Burton Albion F.C.

Did You Know?

• Burton Albion set a league record for the most consecutive wins during the 2008–09 season.
• Nigel Clough's second spell as manager lasted 228 games, and he surpassed 900 games in total with the Brewers.
• In 2018–19, Burton reached the semi-finals of the EFL Cup, losing 10–0 on aggregate to Manchester City after a 9–0 first-leg defeat.

History

Burton Albion were formed in 1950 and joined the Birmingham & District League. They finished as runners-up in 1953–54 and moved to the Southern League North Western zone in 1958–59. Promoted to the Southern League Premier Division in 1965–66, they avoided relegation in 1968 due to Stevenage Town folding but were relegated in 1969–70. After missing promotion on goal average in 1970–71, they finished runners-up the next season and returned to the Premier Division.

The club was relegated and promoted again over the next two seasons, then relegated in 1976–77. League rearrangements moved Burton to the Northern Premier League because of their central Midlands location, then back to the Southern League in 1987–88, the season after losing a replayed FA Trophy Final to Kidderminster Harriers. Nigel Clough became player-manager in October 1998 and led the club to two successive runners-up spots in 1999–2000 and 2000–01.

Burton moved to the Northern Premier League Premier Division in 2001–02, winning it by 15 points with 106 goals, earning promotion to the Football Conference. The club gained national attention when drawn at home against Manchester United in the 2005–06 FA Cup third round, holding them to a 0–0 draw before losing the replay 5–0 in front of over 11,000 Burton fans, a record for away fans at Old Trafford.

Stadium

Burton Albion began at the Lloyds Foundry ground on Wellington Street, but high attendances prompted a move to Eton Park, which opened on 20 September 1958 and served as home until its demolition in 2005. The Pirelli Stadium on Princess Way was built in 2005 on the former site of the Pirelli UK Tyres Ltd Sports & Social Club, with the land donated by Pirelli in return for naming rights. The £7.2 million ground was designed by architect Jon Hawkeye and has inspired newer grounds including Morecambe's Globe Arena and the proposed Hayes & Yeading stadium.

It received its most recent safety certificate from Staffordshire County Council on 12 July 2010, following crowd trouble on 8 May 2010 involving Grimsby Town fans after their relegation from League Two. The current capacity is 6,912, with 2,034 seated in the South (Main) Stand. The record attendance of 6,746 was set for an EFL Championship match against Derby County on 26 August 2016; previous records include 6,192 for a Conference National defeat to Oxford United and 6,191 for the FA Cup third-round match against Manchester United. The stadium also hosts the National ISFA Under-13 tournament final.

Rivalries

In non-League days, Burton's local rivals included Gresley Rovers, Nuneaton Borough, Stafford Rangers and Tamworth, though these rivalries lessened after the club's rise to the Football League. Following promotion to the Football League, rivalries developed with Port Vale, Notts County, Chesterfield and Walsall, all of whom except Notts County had been rivals to Burton United in the early 1900s. A largely friendly rivalry exists with near neighbours Derby County, partly due to shared fanbase and the transfer of manager Nigel Clough to Derby in 2009. Promotion to the Championship in 2016 brought matches with Aston Villa, Birmingham City, Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers.