Well its that time again, time for another blog input. However there's a small alteration to this blog post in the way that sadly there is no photographic evidence of the trip due to pretty much every single picture being the subject of copyright and we at Bar And In always stay on the right side of the law. This weeks blog post comes courtesy of a little known team just up the road in Staffordshire that I have taken quite an unhealthy interest in. Burton Albion or 'The Brewers' as they are affectionately known have come a long way in recent years. Promotion from the Conference in 2009 followed by a successful first season in league football along with a battling F.A cup performance at home to Manchester United only to be defeated in the replay has made it a whirlwind ride being an Albion fan.
So when a fixture away to table-toppers Chesterfield came up in their brand new 10,000 seater B2net stadium we were on the M1 faster than you could say Paul Peschisolido. Chesterfield itself is a market town situated in between Derby and Sheffield in the Peak District making it an ideal place for ramblers, fans of good beer and those who fancy a bit of hassle-free football. Boxes ticked we pitched up at the B2net to find that the stadium was right in the car park of the brand new tesco superstore which was rather odd, surely chants of 'You're just a small ground in tesco' will be heard on the terraces in the coming months.
Tickets collected and those delightful words 'unreserved seating' uttered, we were back into town parking close to Saltergate, Chesterfields old and rather delapidated stadium, still oozing the history and charm of years gone by, not to mention this was part of the set for the film 'The Damned United' a must watch for any football fan. For those who love a beer and a spot of lunch Chesterfield is simply awash with pubs and eateries. We recommend The Welbeck, very good food, very old fashioned and friendly locals, what more could you ask for? Sadly no sign of Danny on this trip though.
A quick bus up to the B2net from Rose Hill by the town hall for the princely sum of £1 and we were on our way, the ground is walkable from the town centre but if you are A) an untrained rambler or B) full of lunch, the bus is probably the best option, atmosphere and all that. We were amongst an away support of around 1,000 which is remarkable for a side like Burton and we all settled down inside the brand spanking new concourse to watch Aston Villa throw away a two-goal lead against United.
The stadium itself is neat, tidy and a credit to the city, acoustics in the away end are superb and you're situated very close to the action. All stand of equal height with room to link the stands together should Chesterfield make it further up the football league pyramid. Albion were yet to win away since the beginning of the season and with the home side putting away goals for fun this was set for a whitewash. Cue shock and surprise when on-loan forward James Collins put past Spireites keeper Tommy Lee to send 1,000 Brewers into raptures, game on!
Craig Davies's frustration at leading the Chesterfield forward line seemingly alone was beginning to show, after a ball in the face from Brewers centre-half Tony James right in front of the away fans he finally got his own back, a cross from the right was turned in by Derek Niven and cue ol' Craig and accomplice Danny Whittaker celebrating in front of the away support, the latter rifling the ball into the back to the stand and breaking a light fitting in the process, yellow card for the idiotic Whittaker.
With that, the lights then went out on Chesterfield as goalscorer Niven was given his marching orders over a dubious foul. Brewers boss Paul Peschisolido, remeniscent of a young Chris de Burgh on the sidelines played his next hand and introduced top scorer Shaun Harrad to the action who duly repaid his boss with the winner, a neat turn on the edge of the area and a shot that took an eternity to clip the post and nestle into the back of the net. Shirt off, fans ecstatic, job done!
So why go to a league two match? Well, a few things. The prices for one, £32 for both of us, thats less than a ticket for most games in the top two divisions for a single person. Not a hint of hassle from the stewards or police, friendly and passionate atmosphere and some wonderful places to visit, go on, give it a try.
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