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| Duke joins the fray |
| Matt
Duke was the toast of Eton Park on Tuesday night, the Brewers 'keeper converting
from the penalty spot in a comfortable win over Frickley Athletic, to ensure
that every senior player has found the net in this most memorable of
seasons. It was another night of milestones for Albion, with Dale Anderson netting the Brewers' 100th league goal of the season with a stunning 20th minute opener, the first in a 4-0 victory which also saw the Brewers smash through the 100-point barrier, but it was Duke's 63rd minute penalty goal which will be remembered most. By that stage Christian Moore had made the points safe with a second goal, and Frickley had been reduced to ten men after Chris Gowan hauled down Dale Anderson in the box, and so it was that Duke was given his moment to shine, to the delight of the fans woh'd chanted for the 'keeper to be given a chance. |
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| Duke
made no mistake from the spot, the goal marking the completion of his
transformation to an Eton Park hero, from a player who couldn't put a foot
right when he arrived at the club early last season. Anderson added his second goal on the stroke of half time to complete another fine evening's entertainment for the loyal 1,000-odd fans. |
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| Into the home straight |
| The
Brewers headed into the final week of the season with a victory to cheer
their loyal travelling fans - a 1-0 win at Blyth Spartans in the last away
match of the season, to nudge Albion closer to that 100 points, 100 goals
target. Albion now need just two points and one goal from their two remaining home fixtures to reach the 'double century' - an acheivment which would apply some extra gloss on a sensational season. Blyth gave the Champions a good run for their money, having the better of the first half at Croft Park, with Spartans' wonderfully-named Lee Scroggins coming closest to breaking the deadlock, bringing a fine save out of Brewers 'keeper Matt Duke, who also had to save with his legs from Steven Stewart on the stroke of half time. |
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| The
decisive goal came 10 minutes into the second half, Steve Evans heading Paul
Talbot's free-kick back across the penalty area for Mark Blount to fire home
from 15 yards. Albion are next in action on Tuesday evening, when Frickley
Athletic provide the opposition in the penultimate game of the season
(7.45pm). Elsewhere, it was a nailbiting final day of the season in the Dr. Martens and Ryman Leagues, and a day of heartbreak for fans of the Brewers' old rivals Tamworth, who missed out on a chance to make it a Staffordshire double in the Conference next season after being held 3-3 at Folkestone Invicta. Kettering Town took full advantage, their 2-1 win at Tiverton Town earning them an immediate return to non-league football's top flight. The Tammies might have blown it, but one team the Brewers will be renewing an acquaintance with next season are Gravesend & Northfleet, who's 1-0 win at Bedford Town saw them condemn Jeff King's Canvey Island to another season in the Ryman League. Back to matters Brewers-related, and the club were given another boost for next season when full-back Paul Talbot, a signing from Gateshead earlier in the season, announced exclusively to Centre FM microphone god Dave Child that he would be moving down to the Midlands in order to stay with the Brewers in the Conference. |
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| Albion's England heroes |
| Dale
Anderson capped a dream week by snatching the only goal, five minutes from
time, in the England National Game XI's victory over the Netherlands at Huish
Park last night. Anderson, only called into the squad at the last minute after three of FA Trophy finalists Stevenage Borough's players pulled out, was one of three Albion players to don the white shirt of England, with Aaron Webster also making a substitute appearance and Brewers skipper Darren Stride playing the full 90 minutes. The trio are the first players to be called up for England duty since Gary Clayton in 1986, and their appearance doubled Albion's number of capped players, Stewart Mell and Doug Newton being the only other two Brewers to have represented their country, back in 1985. |
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| Another Barrow bruising |
| Barrow
AFC will surely be glad to see the back of the Brewers after suffering their
second Eton Park mauling of the season on Monday night. The Bluebirds, who suffered a 5-0 thrashing in one of the Brewers' performances of the season in the FA Trophy back in December, made the long journey back to Cumbria on the end of a 4-0 scoreline this time, as the champions remained on course for a landmark 100 point, 100 goal haul this season. A classic goal from Paul Talbot started the ball rolling, the full-back unleashing a 25-yard screamer past Barrow 'keeper Simon Bishop, after good build up play from Clough abd Bailey. |
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| Talbot
turned provider for the second goal, five minutes after the interval, his
inswinging corner being met by the head of Mark Blount, before sealing the
points with another long-range effort on the hour mark. Christian Moore lashed home a fourth goal two minutes from the end, with some help from a Clough pass which took a wicked deflection off the referee, to complete a thoroughly satisfying night for the hardcore 1,001 crowd who'd turned out to see it. Saturday sees Albion embark upon their last away trip in the UniBond League, when they make the long trip to Blyth Spartans (3pm), before returning home to Eton Park for their two remaining home games next week - against Frickley Athletic on Tuesday and Bishop Auckland on Friday (both 7.45pm). |
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| Hail the Champions! |
| The
pubs around Eton Park were packed with jubilant Albion fans, cars roared
by sounding their horns, yellow and black flags trailing from their
windows, and the club shop did a roaring trade in official 'UniBond League
champions 2002' T-shirts. This was the day we'd all been waiting for, and after the disappointments of watching Nuneaton... Boston..Margate... all make their way to the promised land of the Nationwide Conference and leaving the Brewers - 'always the bridesmaid, never the bride' or so it seemed - trailing in their wake, the day we wondered if we'd ever see. In case you thought you'd dreamt Wednesday night's sensational 4-1 championship-winning performance at Vauxhall Motors, here was the proof - a foot and a half high, made of silver and draped in yellow and black ribbons. UniBond League secretary Duncan Bayley had a bingo session to get to, so the Trophy was officially presented before the match, Darren Stride - the hero of Ellesmere Port, Burton born and bred and the club's longest-serving player, though ruled out of this match with a lingering virus, a fitting candidate to hoist the trophy aloft. |
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| But
it was after the match when the celebrations really begun, many of the 2,100
plus crowd - the biggest in the UniBond League this season - swamping the
pitch to see skipper Stride lift the Trophy for a second time, and the players
receive their medals. These kind of scenes were not unfamiliar, the end-of-season pitch invasion and presentations having become a yearly ritual at Eton Park, but this time it wasn't merely the player of the season award being presented, but some real silverware - the first major honour (league cups and county cups aside) in the club's history. |
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Chairman
Ben Robinson, the man who has laid much of the groundwork for this success,
addressed the crowd, no doubt with thoughts in his mind of the new possibilities
and opportunities which lie ahead for the club next season. The question of who will join Albion in the Conference from the other two feeder leagues will go right down to the wire. Tamworth remain on course to make it a Staffordshire double after coming from a goal down to thrash already relegated Salisbury City 5-1 in front of a 2,000 plus crowd at the Lamb, but a similarly convincing win for Kettering Town over Weymouth means the Dr. Martens League title will be decided either in Kent, where Tamworth take on Folkestone Invicta, or in Somerset, where Kettering travel to Tiverton Town, in next Saturday's final matches. |
| Meanwhile in the Ryman League, Gravesend & Northfleet, FA Cup conquerors of the Brewers earlier in the season, missed out on the chance to seal the title after going down 1-0 at home to Boreham Wood. 'Fleet remain a point clear of Canvey Island, who were held 1-1 at home to Sutton United, meaning Gravsend's trip to Bedford Town, and Canvey's match at Braintree, will be decisive. |
| Albion
won't be visiting Dover Athletic or Stalybridge Celtic, confirmed
as relegated from the Conference, next season, nor will they be making a
trip to Church Road, Hayes, barring a mathematical miracle for the
West London side. Already relegated into the Conference of course are
Halifax Town, who bade farewell to the Football League for the second
time with a 4-2 defeat to Rushden & Diamonds at the redeveloped Shay. For the Brewers meanwhile, the season carries on for another two weeks and four matches, beginning with Monday night's visit to Eton Park of Barrow, who'll be looking to avenge their 5-0 thrashing here in the FA Trophy earlier this season. The last away trip of the season sees the Brewers travel to Blyth Spartans on Saturday, and that's followed by two home games against Frickley Athletic (Tuesday 30th april) and Bishop Auckland (Friday 3rd May). |
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| Oh and Saturday's match?? Nothing to write home about, Darren Wright put Droylsden in front 20 minutes from the end, Aaron Webster levelled the scores with a header from Clough's free-kick. The celebrations meant that this match was of secondary importance, hopefully it will be back to business as usual on Monday, as the Brewers bid for that 100 points, 100 goals target. |
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| The Vauxhall Cavaliers! |
| On
a damp, windswept April night on Merseyside, Burton Albion's 52-year league
championship drought finally came to an end tonight amidst scenes of jubilation
at Rivacre Park, home of Vauxhall Motors, as the Brewers clinched the UniBond
League title, and promotion at long last to the Nationwide Conference. Nigel Clough had expressed his wish to keep the champagne on ice until Saturday's home match against Droylsden, but after watching their team turn on the style to demolish the only side left with a mathematical chance of catching them, there was no restraining the celebrations of the hundreds of Brewers fans who invaded the pitch at the end, and waited outside the tunnel for their heroes to re-appear. |
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| It's
almost been an anti-climax the way that the challenge of teams such as Altrincham
and Lancaster has petered out since Christmas, meaning that promotion has
been on the cards for some time now. But the moment of clinching the championship
was no less sweeter for that, and the fact that they did it in such style
made the occasion even more fitting. Vauxhall were top of many people's list of the best footballing side to play at Eton Park this season, and so it wasn't unexpected that the game soon developed into an entertaining, open contest. The Brewers looked bright, slick and inventive from the off, and had the better of the early chances, with Darren Stride heading narrowly over and Terry Henshaw clipping the crossbar, although Motors could have taken the lead when their No. 10 beat the Albion offside trap but shot into the side netting after looking odds-on to score in a one-on-one with Matt Duke. The opening goal arrived on 23 minutes. Christian Moore was shoved in the back on the left hand edge of the Vauxhall box, and Aaron Webster curled the resultant free-kick around the wall and past the despairing arms of the Vauxhall 'keeper. Ten minutes later, it was 2-0 - another free-kick, this time taken by Steve Evans, from wide on the left being headed goalwards by Stride, with substitute Dale Anderson, on for the injured Sean Farrell, sweeping the ball home from close range. |
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The players
emerged for the second half to a rousing ovation, knowing that the title
was probably just 45 minutes away, and pretty soon had swept away any doubt
- Christian Moore capitalising on a slack clearance from the Vauxhall defence
to race unchallenged towards the box, and despite initially appearing to
have gone too far wide, recovering to drill the ball home though a crowded
six yard box. The celebrations could really start in earnest now. A celebratory conga snaked it's way around all four sides of Vauxhall's neat, compact ground, and the chant of 'Champions' - a word many of the more superstitious among us had deliberately avoided using all season - echoed around Rivacre Park. |
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of the biggest ovations of the night greeted the arrival on the pitch of
player manager Nigel Clough - the architect of this triumph - on his arrival
as substitute, although if you wanted to pick out a star man from this
performance (and it was a difficult job on a night when all 14 players were
heroes) - you didn't have to look any further than skipper Darren Stride,
the longest serving Albion player on the pitch, with a career stretching
back to the far-off, distant 'BC' era (before Clough), when a league championship
was as remote a possibility as peace in the Middle East. The inspirational Stride was denied the goal his performance deserved when he fired just wide ten minutes from the end, but by this time the Brewers had cemented their victory with a fouth goal, Jason Kavanagh firing home from the spot after Anderson was tripped in the penalty area. On a night like this, everyone wanted to be involved, and Terry Henshaw almost became an unlikely goal provider when his surging run out of defence set up Christian Moore to combine with Anderson before firing just wide, five minutes from the end. There was still time for Terry Fearns to grab a late consolation for Vauxhall, but it didn't take any of the gloss off a truly championship class performance from the Brewers, nor detract from the sheer joy of the fans, some of whom had waited decades, or even a lifetime, to see the Brewers clinch a league championship. The players hastily departed down the tunnel, but soon re-appeared to acknowledge their public, gathered outside the dressing room area in celebration, and reluctant to go home. And who could blame them? After missing out to Boston, Margate et al, some of us were starting to wonder if we'd ever see that elusive championship trophy at Eton Park. It might not be as impressive as the Southern League shield, but the UniBond League trophy, which will be presented at Eton Park on Saturday, carries the same glittering prize, a ticket to the Nationwide Conference - the promised land - next season. With four Conference teams having succumbed to the Brewers at Eton Park this season, the signs look good for a succesful first term in non-league football's top-flight, but for the time being, it should be enough to celebrate just getting there. As Margaret Thatcher once said, 'Rejoice! Rejoice!'. The fat lady has sung her heart out, and is in her dressing room enjoying a 'celebratory light ale'. Shout it from the rooftops, because it doesn't happen every week. The waiting is over, we are...the CHAMPIONS! |
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| Salvaged pride |
| The
Brewers' epic FA Trophy run reached it's end, as expected, in front
of the Sky TV cameras at Eton Park on Sunday, as despite a 2-1 win on the
day for Albion, Yeovil Town emerged triumphant - 5-2 winners on aggregate
- to claim their place in next month's final at Villa Park. It was an improved, if not an inspired, performance from the Brewers, who emerged with some credit from their fourth victory over Nationwide Conference opposition this season, and went some way to erasing the memory of the 4-0 thrashing at Huish Park eight days earlier which had made this match little more than a formality. |
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| Albion
struggled to get into any kind of rhythym in the first half, and were it
not for some wayward finishing from Yeovil - Adam Stansfield's glaring miss
from eight yards the pick of the bunch - the tie could have been put beyond
all doubt by half time. Albion also had Matt Duke to thank for a fine point-blank
save to deny Stansfield just before the interval. Instead, it was the Brewers who opened the scoring seven minutes into the second half when official man of the match Mark Blount's free-kick into the box was headed down by Farrell, and Dale Anderson raced through to slot past Glovers 'keeper Chris Weale. |
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But
any hopes of a stirring fightback were quickly extinguished when Yeovil levelled
the scores five minutes later, Anthony Tonkin combining well with Stansfield
to deliver a cross headed home from close range at the far post by the onrushing
Carl Alford. Yeovil's 1,000-strong travelling army at the Derby Road End thought they'd taken the lead soon after, but Colin Pluck's 10-yard strike was ruled out for offside, and the decisive goal of the match, although not the tie, was to come at the other end. Aaron Webster's ball in on 72 minutes was cleared by a Glovers defender, substitute Jason Kavanagh headed back into the box, and Sean Farrell snatched the goal his performance deserved, chesting the ball down before firing a deflected shot past Weale and into the net. |
| It
was a result which ultimately both sets of supporters would have been happy
with, in particular the Yeovil contingent, who marked their passage to what
will be their first ever appearance in the FA Trophy Final with the kind
of scenes of celebration not seen at Eton Park since Cheltenham Town's promotion
party back in May 1997. For the Albion meanwhile, a creditable victory over one of the top teams outside the Football League, and a trip to Vauxhall Motors to look forward to on Wednesday night, when we might have a bit of celebrating to do ourselves! |
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| Closing in... |
| The
Brewers are now just six points away from securing the UniBond League
championship, after exorcizing Saturday's 4-0 drubbing at Yeovil with an
equally convincing 3-0 victory over Lancaster City at Eton Park. Lancaster are one of only two teams to beat the Brewers in the league this season, and Tony Hesketh's side's champagne celebrations after their 1-0 victory at the Giant Axe back in October, still fresh in the mind, gave the Brewers an added incentive to get a result from this match. And it was nearly a dream start when Paul Talbot struck the foot of the post inside the first minute, Talbot one of several changes from Saturday's team, with Jason Kavanagh coming into defence in place of Darren Wassall, and Sean Farrell starting up front. The Brewers looked a different side from the one which crashed so spectacularly at Huish Park, with infinitely more drive and energy, and the slick passing football which has become their hallmark this season on display once again. |
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| Aside
from Talbot's early effort, Darren Stride, back to his best after a rare
off-day on Saturday, headed narrowly over, Neil Glasser fired high and Dolly
Blues 'keeper Mark Thornely produced a save to deny Farrell, but the home
fans had to wait until five minutes into the second half for the deadlock
to be broken. Steve Evans set free Sean Farrell down the right flank, and the big striker produced a telling cross which the Lancaster defence failed to clear, allowing Dale Anderson to sweep home his first goal in over a month. The Brewers were in full swing now, and two minutes later, it was 2-0, Farrell firing home at the second attempt after his initial shot from Talbot's cross came back off the post. The seal was set on a thoroughly convincing victory 17 minutes from time when substitute Aaron Webster's effort was blocked by the City defence, and Steve Evans fired home a stunning volley from the edge of the box. Vauxhall Motors are now the only side capable of catching the Brewers, and the title could be decided when the Brewers travel to Ellesmere Port, home of the Motormen, next Wednesday evening. |
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| Brewers crash and burn |
| Hopes
of a dream trip to Villa Park were shattered as the Brewers crashed to a
4-0 defeat to Yeovil Town in a stormy FA Trophy semi-final first leg at Huish
Park. Albion fans had made the trip down to Somerset in large numbers hoping to see the Brewers give themselves a foothold for next Sunday's televised second leg, but that match now looks likely to be a non-event after a well below-par performance saw Yeovil, with some help from an inept referee, saw Nigel Clough's side given a footballing lesson by the Conference side. In warm April sunshine and in front of Yeovil's biggest crowd of the season, Albion got off to the worst possible start by conceding a goal inside five minutes. |
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| Lee
Johnson, son of Glovers' boss Gary, swung in a free-kick from the left and
a barely discernible touch from striker Kim Grant saw the ball sail over
a statuesque Matt Duke and into the net. The goal set the tone for the game, with the Brewers struggling to find any kind of rhythym, and being exploited down the flanks by a quick, skilful Yeovil side. Referee Phil Prosser soon began to establish himself as the main talking point of the match with a series of bizarre decisions. On eleven minutes Yeovil striker Adam Stansfield was disposessed just inside the box by Terry Henshaw, but to widespread bemusement, Prosser awarded neither a corner, nor the penalty the home fans were baying for, opting instead for a free-kick on the edge of the box - Henshaw, despite his what the referee had ruled a misdemeanour, escaped without even a yellow card. Christian Moore had a dubious penalty appeal of his own waved away, and Dale Anderson saw a shot go wide of 'keeper Chris Weale's goal, but despite an increased share of possesion as the first half wore on, Albion's strike duo seemed impotent against a big, well disciplined Yeovil defence, and it was the Glovers who added to their lead, in the most controversial fashion, ten minutes before half time. |
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A
tussle in the box between Grant and Darren Wassall saw the ball make contact
with the Albion defender's arm, and the referee pointed to the spot.
But that wasn't the end of the controversy. Matt Duke dived to his right to save Darren Way's spot kick, but delight turned to disbelief for the travelling fans when Mr. Prosser ordered the penalty to be retaken, indicating that Matt Duke had moved prematurely off his line. Way stood aside to let Nick Crittenden take the second attempt, and he made no mistake, sending Duke the wrong way and the ball into the corner of the net. |
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controversy rocked Albion, and assistant manager Gary Crosby's banishment
from the touchline for remonstrating with the officials, increased the impression
of a team in disarray. The game was over as a contest when, on the stroke of half time Michael McIndoe surged into the Albion box and fired a wicked left foot shot into the corner of the net. Hopes of a second half fightback proved to be in vain as, after a brighter start, the Brewers' play dissolved back into the torpor of the first half, conceding possession at will, and offering little or no threat to Yeovil's goal, apart from a few speculative efforts from Nigel Clough. The introduction of Sean Farrell was an improvement, his arrival bringing some much needed physical presence up front, but any lingering hope that Albion could turn it around in the second leg were dispelled when Crittenden's long-range free-kick took a series of deflections, the last coming off Chris Giles, rebounding off the post and back to the Yeovil substitute, who made no mistake from close range. 4-0, and Yeovil's Villa Park preparations could begin. Next Sunday's second leg now becomes a matter of attempting to salvage some pride, after a first leg in which the Brewers played far below the standard we know they're capable of. More importantly now, Tuesday night's league visit of Lancaster City (7.45pm) offers Albion a swift chance to get Saturday's match out of their system, and to concentrate their minds on the most important objective this season - winning the league. |
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| On the Trophy trail |
| An
already memorable season for Burton Albion heads into the final straight
this Grand National weekend with the Brewers still chasing glory on two
fronts. With Albion just a handful of games away from securing the UniBond League title, the 'impossible dream' of adding to that accolade a trip to Villa Park in May is put to the toughest of tests when the Brewers take on Conference high-flyers Yeovil Town in tomorrow's FA Umbro Trophy semi-final first leg at Huish Park (3pm). More than 1,000 Brewers fans will make the 400-mile round trip, with Nigel Clough issuing a plea to his players to keep up the effort which saw them secure almost maximum points from a punishing fixture schedule in March. |
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"We can win a league title and reach a major cup final in our next four games and that adds up to a huge opportunity for us to give the club even greater prominence on the football map," Clough told the Burton Mail. "We have just come through a massive test with ten games in 31 days and we keep asking a lot of the players. They have worked hard for eight and a half months but if they can just keep it going for two or three weeks more the opportunity is there to do something very special." And, perhaps mindful of Yeovil's form, which has seen them perform better away from Huish Park than at home this season, Clough says his side won't be going into tomorrow's game with a defensive outlook: "We don't want to yield any advantage for Yeovil to take into our home leg," he said, "We have to be positive and try to play our normal game and not go into it with the mentality that it's going to be a siege." Clough is bosted by the return to his squad of Neil Glasser and Aaron Webster (pictured), both of whom have shaken off the knocks which kept them out of Monday's goalless draw at Burscough, meaning Paul Talbot (cup-tied) and Alan Bailey (recurrent back injury) will be the only notable absentees from the 16-man squad which travels to Somerset, along with defender James Wall, who has returned to the United States. |
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Yeovil
boss Gary Johnson meanwhile has a full squad to choose from, with the exception
of former England semi-pro striker Carl Alford, who completes a three-match
suspension tomorrow. Johnson (left), the former Latvian national team coach who took over at Huish Park after the shock departure of Colin Addison in the close season, is playing it predictably cautious in his pre-match assessment: "We know Burton are a good side because they've already beaten three Conference teams this season and it's not by chance that they're winning their league by so many points," says the Glovers boss in an in-depth interview in tonight's Burton Mail. "They've got good players, some of them who I know, and we'll show them all the respect their record has earned. I actually think Burton are in a nice position as far as this tie is concerned because they're so far ahead league wise that they have been able to rest players on a regular basis. |
| "That's
something we can't afford to do because we've still got to concentrate all
our efforts on the league so that we finish as high as possible. In the end
though, in cup football it's all about what happens when you cross that white
line. "If Burton don't perform then we'll qualify but it could just as easily be vice-versa. A bit of luck counts for a lot as well, although over 180 minutes you sometimes get the chance to rectify it if things go against you in the first leg." The notoriously barren Huish Park pitch could play it's part in the result, although the Eton Park surface, looking unusually dry and hard itself in recent weeks, should even things out for the second leg a week on Sunday. The bookies are in no doubt who they're tipping to come out on top in tomorrow's game. Yeovil are odds on favourites at 8/13, with the Brewers 4/1 outsiders to clinch a result in Somerset - Yeovil are also hot favourites to lift the Trophy on May 12th. Meanwhile, though tomorrow's match will provide a more than welcome distraction, Albion fans will be keeping a close eye on the results at Bishop Auckland and Blyth Spartans, where Vauxhall Motors and Worksop Town are in action, both hoping to push the Brewers all the way in the title race. Vauxhall's 1-0 win over Droylsden in midweek narrowed the gap to 15 points, with one remaining game in hand, while Worksop trail Albion by 16, but have two games in hand. |
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| Links |
| Burton Albion official website |
| See the 'Touchline' page for the latest matchday information, team news, weather and travel detail, plus ticket information for both legs... |
| Burton Mail |
| Looking ahead to Saturday's game - for the best coverage buy Friday's paper edition - five pages of excellent Trophy semi-final coverage, including interviews with Yeovil boss Gary Johnson, and Brewers skipper Darren Stride... |
| BBC Stoke - Sport - Burton Albion |
| Preview of tomorrow's match, the start of what could be increased coverage of the Brewers on the BBC's website for Staffordshire... |
| Yeovil Town official site |
| All the latest news and ticket information from Huish Park... |
| Ciderspace |
| Peerless independent Glovers site. Includes a pre-semis guide to Burton, fans forum and much excellent and humorous content... |
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| News - April 2002 | << main >> |
