Thursday 15 September 2016 08:50, UK
The most uplifting story of the Sky Bet Championship season so far has not been one that has dominated the sports pages.
Burton Albion have hardly taken the league by storm; with two wins, three draws and two defeats, they currently occupy an unremarkable 15th spot in the table.
But for a better perspective of how they are doing it's worth looking at the teams directly below them - Wolves, Leeds and Aston Villa.
Burton have not made any headline-grabbing signings, unable as they are to compete with Aston Villa's near £50m transfer splurge, or the other millions chucked around by the likes of Newcastle. They can't afford to - just 4,579 were there for their first home game of the season. The budget is tiny in comparison to others.
What they have done is shown that a tiny provincial club can fight its way up from the non-leagues and then compete at the upper ends of the professional game. Not with money or big crowds to sustain them, just a lot of hard work.
For this, Nigel Clough's role has been pivotal. He joined the Brewers in 1998 as player-manager. Gradually he built a team at their humble Eton Park home capable of escaping the Northern Premier League. By the time Clough left for Derby in January 2009 the club had moved to the modernised Pirelli Stadium and they stood 13 points clear at the top of the Conference. League football was on its way.
Clough's second spell began last December with the club well-placed for an historic promotion to the Championship. The pressure to deliver shouldn't be underestimated after Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink had led the club out of League Two and to the promotion places in League One, but Clough guided Burton home.
A solid, tight approach to the successful promotion campaign appeared to have given way to a new style on the opening day of the season when Burton were edged out in a seven-goal thriller at Nottingham Forest, a game they could have drawn 4-4 but for defender Ben Turner's agonising injury-time miss in front of the Brewers fans.
Clough would never bemoan his luck, he has too much integrity for that line of work, but he could also point to an injury-time defeat against Bristol City that should have brought at least a point. So there was reason to celebrate when, in front of the live Sky cameras, Burton prevailed 1-0 against Derby County on the last Friday night of August.
The game was also notable for the return to football of defender Shaun Barker, after four-and-a-half years out with terrible injuries. As Clough said afterwards: "He's been out since the previous Olympics before Rio. Can you imagine all that's gone on since London?"
It has been in no small part to Clough that Barker has been able to return. While the defender was recovering and looking for a game to help his rehabilitation, Clough - then Sheffield United manager - invited him to play for one of the Blades' junior teams.
During the summer, Barker had recovered but not enough to claim he was match fit for a full season ahead. There followed a conversation between player and manager that goes against all the modern-day trends of contract negotiations.
The two sat opposite each other and Clough offered him six months, saying: "How much do you want?". Barker wasn't sure, "What do you think?" he responded. There was no hard-bargaining, just a desire from the two men to be fair with each other.
Barker tells the story with a smile, and admits if he breaks down again he wouldn't hang around for the six months expecting to be paid if he is of no use. A senior player with a fantastic working ethos, he has already been plenty of help to Clough off the field.
At the other end of the scale is young William Miller, on loan from Tottenham. After a budding career in acting, including the lead in Oliver Twist, the Hackney lad had trials at Leyton Orient before signing for Spurs. His first goal came in injury-time against big-spending Wolves at Molineux last weekend. Under Clough he has been given a chance.
Then there is the rejuvenated Lloyd Dyer, who has excelled on the wing in a 3-5-2 formation. On Tuesday night against Fulham he was back in a more traditional 4-4-2 from the start as Clough had to make do without four of his big players - Kyle McFadzean, Ben Turner, John Mousinho and Lucas Akins. Despite fielding a makeshift side they almost held on for a first away win, before conceding three minutes into injury time.
"Fulham deserved a point at least," said the manager, as he admitted his side need to be better at seeing games out. There is no shirking away from straight talking when Clough is involved - he is open and honest in his interviews with the press and treats the players the same way.
Brighton, Norwich City and Queens Park Rangers are next up. "So many games in this league have the feel of an FA Cup third-round day, when you draw a big team out of the hat," says Clough when he runs through the fixtures. "Newcastle and Aston Villa still to come."
With Burton having proved they can live with the two other giants in the area, Forest and Derby, it is tempting to wonder what Brian Clough would have made of it all now that Burton have reached their level.
"He would never have imagined that these three teams would be in the same league. He used to come and watch us over the road at the old Eton Park ground when we used to get few hundred people," says Clough.
It is fair to say Clough Senior would have every reason to be immensely proud of his son's achievements on the banks of this small stretch of the Trent.
