Having finished as Sky Bet League Two champions, Burton Albion will play in the third tier for the first time in the club’s history next season. Here, we take a closer look at the Brewers.
Burton Albion Football ClubName:
Nickname: The Brewers
Stadium: Pirelli Stadium
Founded: 1950
How They Got Here
As mentioned in the introduction, Burton made the jump from League Two to League One as champions following a stellar 2014/15.
They finished the season with an impressive 94 points from 46 games and a plus-30 goal difference.
They sealed their promotion to the third tier with a 2-1 win over Morecambe in April and wrapped up the title with a 3-2 victory at Cambridge earlier this month.
Lucas Akins finished the season as the club’s top scorer having bagged a total of nine goals in the league.
The Man In Charge
In his very first season as Burton manager, former Chelsea and Leeds United striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink led the club to promotion in style.
The 43-year-old, who was appointed in November 2014, started his career in football in Holland with Telstar before transferring to AZ Alkmaar in 1991, where he sent the next two years.
A spell in Portugal followed and the forward then came to England, signing for Premier League giants Leeds United.
In his two years at Elland Road, Hasselbaink scored over 30 league goals in less than 70 appearances, finishing as joint golden boot winner in 1998/99.
He left for Atletico Madrid the following season, with whom he collected a Copa del Rey runners-up medal.
However, his stay in Spain was short-lived and he returned to the UK with Chelsea in 2000. His four years at Stamford Bridge included a Charity Shield win and an FA Cup final appearance.
Hasselbaink’s next stop was in the North East with Middlesbrough, where he spent two years before finishing his playing career with short stints at Charlton Athletic and Cardiff City.
Following his retirement, the former striker went into coaching with Chelsea’s youth team and then was appointed manager at Royal Antwerp.
He spent a single season in Belgium before returning to England with Burton.
Stadium
Burton Albion’s Pirelli Stadium was built and opened in 2005, replacing the club’s old home, Eton Park.
It’s capacity is 6,912 – 2,034 of which are seated – and the ground is also home to the Brewers’ women’s team.
It is just 38 miles from Vale Park, making it one of the shortest journies of the upcoming 2015/16 campaign.
The trip from Stoke-on-Trent is relatively straight forward. Join the A50 at the Britannia Stadium and exit at junction four, onto Derby Road.
Continue along Derby Road before taking a left onto the A5121 and the Pirelli Stadium will be on the right.
Previous Meetings
Port Vale’s last clash with Burton was one to remember for all Valiants supporters. In April of the 2012/13 season an emphatic 7-1 win at Vale Park underlined the club’s promotion credentials.
Lee Hughes scored a hat-trick, two of which were penalties, Ben Williamson bagged a brace while Tom Pope and Chris Birchall each netted once in the rout.
Matthew Paterson scored a 70th minute consolation for the visiting Brewers but by that stage the points had been virtually wrapped up by the rampant home side.
The Valiants previous visit to the Pirelli Stadium, also during that promotion season, finished 1-1 with Ben Williamson scoring the opener and Jordan Chappell replying for Burton.