FACTS and figures relating to tomorrow’s home game against Wigan Athletic from Tony Bentley.
ON THIS DAY – OCTOBER 3
The last time Burton Albion played a Football League game on October 3 was in 2020. Portsmouth were the visitors for a game played without fans during the Covid-hit season. The Portsmouth side that day included four players who would or had played for Albion – Craig MacGillivray, Tom Naylor, Bryn Morris and Marcus Harness. It was to be Harness who tormented his former employers as he put Portsmouth into a second minute lead. Lucas Akins put the Brewers level in the 14th minute, and then Naylor put through his own net six minutes later to give Burton the lead. Harness got his and Pompey’s second two minutes into the second half, before Jack Whatmough put the visitors ahead again on the hour mark. Harness then grabbed his hat-trick goal, and Portsmouth’s fourth in the 73rd minute to inflict a 2-4 defeat.
On October 3 2015 the Brewers hosted Southend United in League One. A crowd of 2,948 saw Burton score the only goal of the game after 51 minutes, when United defender Luke Prosser put the ball into his own net.
Cambridge United were the visitors to the Pirelli on Friday, October 3 2014. Gary Rowett’s side went into the match in good form, having won their first five home league games of the season. However, Tom Elliott put the visitors ahead in the 35th minute. Ryan Donaldson made it 0-2 in the 64th minute, before Elliott got his second and his side’s third goal in the 76th minute. Lucas Akins managed to pull a goal back nine minutes from time but it was the visitors who took all 3 points.
WIGAN ATHLETIC
The last time that the Brewers faced Wigan Athletic at the Pirelli Stadium was on Tuesday, April 12 2022. A crowd of 3,589 saw the two sides battle out a goalless draw, which was the middle game of three successive goalless draws that April for Burton.
The previous meeting was Jake Buxton’s final game in charge of the Brewers. It came on Tuesday, December 29 2020 with no fans in attendance. Albion took the lead in the 13th minute through John Joe O’Toole. This was cancelled out five minutes later by Kyle Joseph. John Brayford restored the Burton lead in the 25th minute, but again Joseph equalised in the 28th minute. Kane Hemmings put Albion ahead for the third time in the game in the 72nd minute, but Joseph got his hat-trick and Wigan’s third equalising goal less than a minute later. Then in the 83rd minute Will Keane scored what turned out to be the winner for Wigan to complete an amazing 3-4 victory.
It was a Championship encounter when the two sides played on Saturday, January 14 2017. Defenders Jake Buxton and Stephen Warnock were both in the Wigan side, prior to joining Albion the next summer. Callum Connelly gave Wigan the lead right on half time, before scoring his and his side’s second goal after 64 minutes to complete a 0-2 win for the visitors. That game saw goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin pick up an injury in the first half, with Stephen Bywater replacing him at half time to make his Championship debut in Brewers colours.
Both sides were battling for League One promotion when they met on Tuesday 19th April 2016. A crowd of 5,461 saw Michael Jacobs put Wigan ahead in the 8th minute, before Tom Naylor scored an equaliser in the 38th minute to earn a share of the points. Both sides would be automatically promoted at the end of the season.
Albion have only ever defeated Wigan at the Pirelli in the Capital One Cup. On Tuesday, August 12 2014 a crowd of 2,602 saw Marc-Antoine Fortune put Wigan ahead in the 27th minute. Dominic Knowles equalised right on half time, before Stuart Beavon scored, what turned out to be the winning goal, in the 52nd minute to see Albion beat a Championship side for the first time ever in the League Cup.