Luton Town Football Club

WHO? Burton Albion Football Club, also known as the Brewers. Established in 1950, the club won promotion to the Football League in 2009. The Brewers have reached the Play-Offs in the last two seasons. 

WHERE? Burton play their home games at the Pirelli Stadium in Burton-upon-Trent, the place they have called home since 2005 after vacating Eton Park. The stadium cost just £7.2m to build and holds 6,912, of which 2,034 is seated. The Pirelli’s record attendance stands at 6,192 for a game against Oxford in the Conference the year the Brewers won promotion.

HOW TO GET THERE. The trip to Burton is, according to Google Maps, precisely 100 miles. Take the M1 north, and leave the M1 at junction 22 and join the A511 towards Coalville/Burton. Turn right at the junction of the A5121, towards Burton North. As you come into the outskirts of Burton you will pass a McDonalds on your right. Just before the next roundabout you will see the stadium on your right. Turn right at the roundabout into Princess Way. A short distance along Princess Way on the right, is the entrance to the club car park. There is a large car park at the ground which costs £2. For the sat-nav savvy, the ground’s postcode is DE13 0AR.

BOB IT. If you’d rather somebody else did the driving for you, why not consider going with the Bobbers Travel Club? They leave the Luton train station at 11.30am. The fare is £22 for adults and £19 concessions. To reserve your seat give them a buzz on 01234 856542.

EASY DOES IT. Remember that junction 10 of the M1 remains closed this weekend so if you’re leaving for Burton from the Luton area make sure you leave in plenty of time. The last thing we want is you panicking and rushing to make kick-off. 

BURTON SAY: “ARRIVE EARLY” With a big crowd expected at the Pirelli Stadium, the Brewers are urging all Town fans to arrive at the ground in plenty of time to ease congestion at the turnstiles. The ground opens at 1.30, and – quite rightly given their nickname – beer is served from a special bar in the away end. Cheers!

AWAY THE LADS. The Hatters have sold 1,948 tickets as we typed these words up at 10.26 on Friday morning for this match and a final 50 seats are still available to purchase (click here for more details). The game is all-ticket with no tickets available on the day at Burton. The 1,350 Town supporters who are standing up, will have the East Terrace to themselves behind the goal, whilst those sitting down beside the pitch will be afforded unobstructed views in the main stand. Burton’s average attendance this season is 2,583.

RESPECT, PLEASE. There will be a minute’s silence before the game on Saturday. Click here to read why. Thank you in advance.

HAVEN’T WE MET BEFORE? Ummm, no, no we haven’t. This will be the first meeting between the two clubs, although the Hatters have played one side from Burton many moons ago. The town had Burton Swifts playing in the Football League in the late 1800s, with the Hatters playing the Swifts six times between 1897 and 1900. The record is a straightforward one of two draws and two wins apiece.

HOW THEY DOING? The Burton Albion class of 2014/15 aren’t doing too badly at all. Earlier this month the Brewers saw highly-rated boss Gary Rowett move to Birmingham City, but last week Albion appointed Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink as Rowett’s successor. He marked his first game in charge with a fine 3-1 win at Wycombe Wanderers on Monday night in front of the live Sky Sports cameras. In recent weeks their form has been patchy, as their record of five wins, five defeats and one draw from their last 11 games testifies. 

HOME COMFORTS. Burton have not won in front of their home support since a 1-0 win over Cheltenham on 27th September. Since that victory the Albion faithful have seen their side lose three and draw one of their next four matches at home in all competitions, including defeats to Cambridge and Morecambe in League 2.

DID YOU KNOW? In 2006, and then as a Conference outfit, Burton held Manchester United to a goalless draw in an FA Cup third round tie at the Pirelli Stadium. 

TOWN CONNECTIONS. The Hatters once had Paul Peschisolido on their books, a man who went on to manager the Brewers. And once, although not a stringent link between the clubs, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's older brother Carlos once played for the Town during pre-season in 2000. 

MILESTONES. If Mark Tyler plays any part in the game he will make his 250th appearance for the Hatters.

REF WATCH. Saturday’s man-in-the-middle is Nottingham-based referee James Adcock. So far this season he has shown 67 yellow cards and sent off five players in the 18 matches he has officiated so far. While his name might not be immediately recognisable, Adcock was the man in charge of the 2011 Play-Off final that the Town lost on penalties to AFC Wimbledon at the City of Manchester Stadium.

TOWN TEAM NEWS. Alex Lawless, Ross Lafayette and Paul Connolly are the only players definitely unavailable for the Hatters this weekend. 

LIVE AND ONLINE. Hatters Player is the only place to listen to online commentary of the Hatters this season and once again the DiverseFM team will be bringing subscribers all the action from the Pirelli Stadium. What’s more there will be a full report, reaction and photographs post-match and live text updates during the match itself. 

GET SOCIAL. Remember to subscribe to our official YouTube channel for free, as well as checking out the official FACEBOOK, TWITTER and INSTRAGRAM accounts, too, and don’t forget to use the hashtag #COYH