Burton Albion, formed in 1950, are a Sky Bet League One side who are managed by former Derby County boss Nigel Clough.
Nicknamed the Brewers, they play their home fixtures at the Pirelli Stadium where the Rams will travel on Saturday 20th July (3pm kick-off) and will compete for the Bass Charity Vase on the day.
Last season, Clough’s side finished ninth in League One following their relegation from the Sky Bet Championship the previous campaign.
Manager – Nigel Clough
Derby County supporters will be familiar with Nigel Clough, who managed the Ram between 2009-2013.
Son of legendary manager Brian Clough, Nigel served under his father as a player for Nottingham Forest.
He spent over 10 years at the City Ground, scoring over 100 goals, before moving to Liverpool in 1993. His time at Anfield lasted three years before he joined Manchester City, before rounding off his professional career with loan spells back at Forest and with Sheffield Wednesday.
He moved into the world of management in 1998 when he was appointed player-manager of Burton Albion.
He went on to make over 250 appearances as he helped lay the foundations for the club to move into the Football League for the first time in their history, before leaving the Brewers in 2009 to take over as Derby’s manager following Paul Jewell’s dismissal.
In total, Clough would manage 233 games involving the Rams and recorded a 33.5% win percentage. He left the club in September 2013, with his final game a 1-0 defeat away to Nottingham Forest.
The now-53-year-old wasn’t out of work for long as he was soon appointed manager of League One side Sheffield United soon after leaving Pride Park Stadium.
He spent 18 months at Bramall Lane, taking them to FA Cup and League Cup Semi-Finals along the way, but was unable to guide them out of the division during his spell in charge and was eventually relived of his duties in May 2015 after suffering defeat in the Play-Off Semi-Finals against Swindon Town.
Almost seven years after leaving the Brewers, Clough made his return to the club in December 2015, replacing Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink and helped them earn promotion to the Sky Bet Championship, where they spent two seasons before relegation in May 2018.
Key Man – Lucas Akins
Burton Albion boast three familiar faces to Derby County supporters. Stephen Bywater, John Brayford and Jake Buxton all ply their trade in Sky Bet League One for the Brewers, however, it’s a man at the other end of the field who usually hogs the spotlight.
Signed in 2014, Lucas Akins has proven to be an instrumental player for Burton. In total, Akins has made 229 appearances for the Brewers and has scored 46 goals.
He has helped them through the leagues having overseen their rise from League Two to the Championship.
Akins started his career at Huddersfield Town before enjoying spells north of the border at Hamilton and Partick Thistle.
He moved south to join Stevenage before making Burton a permanent home in 2014.