With just one game left to be played this season, Burton Albion know that their fate is in their own hands as they look to preserve their League One status.
A huge 3-2 win over Reading at the weekend would give the Brewers’ survival chances a boost and they now look in a strong position to cement their status in the third tier for another season. Despite their opponents having the lion’s share of possession, Martin Paterson’s side took their chances well and would hold on to their lead, putting a five point gap between them and Cheltenham Town in the process.
That result was the clubs’ first point at home since win their win over Charlton Athletic on the 20th of January, a streak which spanned eight home games. During that time, they’d lose to three of the four teams who sit below them ; Carlisle United, Port Vale and Cheltenham Town, and that awful home form is what can be blamed for the situation that they find themselves in.
Nonetheless, it was a far better performance on Saturday which was in fact their second win in their last three games. Sandwiched between the Reading win and the away win over Stevenage was a brutal loss to fellow strugglers Cheltenham Town. That result blew the race for survival wide open once again, but with the Robins losing to Lincoln City over the weekend and Paterson’s side picking up three points, it is once again advantage Brewers.
Cheltenham do still have two games left to be played, but sit five points behind Burton. To stand any sort of chance of moving out of the relegation zone, the Robins would have to beat both Peterborough United and Stevenage, which does seem quite the task. They’d also need Burton to not win on the final day.
Fortunately for Paterson’s side, they face already-relegated Fleetwood Town away from home on the final day pwho could be considered one of the easier teams to be facing. It looks highly likely that they’ll stay in the third tier for another season but once again, it’s been a bit too close for comfort.
At one point last season it looked as if the Brewers were set to go down, but a huge change in fortunes which coincided with Dino Maamria taking the helm would see them move up to 15th. It is however a bit of a worry that there have been no real improvements over the last couple of seasons, especially with three strong sides in Stockport County, Wrexham and Mansfield Town all coming up from League Two which will make it harder next year.
Brewers fans will be eagerly monitoring Cheltenham’s match with Peterborough on Tuesday night as anything bar a win for Darrell Clarke’s side would confirm Burton’s survival. With Peterborough still having an outside chance of automatic promotion, they’ll be expected to field a strong side. That certainly favours the Brewers, who will be hoping that their survival is sealed before the final day.
Quite the overhaul is needed going into the summer, and better performances at the Pirelli Stadium will be expected next season. It looks as if they’ve done enough to beat the drop this season, but they could be in serious bother next year if Paterson doesn’t receive much financial backing in the summer.
