THE manager who laid the foundations for the Brewers continuing rise up the the football ladder is not surprised that Burton Albion are flying high in League One.
Nigel Clough is the longest-serving manager in Burton Albion's history - notching up more than a decade of service after being appointed by chairman Ben Robinson in 1998.He masterminded Burton Albion's Unibond title in 2002 and left the club with what proved an unassailable lead at the top of the Conference when he moved on to Derby County in 2009.
Gary Rowett and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink have since moved the Brewers even further on, so that Burton Albion are sitting on top of League One.
Nigel Clough says: "When you get promoted and go into a new league, especially one the club has never been in before, it can be difficult. But right from the end of last season I thought they could do well in League One.
"They are building on the confidence they have a had for a few seasons now. Gray Rowett started that by building a group of players who were not used to losing. That has carried on and it's a nice habit to get into."
He also thinks that Albion have built the right way, avoiding the trap of boom or bust.
"Even clubs we played against at non-league level in the early days paid a lot of money but have gone by the wayside or are now well below Burton Albion. It has always been about  steady building at Burton Albion."