon. Classy sweeper Alan Kamara was at his best to deny Harriers' highly-rated forward line, Paul Bancroft was inspirational in the middle, every man did his bit in an Albion performance which made their supporters swell with pride.
John Barton clears from Brewers' striker Dave Redfern
And yet Kidderminster came close to extracting what would have been harsh justice for Albion in the final minutes of normal time. Kamara had to clear off the line, and Harriers' striker Paul Davies, who would be the scourge of Albion in the second match, hit the bar and missed a clearcut chance, as Brewers fans held their breath. Extra-Time, and as the sun beat down on Wembley, Kidderminster appeared to wilt as Albion began to exert more and more dominance in the game. Neil Dorsett managed to get away from his marker John Barton, but curved a shot wide. Barton, the former Derby and Everton player was ironically a college lecturer in Burton at the time (and still is), and would later end up as manager at Eton Park. Paul Groves, Dave Redfern and Bob Gauden all had chances to score as the Brewers continued to push their aching limbs forward, and in the end Kidderminster boss Graham Allner admitted he had been happy to hear the final whistle. Harriers had played their part in a fine advert for the non-league game, and everyone agreed that a draw was the right result. It had been a sporting match between two good teams. At the final whistle the opposing players embraced, and both sides went up the Wembley steps together, and received a standing ovation from all corners of the famous old stadium. The greatest day in the Club's history had lived up to expectations for Albion supporters - and the best thing was they had it all to look forward to again the following Tuesday at the Hawthorns...
