ARCHIVE NEWS - July 2005

BURTON ALBION 0 DERBY COUNTY 3 (30/07/05)

A record Pirelli Stadium crowd of over 4000 fans saw the Brewers fall to a 3-0 defeat to Championship side Derby County.

The margin of victory was perhaps a bit harsh on the home side who fell behind early in the first half through a Rasiak strike. A second half penalty from Tommy Smith and a late strike from Marcus Tudgay completed the scoring.

New signing Andy Todd lined up in a new look Albion side which also featured Aaron Webster for the first time this season.

Manchester City are the next visitors, when Stuart Pearce brings a strong squad to the Pirelli Stadium on Tuesday evening.

STRIKER SIGNS TODAY (30/07/05)

Hucknall Town forward Andy Todd will finally put pen to paper on a contract with Burton Albion, ending a long wait by Nigel Clough to get his man. Todd had spent much of the pre-season with Oldham Athletic and was awaiting news of a possible move to the League One side, and had also appeared for Tamworth in a couple of friendly games.

However, the Latics decided not to take the former Nottingham Forest man, and Todd had no hesitation in joining the Brewers.

Todd who can operate in midfield or as a striker, played for Burton Albion in the 2-2 draw with Hull City, scoring the Brewer's second goal of the game.

Nigel Clough is still looking to bolster his attacking options after he made a third and final bid to Woking for Justin Richards. The powerful forward, who scored 19 times for the Cards last season, is thought to be seeking a move back to the Midlands.

WEATHER HITS VASE FINAL (28/07/05)

The Final of the Bass Charity Vase which was originally scheduled to take place this evening has been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

Torrential downpours throughout the afternoon have rendered the pitch unplayable, and the match has now been arranged for a week today, Thursday 4th August with a 7.45pm kick off.

BURTON ALBION 1 NOTTM FOREST 1 (25/07/05)

An entertaining match ended all square, but the draw was enough to see the Brewers through to the final of the 2005 Bass Charity Vase.

The visitors opened the scoring in the first half when Spencer Weir-Daley beat Dan Crane with a near post header, before Andy Ducros levelled the scores in the second half.

Both sides had good chances to win the game, but great saves from Dan Crane and bad misses from Dale Anderson get the scores tied.

The final takes place at the Pirelli Stadium on Thursday evening, kick off 7.45pm.

BASS VASE PREVIEW (24/07/05)

The Brewers go into tomorrow night's Bass Vase match against Nottingham Forest knowing that they only need to avoid defeat to make it to the Final. Already through to Thursday night's Final are Notts County, who secured their place with a win against Gresley Rovers and a goalless draw with neighbours Forest.

Burton are likely to encounter an in-experienced Reds team and should make it safely through to set up a repeat of the 2004 Final.

The game kicks off at 7:45pm and prices are £4 adults and £2 concessions. An extra charge made by made for seats in the main stand.

BURTON ALBION 2 HULL CITY 2 (20/07/05)

A draw against a Coca Cola Championship side is an encouraging result with three weeks still to go before the start of the Conference season. Burton twice came back from behind through goals from trialists Kevin Street and Andy Todd. The Hull side included Matt Duke who returned to Burton for the first time since his £20,000 transfer last season.

[MATCH REPORT]

WHIPPETS WHITEWASH (18/07/05)

Burton Albion began this season's Bass Charity Vase campaign with a comfortable 2-0 win over neighbours Gresley Rovers. A first half strike by Jon Shaw was added to in the second half by Chris Hall.

The team made up mainly of last season's squad never really looked tested by the home side. The Brewers are next in action on Wednesday night when Hull City, along with Matt Duke, are the visitors to the Pirelli Stadium. [MATCH REPORT]

BURTON ALBION 0 CHESTER CITY 1 (16/07/05)

The Pirelli Stadium opened it's doors for the first time today, with Chester City providing the opposition. A single goal from Avun Jephcott wasn't enough to spoil the day though as the fans basked in glorious sunshine in their magnificent new surroundings.

[MATCH REPORT]

HERE WE GO! (16/07/05)

The Brewers begin another chapter in their history with the official opening of the Pirelli Stadium this afternoon. Whilst the opposition, Chester City, might not be the most glamorous, most eyes will be on the magnificent new surroundings at Burton Albion's new home.

The stadium is not 100% complete yet, and although the capacity has been restricted to 3000 for today's game, there should still be enough open for fans to get a feel for their new home.

The match will also be a chance to see a number of new faces on the pitch, with the players currently on trial at the club taking centre stage. Amongst the players hoping to impress will be defenders Darren Tinson and Chris Clarke, along with midfielders Kevin Street and Andrew Hall.

There are also rumours that striker Shaun Harrad could be joining the club today after his contract was called by Notts County. Harrad is no stranger to the area after spells with both Tamworth and Gresley Rovers.

Admission prices for today's game are £10 adults, £8 concessions and £3 kids. There is a £2 transfer charge for seats in the main stand.

MICKLEOVER SPORTS 0 BURTON ALBION 2 (15/07/05)

The Brewers kicked off their pre-season programme with a win over Northern Counties East side Mickleover Sports. Andy Ducros opened the scoring with a curling shot before Barry Miller added a second from close range.

Team: Crane, Corbett, Henshaw, Clough, Miller, Austin, Dudley, Graves, Anderson, Ducros, Hall Subs: Shaw, Stride, Garner

TIME RUNNING OUT FOR STADIUM OPENING (13/07/05)

With just three more days to go until the first ever match at the Pirelli Stadium, the club is facing a race against time to have the ground ready.

Vital safety certificates are still yet to be issued by the licensing authorities as essential work is still needed to be completed. It has been reported that only two sides of the ground will be available to supporters, however without the certificates, no spectators would be allowed in at all and the game on Saturday would have to be played behind closed doors.

The Pirelli Stadium project has been dogged by problems and delays from the outset, with the opening originally planned for December 2004. However, recent tours by supporters of the stadium have been accompanied by assurances from club officials that the stadium will be ready on time, and any delays will be seen as a major blow.

Ironically, Saturday's visitors Chester City had to play their first friendly match behind closed doors last night after they too were still awaiting safety certificates to be issued for the Deva Stadium.

INTER JET IN FOR PIRELLI CUP (11/07/05)

With less than a week to go until the official opening of the Brewers new home against Chester City, it has been announced that Italian giants Inter Milan will provide the opposition in the inaugural Pirelli Cup competition. Boasting world class stars such as Brazilian Adriano, ex-Ajax and Juventus star Edgar Davids and former Manchester United midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron, Inter will certainly provide tough opposition.

With the Pirelli connections between Burton Albion and Inter Milan, it seems obvious that the Pirelli Cup should be contested between the two sides.

So why then is the match taking place between Leicester City and Inter Milan at the Walkers Stadium?

CAN I HAVE A GAME MATE? (09/07/05)

With less than 7 days until the first pre-season match, news of new signings at Burton Albion has been almost non-existent. Definitely confirmed so far is winger Keith Gilroy, signed after being released by Darlington, and it seems likely that veteran defender Darren Tinson is still set to join the club.

However, the expected arrival of 5 or 6 quality players to add to last years squad just hasn't materialised. The summer break has seen the departure of 4 players from a squad that was already threadbare and struggling to keep it's position in the Conference.

So who has joined the club? Well who knows. With the very limited amount of announcements that come from official sources at the club, it seems that even if Michael Owen arrived the club we would only read more about it after six o'clock.

The other Conference rivals seem to have been busy in the transfer markets, with Tamworth having signed a handful and are in talks with at least 2 ex-league strikers.

One Albion target, Andy Todd, looks unlikely to be coming to the Pirelli Stadium after impressing on trial at Oldham Athletic. The striker, released by Hucknall Town, scored a hat-trick in a pre-season tournament in Spain and could be offered a deal after the weekend.

So if you are making the trip to Mickleover Sports on Friday night for the first friendly, it may be worth taking your boots, as you just might be needed.

SHILTON GETS KNITTED AT LAST (08/07/05)

Cuddly former Brewers midfielder Sam Shilton has at last left the club and has signed for Hinckley United. It had been feared that Sam had failed to find a club during the summer and would be reporting back for pre-season training with Burton.

This is not only good news for Albion fans, but also for the people of Africa. It is hoped that Sam's oversized Burton shirts will be sent to the troubled continent to be used as tents. A spokesman for an aid agency told us that he was delighted, because not only were the shirts very big, they were also very clean as Sam never broke sweat in them.

Sam will join up with Glenn Kirkwood who also joined the Knitters after being released at the end of the season.

LAURIE OFF-LOADED AT KIDDERMINSTER (03/07/05)

Midfielder Laurie Wilson, released by the Brewers, has joined up with Conference rivals Kidderminster Harriers. Wilson arrived at Eton Park last summer after being released by Sheffield Wednesday. He started the season as a first team regular, but by the end of the year saw himself out of the team and out on loan.

He made a total of 20 appearances for the Brewers, scoring 2 goals, but failed to impress overall. He looked good taking set pieces and was always a threat with his long range shooting ability, but he couldn't really command a place in the midfield.

Laurie will probably be remembered more for his haircut than by his contributions on the pitch, and I am sure that his return with Kidderminster will be eagerly anticipated by a number of teenage female Albion fans on whom he probably made the biggest impact.

FA YOUTH CUP DRAW (02/07/05)

The draw for the Preliminary Round of the FA Youth Cup has been made, and the young Brewers will face Redditch United at home. The competition comprises the young talent from both league and non-league clubs, and a successful passage through the qualifying rounds could set up a clash against a Premiership youth side.

The Brewers Youth team were crowned champions of the Conference Youth League in April in their very first season, defeating Barnet in the final of the competition.

The draw for the competition has been made up to the third qualifying round stage, and can be found in full on the FA website.