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| Rex Page in the Burton Mail, Thursday 25th April 2002 |
| 'The red letter day in Burton Albion's history' |
| It would be remiss of me
to allow this auspicious moment in Burton Albion's history to pass without
comment. Unlike some fans, I cannot claim to have followed their fortunes
for every one of their 52 years since I only managed to beat Albion into
the world by just a few months. But for 30 years or more I have endured Albion's trials and tribulations, either with pen in hand or inquisitively from further afield when my career has pointed me in other directions. I suppose I must have written millions of words on the club. I have seen them relegated, I have feared for their very survival as the spectre of bankruptcy has cast a shadow over Eton Park and, along with 10,000 other Burtonians, I have bathed in the glory of seeing them play in a cup final at Wembley. But even that memorable occasion on a gloriously warm and sunlit day in May, 1987, paled into insignificance on Wednesday of last week. April 17 2002, will go down as the red-letter day in the club's history; the day that Burton Albion finally won a league title to earn their place in the promised land of the Football Conference. We football writers try to be impartial and professional duties require us to conduct ourselves with a certain decorum, unless, of course, your remit is to chase down and hound a national football manager who, as a single man, has commited no greater crime than establishing a relationship with an unattached woman. But that's another story. This one is about a reflection on a night that grown men and women were reduced to tears of joy and I must admit I dropped my guard just long enough to share their elation. After all, when you have covered a club's affairs for as long as I have you cannot help but to develop an affection and a desire to see it do well - for the people, for the paper, for the town. At the championship celebration at Eton Park on Saturday, Albion's manager Nigel Clough pitched it just right when he dubbed it "the people's title." Players and managers come and go, but by and large the fans stick with one club. They share the highs and lows as they travel the length and breadth of the country in the hope that, one fine season, their moment will come. At long last, Burton Albion's has arrived. Of course, that is not to underestimate the efforts of those who made it all possible. After the fans, I am most delighted for Ben Robinson, the chairman, who has transformed the club on and off the field without giving the club's bank manager palpitations. It was of course Mr Robinson who took the bold decision to give the manager's job to Clough. Some would say it was a gamble because the pages of football history are littered with the names of top-class footballers unable to hack it as a manager. But it proved a masterstroke. Clough has been a different class in every aspect of the job and has helped to put Burton Albion on a pedestal not only as a successful club but also as an essential pillar of the community. It has been a joy to deal with him and spend time in his company these past three and a half years. I just hope the pleasure lasts a little longer. |
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