Burton Albion Secures Promotion

...players and staff alike breathed a communal sigh of relief before the celebrations began as the Brewers had come within a whisker of the mother of all sporting slip-ups.

The side, then managed by Roy McFarland, eventually stumbled over the finish line two points ahead of nearest challengers Cambridge United, but this was a far cry from the 22 point lead they enjoyed over the same side midway through the season.

Even the exit of former boss Brian Clough to coach Derby in the New Year didn't appear to affect Burton's promotion charge and, if anything, it seemed to motivate the players to prove a point to the departed Clough. McFarland took charge and it was business as usual as Burton continued to steamroller their way through matches.

By February, the winners medals were all but handed out as Blue Square, the bookmakers, paid out to all punters who had backed the Brewers for the title. At this point they were 100-1 on to win the league. In layman's terms, baring the possibility that Real Madrid suddenly embarked on a freak Burton Albion spending spree, promotion was a certainty.

In fact, come April, Burton were still 11 points clear of Cambridge but pressure and a sudden lack of self belief can do funny things to any sportsman's performance.

For recent examples, look no further than AC Milan's capitulation in the Champions League Final, after being 3-0 up against Liverpool in 2005 or Newcastle United throwing away a 12-point lead in the Premier League title race back in 1997. It doesn't matter what level the team's playing at the fear of failure when it seems impossible to lose can be an overpowering feeling.

And going into the final match of the season against Torquay, the Brewers were in danger of following in the footsteps of these teams and writing their own horror script.

Burton had only won one match out of their previous six and passed up a number of opportunities to secure promotion while Cambridge United had, quite remarkably, reduced the deficit to a mere three points.

A defeat for McFarland and a comprehensive win for the U's would have added another chapter to sport's greatest comebacks and ruined all of Burton's hard work during the overriding majority of the season.

The presence of former boss Nigel Clough at Torquay's ground, would surely have added to the players' nerves, We definitely can't blow it now in front of our old gaffer!"

However, the Brewers began in inspired form by grabbing the opener after only eight minutes through Marc Goodfellow. Yet the Gulls hit back with goals from Chris Hargreaves and Elliot Benyon to leave Burton staring down the barrel.

The score line remained the same, but as the final whistle echoed throughout the ground, news gradually filtered through that the seemingly inevitable had not actually happened. Cambridge were held to a draw by Altrincham Burton were the champions, just.

Fortunately for the Brewers, they had not added their name to sporting blooper folklore.

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