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| Only three months to go... |
| The
Brewers have unveiled the programme of friendlies with which Nigel Clough's
men will warm-up for their first season as a Nationwide Conference
club. The pre-season campaign kicks off at the Brewers' Dr. Martens Western Division neighbours Rocester on Friday 19th July, and ends on Monday 12th August with a trip to the self-proclaimed 'oldest football club in the World' - Sheffield FC. Inbetween those games is the usual collection of Bass Charity Vase fixtures - Derby County and Notts County providing the Brewers' opposition - and games against non-league sides, with UniBond League colleagues of last season Hyde United, and Ryman League outfit Thame United joining a list of more local sides. |
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| Apart
from the Bass Vase game at home to Derby, the visit of Wolverhampton Wanderers
on Tuesday August 6th is the only Eton Park friendly on the schedule at present,
although another more prestigious home fixture could be pencilled in at a
later date, we understand. Meanwhile Albion boss Nigel Clough has moved quickly to add new faces to his squad in preparation for next season, with strikers Craig Dudley and Glen Kirkwood both signing for the Brewers in the space of a week. Dudley, 22 joins Albion from Oldham Athletic - subject to his overcoming an ankle ligament injury. A former Notts County player, Dudley has been at Boundary Park for three years, during which time he's also enjoyed loan spells at Shrewsbury, Chesterfield and Hull, and was also a member of the England U20 squad which travelled to the 1999 World Championships in Nigeria. |
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"Craig's
main asset is his pace, but we also like the fact that he can play up front
or wide on the right," manager Nigel Clough told the Burton Mail, "He's
also the right age from our point of view and we're hopeful he'll fit into
our squad perfectly." Kirkwood meanwhile will be a more familiar name to Albion fans. He joins the club from the Brewers' Dr. Martens League neighbours Ilkeston Town, where he's just picked up the Supporters Player of the Season award (see picture) at the end of the season which saw him net 20 goals for the Robins. |
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| Kirkwood
has Football League experience, having played for Doncaster Rovers either
side of their relegation into the Conference in 1998. The Brewers initially
tried to sign him a year ago but Kirkwood still had a year to run on his
contract at the New Manor Ground. "They made him a good offer to stay but he wanted to join us for all the right reasons and to get him on a free transfer is a bonus," said Clough of his second capture in a week, "Glen usually plays up front but we think he's also capable of doing a job for us in midfield because his work rate fits in with the ethics which got us into the Conference." In other news, Aaron Webster has picked up two more England caps after playing in John Owens' National Game XI in the inauguaral UniBond Four Nations tournament last week. Webster played 77 minutes of England's 1-1 draw against Wales at York Street on Tuesday night, and made a half hour substitute appearance in Saturday's 2-0 victory over Scotland at Rockingham Road, Kettering. Brewers skipper Darren Stride was initially a part of the England squad for the tournament but had to pull out because of a knee injury sustained in the UniBond Shield match against Accrington Stanley on Bank Holiday Monday. |
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| Clough signs new deal |
| Just
days after completing the most successful campaign in their history, the
Brewers have been handed a massive boost for next season with the news that
manager Nigel Clough has signed a new three-year contract with the club. It's the second time in his Albion career that Clough has agreed a new deal with a year still remaining on his existing contract, and just as when he last put pen to paper two years ago this week - see archive news story here - the Brewers boss hopes the move will silence speculation linking him with other managerial vacancies. |
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| "Hopefully
by signing this contract it will show how happy I and Gary (Crosby) are at
the club and keep the rumours about me leaving at bay a bit longer," Clough
told the Burton Mail, "As far as we are concerned getting into the Conference
is on the first step, and that's taken us three and a half years." Words that will come as music to the ears of Brewers fans who are looking forward to seeing Nationwide Conference football at Eton Park for the first time. Clough also cited the example of Cheltenham Town, former Brewer Steve Cotterill at the helm and league rivals of the Brewers only five years ago, who this week clinched promotion to Nationwide Division Two, as a model for the club's future progress: "We're heartened by the fact that two former Dr. Martens League clubs, Cheltenham and Rushden, were in the play-offs yesterday for promotion to Division Two," said Clough, "Cheltenham were the winners and still have players at the club who were with them in their non-league days. We think we have the potential at Burton to emulate their achievements." |
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Meanwhile
Clough has already started planning for next season, and all but two of this
season's squad will be staying at Eton Park. Pat Lyons and Alan Bailey are the two departees, the latter suffering a disappointing end to his one season at the club after missing the spot-kick which saw Accrington Stanley win the UniBond League Shield on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Eton Park on Monday. Bailey has scored some crucial goals this season, but has never quite found the consistency to justify a regular place, while his form has been hampered by the after-effects of a car accident he was involved in in March. For Lyons meanwhile it marks the end of a five-year spell at the club. A regular in midfield during John Barton era and in Nigel Clough's first season at Eton Park, Lyons' appearances have been limited in recent years. Of the players who's contracts expire this Summer, skipper Darren Stride and England semi-pro colleagues Aaron Webster and Dale Anderson have all signed new three-year deals, Mark Blount, Neil Glasser, Terry Henshaw and Darren Wassall have signed for two years, with Colin Hoyle and Sean Farrell penning one-year contracts. |
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| Out with a bang |
| The
curtain came down on the most successful season in the history of Burton
Albion Football Club on Friday evening with all the panache, style and class
which has been the hallmark of Nigel Clough's side this season. Albion hit three past a demoralised Bishop Auckland side already doomed to relegation after their new home at Shildon failed to meet the UniBond Premier Division ground grading deadline, to clinch a league record-breaking 104 point haul this season, with 106 goals scored. While Bishops have stated their intention to appeal against their enforced relegation, for the Brewers it was another night of celebration as they bade farewell to the Northern Premier League after just one season back, a firework display rounding off the traditional end of season presentations after the match. All the talk before the match was of whether Darren Stride or Christian Moore - each on 19 goals for the season at start of play - could clinch the top scorer award, but in the event the two had to share the award, with Stride adding to it the official player of the season and BrewersNet player of the season awards. Steve Evans is a man who's certainly ended the season on a high, and it was his 15th minute header from Paul Talbot's penetrative cross which got the show underway. |
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| Evans
was denied what would have been a late contender to challenge Dale Anderson's
goal of the season against Hucknall, but Bishops 'keeper David Campbell produced
a reflex save to tip the midfielder's acrobatic effort around the post. |
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Christian Moore also caused problems for the visitors, but it was from the penalty spot that the second goal came, Bishops defender Mark Foster being penalised for handball, and Aaron Webster completing a remarkable 100 percent record from the spot this season - 14 penalties converted in all. The second half saw fewer chances, but Terry Henshaw's bullet-like strike from the edge of the box kept things stoked up, and although Moore was denied his 20th goal of the season for offside right at the end, there was no dulling the carnival atmosphere which saw even the Popside burst into song towards the end. |
| The
players' post-match lap of honour with the UniBond championship trophy was
cut short as most of the 1,400 crowd swelled onto the pitch for a triumphal
end of season awards ceremony. And a spectacular display of pyrotechnics
meant that the 2001-2002 season quite literally went out with a bang. Only the Bank Holiday Monday UniBond Shield clash with Accrington Stanley (3pm) now stands between the Brewers and a well-deserved Summer break, and the next time we see league action at Eton Park it will be in the Nationwide Conference. |
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| News - May 2002 | << main >> |
