Reading FC v Burton Albion: The Oppo

Two weeks off for the third time this season (irritating isn’t it?), and we have a welcome return to Championship action against new boys Burton Albion.

Head to Head

This is the first ever league meeting between the sides, although the two sides met in 2009 in League Cup action, the Royals routing the then newest Football League club 5-1 in their first ever League Cup tie (a match which featured 46 year old Kevin Poole in goal).

They Played For Both Teams

As far as my research suggests, there are no direct playing links between the Royals and Brewers, the closest we have to a player playing for both is father and son combo Stuart Beavon Snr & Jnr. Beavon Snr commenced his career at Tottenham and made four appearances, while he also made six appearances on loan at Notts County while on the north London club’s books. With playing time limited though, Maurice Evans paid a proverbial visit to the Tottenham High Road, and came back with Beavon, from whence the Black Country-born player went on to make 481 appearances over 10 years, scoring 44 goals including the penalty that gave Reading a lead that they wouldn’t relinquish at Wembley in 1998. In all, Beavon is the Royals’ fifth highest appearance maker of all time.

Beavon was a midfield stalwart at Elm Park, but he left the Royals in 1990 for Northampton where he would make a further 98 league during which he notched a further 14 times, before ending his professional career to become a painter and decorator, while he also had a short lived spell at the now defunct Newbury Town FC. He still lives locally.

Beavon Jnr commenced his playing days at Loop Meadow, Didcot Town in the Hellenic League, and did enough to earn himself a move to Conference National side Weymouth. 90 appearances in three years yielded 27 goals and enough to earn a crack at League football with Wycombe Wanderers after the Terras entered financial difficulties, initially on loan with a permanent deal being offered come season’s end. A similar games to goals ratio followed to Buckinghamshire, with 125 appearances bringing 34 goals and a two year spell at Preston North End. 69 appearances and just 12 goals later, Burton Albion manager Gary Rowett saw the high intensity attacker as a good addition to the Brewer’s squad and signed him initially on loan, then permanently at the end of August 2014. To date, Beavon has made 99 appearances for Burton, scoring 13 goals. A bit of sentimentality from Nigel Clough may be in the offing this weekend...

Grudge Moment

Err...there are none!!

Fact, Interesting or Otherwise

The Brewers are so called due to Burton’s brewing heritage which at one time was responsible for a quarter of the UK’s beer production.

The club’s current home ground is the 7,000 Pirelli Stadium having moved from former home Eton Park in 2005, where they played from 1958 just eight years after Burton Albion’s foundation.