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| Moore the merrier |
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| The Brewers' class of 1979-80, playing in stripes - the way it should be. Back (l-r): Jon Nixon, Steve Dolby, Phil Annable, Barry Alcock, Clive Arthur, Drew Ferguson, Mick Fletcher. Front (l-r): Andy Harrison, Peter Hindley, Ian Storey-Moore, Kenny Blair, Kevin Hector |
| Albion lasted
two more seasons in the Southern League Premier Division, as a succession
of managers passed through the revolving door at Eton Park. Ian Storey-Moore
was absent as the Brewers narrowly missed out on another instant return to
the top flight they'd dropped out of again in 1977, and for their trip
to Wrexham in the FA Cup First Round, but when the vacancy came up for the
Eton Park hot seat during the 1978-79 season, his was the first name on the
list for young Albion Chairman Ben Robinson. After years of talking about it, the powers-that-be had finally got around to creating a single top-flight of non-league soccer - the Alliance Premier League (now the Conference). Albion's lowly status at the time meant they could forget about being a founder member of this new elite, but the gaps that were left in what were now the feeder leagues to the Alliance meant that the Brewers could move upwards, without having to earn promotion on the pitch. So when they were offered the chance to join the Northern Premier League (their relatively Northern geographical position made this possible), Albion seized what appeared a golden opportunity to revive their fortunes. The Brewers' first season in the NPL was a resounding success as Albion under Ian Moore produced some vintage football. Moore himself was still doing the business on the park, and now had alongside him another famous name, ex-Derby and England striker Kevin Hector, while this season also saw the arrival of a man who would soon write his name into Albion history as a manager - Neil Warnock. The Brewers had no trouble adjusting to their new status (although admittedly the standard was not as high now that the top teams had de-camped to the APL). Nevertheless, the public will always turn up to see a winning side, and this was proved true as, with Albion riding high in the table, the crowds (which had slumped to an all-time low of two and three hundreds the previous season) came flooding back to Eton Park. The Brewers finished the season in a respectable fourth position, and also enjoyed another run to the First Round Proper of the FA Cup, where they lost at Bury. But the promise of that season was not fulfilled the following year. Kevin Hector was surprisingly whisked off back to Derby, and in February 1981, frustrated that his ambitions for the club could not be matched by the board, Moore walked out, leaving supporters to ponder what might have been. However, far from returning to a slumber, as the 1980's came into full swing, the club was about to awaken, and Burton Albion were about to embark on the most exciting spell in their history. top |
| Dawn
of the Warnock
era To quote from Rex Page's Albion history, 'Wellington Street to Wembley', Neil Warnock, the seventeenth manager of Burton Albion "swept into Eton Park...like a Sahara sandstorm - tough, gritty and abrasive." Accustomed to the class and style of Ian Moore's period of management, Warnock's arrival as manager was like a slap across the face with a wet fish. |
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| And the new
incumbent wasted no time in discarding some of the 'dead wood' Moore had
left behind, to mould a team in his own image. After a shaky start, Warnock's men began to make steady progress. A respectable, if hardly spectacular, seventh position in his first full season as manager was followed by third the following year, and the club's first significant piece of silverware for two decades. |
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| Andy Harrison (centre) celebrates his goal in the NPL Cup Final against Macclesfield at Maine Road. (l-r): Ian Vaughan, David Vaughan, Harrison, Steve Dolby and Ian MacLean are pictured in front of a deserted Kippax terrace - 19th April 1983 |
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The
Northern Premier League Cup was a long way down the list of priorities for
Albion fans, but nevertheless provided a rare opportunity for the popping
of Champagne corks in Albion's dressing room at Maine Road, Manchester, after
they defeated Macclesfield Town 2-1, thanks to goals from Andy Harrison and
ex-Macc lad Paul Fisher, in front of 2,538. Albion's 'conveyor-belt' of talent continued to roll in this season when young midfielder Richard Jobson was sold to First Division Watford for a then club record fee of £25,000. The following season saw a first FA Cup First Round appearance for a Warnock team, Isthmian League side Windsor & Eton denying Albion further progress, but in the following year's competition Albion would not only progress to the Third Round for the second time in their history, but also hit the national headlines - and not for the reasons they'd hoped for... |
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