Clough chases different sort of glory

By Pete Oliver

Nigel Clough is still playing at the age of 37

Nigel Clough once made it all the way to Wembley in his pursuit of FA Cup glory.

Clough's Nottingham Forest, managed by father Brian, lost to Spurs in 1991.

Twice more the Cloughs made it to the last-four during their productive days together at the City Ground and Nigel was at Liverpool when they reached the quarter-finals in 1994/95.

Heady days, but Clough junior admits that just keeping Burton Albion's current cup run going by beating Hartlepool on Sunday would rank alongside the previous achievements he has enjoyed in the competition.

"It all goes down a peg or two," said Clough, who is now player-manager of Nationwide Conference club Burton.

"When you were a professional you wanted to get to the quarter-finals and semi-finals.

"Now at our level, it's a great feeling to get to the second round.

"Once you get to the first round the League clubs come in. We got a result at Torquay and now have another League club, and that's our quarter and semi-finals."

So what chance the equivalent of a place in the final, a potential money-spinning third-round tie against one of the Premiership giants?

"It would be unbelievable," said Clough. "It would be nice just to get into the hat with the big boys, that's our aim."

My dad still has some emotional ties for Hartlepool but hopefully he will be cheering us on Burton boss Nigel Clough

To do so, Burton must at least hold Second Division high-fliers Hartlepool United in front of the live BBC cameras at Eton Park on Sunday afternoon.

"It's going to be very, very difficult. Hartlepool are going so well it's going to be an extremely hard game for us," Clough added.

"But we are looking forward to it. Beating Torquay has given the lads a bit of confidence.

"If we had been up there it would have been a different ball game. But we are at home and we have nothing to lose."

Clough has done a fine job in his five years in charge of the Brewers.

The 37-year-old player-boss took Burton into the Conference last season and they have now established themselves as one of the best part-time sides in the league.

Long-term plans include the possibility of going full-time, following on from a switch to their proposed new ground next season.

The BBC cheque, allied to prize-money for beating Buxton and then pulling off arguably the shock of the last round at Torquay, will therefore come in handy.

Brian Clough may have divided loyalties on Sunday

"We are a club that is moving forward at the moment," said Clough.

For now though, it's a case of juggling playing with working for Burton's squad, and they had a re-arranged game at Northwich Victoria to fit in on Tuesday night.

"It's a little bit unfair that since the draw was made we'll have played half-a-dozen games and they will have played three. But come Sunday we'll be raring to go and fired up," Clough added.

Burton pushed Oldham close in a televised game last season, which Clough hopes will stand his side in good stead.

Big-match experience is not thin on the ground either with Clough, who laid on the winning goal at Torquay, also able to call on former Forest team-mates Steve Chettle and Darren Wassall.

Former England international Andy Sinton has not figured since October, but Jonathan Howard is another with semi-final pedigree from his days at Chesterfield.

"We've got a nice balance," said Clough. "We've got some lads who have just played non-league but who have played a lot, some younger ones and the likes of Darren Wassall and Steve Chettle to calm everyone down."

But when it comes to experience, none will match that of one interested observer, former Hartlepool manager Clough senior.

"He will be there," said Nigel. "He still has some emotional ties for Hartlepool, but hopefully he will be cheering us on."