Burton Albion  

The famous Staffordshire beer brewing town of Burton has been well served by its football clubs down the years with the Wanderers, United and Swifts all enjoying brief spells in the Football League.   

But the demise of Midland League side Burton Town prior to the Second World War meant there was no senior football played in the town until the formation of Burton Albion at a public meeting in 1950. 

The new club, nicknamed The Brewers, began life in the Birmingham League but quickly became famed cup-fighters remarkably reaching the Third Round proper of the FA Cup in 1958 before eventually losing to Charlton Athletic.   

Their cup success led to the club joining the Southern League in 1958.  From then until the end of the century Burton Albion flitted between the Southern and Northern Premier Leagues with promotions and relegations being achieved in equal measure.   

Some famous names have occupied the home dug-out at Eton Park with Peter Taylor (later to be sidekick to Brian Clough) the manager in 1964 when the Brewers won the Southern League Cup.   

One of Taylor’s successors was the flamboyant Ian Storey-Moore who had a spell at the club as player-manager.  Story-Moore was followed by a name familiar to readers of NonLeague Today; Neil Warnock inspiring the club to lift Northern Premier League Challenge Cup in 1983.   

Warnock was in charge during the infamous FA Cup tie with Leicester City which had to be replayed after Burton Albion keeper Paul Evans was felled by a missile hurled from the Filbet Street terraces.  A couple of years later saw Albion reach the final of the FA Trophy only to lose out to local rivals Kidderminster harriers in a replay.  

The clubs most famous, and current, manager arrived in 1998; Nigel Clough arriving at Eton Park to inspire Albion through the most successful period of their history.   

The clubs first-ever league championship was won in 2001 as Albion clinched promotion from the Unibond to the Conference.   

Now an established member of the NonLeague Football’s top-tier Albion have moved from Eton Park to the brand new £7.2m Pirelli Stadium and made national headlines when they held Manchester United to a 0-0 draw in the FA Cup before losing out in a replay at Old Trafford.   

With the club on the up and up there may yet be a fourth club from Burton in the Football League.