Football Season Guide

Burton stunned all and sundry by staying in the Championship last season. After their shock promotion the previous season, the Championship's smallest club were expected to struggle. But they showed remarkable character to stay in the division. They say the second season is harder but in Nigel Clough they have a manager who will relish the challenge. Clough has been wheeling and dealing in the summer with Luke Murphy returning on loan while Jake Buxton and Stephen Warnock are his old colleagues that add steel to the defence while Hope Akpan and Matty Lund add experience to the midfield. Liam Boyce has also arrived from Ross County to supplement the attack. Burton will start the season without Ben Turner due to a retrospective ban for using abusive and/or insulting language in a match last season. They have also lost goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin so could well be short in that area again. Home form for Burton is essential with not many teams relishing a visit to the tight and compact Pirelli Stadium. Clough has often employed a 3-5-2 system in pre-season and that seems to be his favoured formation. He discovered though it was a formation that he could not use in every game last season. Goals were an issue for Burton last time around so Clough will hope his side can click up-front. He had Lasse Christensen, Michael Kightly and Cauley Woodrow on loan in the latter part of last season but the trio will not be returning in a blow to Burton's chances.