As we enter the final quarter of the season, an ever increasing weight is placed upon each and every fixture as the race for the playoffs enters the final straight. Blackpool, who are now just 3 points off the playoffs, are far from out of the race yet, but having been in such a commanding position against Doncaster, it could have been so much closer. Every game matters now and the trip to Burton is going to be no exception.
Injuries and Suspensions:
Burton have no injury concerns of note.
Guy, Ryan and Clayton remain out for the Seasiders.
There is defiantly a possibility to see the return of Marc Bola.
Tilt and Daniels, who hobbled off on Tuesday, are both doubtful.
The History:
Founded in just 1950, the Brewers were recently relegated from the Championship; the highest the club has been in the football pyramid in it's history. In their two seasons in the Championship they had one of the smallest budgets in the division, largely due to their rapid rise from the base division with two consecutive promotions. Burton, who also known as The Brewers for the area's rich brewing heritige, play their home football at the 6,912 capacity Pirelli Stadium. They moved from Eton Park in 2005, a stadium that had been home to the brewers for over 45 years, during Clough's first spell at the club. Their promotion to The Championship was quite unprecedented and to survive a season was impressive, albeit relegation proved a little underwhelming.
The Manager:
Son of the late renowned football manager Brian Clough, Nigel has created some success of his own. As a player he was deployed as either a striker or attacking midfielder, and he began his career at Nottingham Forest. He played over 300 times for Forest and scored over 100 goals for the club. He also played for Liverpool, Manchester City and Sheffield Wednesday, before finishing his playing career at Burton, where he played 227 games. His international career consisted of 14 appearances for England between 1989 and 1993.
His management career began in October 1998 when he was still a player at Burton. Over the course of the next 11 years he would guide Burton for the Southern Football League Premier Division to professional football in a fantastically successful first stint at the club. He would follow this with time at both Derby and Sheffield United, but failed to replicate his success at Burton. He did however take United all the way to the FA Cup and League Cup Semi-Finals respectively in two consecutive seasons. He returned to Burton in 2015 and has since overseen promotion to the Championship and, indeed, relegation back down to League One.
The Players:
John Brayford - Right back Brayford has been a consistent starter for Burton this season, playing 38 matches. At 31 years of age, he has just shy of 200 games of Championship experience, having played for Derby, Crewe, Sheffield United and Cardiff. He is an efficient right back and will prove a test for the Blackpool forward lines.
Scott Fraser - At just 23 years of age, Fraser is in his first season at Burton and has played 42 times. He spent the prior years of his career in Scotland at Dundee and Airdreonians and also winning the Scottish Challenge Cup. Fraser is a player who is sharp and quick to the ball, with 6 goals and 5 assists to his name so far, and should be carefully tracked.
Liam Boyce - Joining Burton for what is believed to be over £500,000, the tall,strong centre forward has 10 goals to his name this season. He joined in 2017 and has also played in Germany, Northern Ireland and Scotland throughout his career. He has been a consistent part of Clough's team this season and presents a stern test for the Pool defenders.
Stats:
11th place, scoring an average amount of goals and conceding an average amount of goals, Burton really are as mediocre as they come. Still with the outside prospect of the playoffs in mind, Burton will be far from a pushover and have some real experience and quality throughout their side. They have just 2 wins in their last 11 though and must also be looking over their shoulder simultaneously, being just 7 points from the drop zone. Blackpool have not kept a clean sheet in 5 matches though and, with Doncaster having dropped points on Friday, Blackpool can not afford to be leaking any more, especially from corners. Burton will be a telling test for Blackpool, but they must grasp the opportunity in closing the gap between them and the playoffs.
Last Meeting:
McPhillips Preview:
Prediction: 1-2
This is a match that will be truly beneficial to Blackpool if they can get a result. Performances have improved since the Bristol tramping and, despite the corners remaining a fundamental problem, Blackpool should get a result against a mid-table side like Burton. That said, Clough is a fantastic manager and not only will his side be well organised, but also extremely well motivated.
Other Fixtures:
(Doncaster Vs Barnsley finished 0-0)
UTP