Max Crocombe (Millwall | England)

Happy days at BA. Consecutive wins. 4-2 over Rotherham. Crocs in goal.
BA up to 21st, but still 6 pts adrift of safety (20th spot).

In 20th spot just so happens to be the team (Northampton) of another Kiwi keeper.

Kiwi L1 derby. Burton Albion (21st) host Reading (8th).
BA chasing a 3rd win on the bounce.

https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2025/01/28/england/league-one/burton-albion-fc/reading-fc/4378712/

BA continue their resurrection 
Lead 2-0 at HT
Crocs in goal. Bindon playing for Reading. He’s running out of time for a transfer this window 

Bragging rights to Matt over young Tyler.
BA win 3-2. Reading came back to make it 2-2, but Burton Albion with a 92nd min winner.

That's 3 wins on the trot now for BA (21st). Still in the relegation zone, but they close now within 3 pts of Nik Tzanev's Northampton and safety.

Reading (10th) on the other hand in a bad trot, with 4 consecutive losses. They are still only 3 pts off the playoff spots.

Didn't BA do the same thing last season - leave it late to get on a bit of a run and stay safe.

MetalLegNZ

Didn't BA do the same thing last season - leave it late to get on a bit of a run and stay safe.

I think from memory they were dead last after about 10 rounds, then Crocombe won the keeper's spot, and they went on a mid season run to climb out of the drop zone. But then the rest of the season, they diced with death a bit, always at risk of being relegated. Something like that. Finished 20th only 2 points above Cheltenham Town (21st) who were relegated.

Seems this season they initially bought in a new gaffer, who wanted a GK better with his feet than Crocs. When that failed miserably, Crocombe is back as the starter, that was coach sacked, and BA grinding out better form before going on this 3 game winning run. They have also bought in Icelandic striker Böðvarsson from Wrexham, and he's banged in 4 goals in 4 games for BA.

Burton Albion (21st) travel to Barnsley (9th)

Ex ALM keeper matchup in League One.

Crocs in goal for BA, and Joe Gauci in goal for Barnsley.
Club debut for Gauci on loan from Aston Villa.

Another clean sheet Crocs in a 0-0.
BA's winning run over at 3, but they are unbeaten in their last 5 games.

Away at Barnsley

Burton Albion are on (by far) their best run of form this season and Max Crocombe is making saaaves #FlyingKiwis pic.twitter.com/ZaguQypp59

— The Niche Cache (@thenichecache) February 2, 2025

In form Burton Albion (21st) host Blackpool (13th)

Aww so close to another win for BA. Blackpool with a 94th min equaliser. Crocs in goal. Sam Silvera off the pine for the Tangerines, and the assist

BA now 6 games unbeaten but still 21st and in the drop zone

Burton Albion (23rd) travel to Bristol Rovers (19th). 

BA are unbeaten in their last 6 games (3W & 3D), but unfortunately some of the other relegation strugglers have also found some form.

Not a good day for Kiwi keepers in L1. BA lose 3-1 at Bristol Rovers.

Crocs in goal. BA stay 23rd (2nd last).

Burton Albion (23rd) travel to Stevenage (12th)

https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2025/02/18/england/league-one/stevenage-borough-fc/burton-albion-fc/4378686/

Last 10 mins and BA are 1-0 up. Crocs in goal

BA hang on for a crucial 1-0 away win. They went down to 10 men in the 57th min. Up to 21st, being now only 2 pts behind Peterborough (20th) and safety.

Though teams around them like Crawley (22nd), the Posh and Tzanev's Northampton (19th), do have games in hand.

Hopefully both Crocombe & Tzanev can help their teams avoid the drop, but the odds are at least one of Burton Albion or Northampton will be relegated.

Burton Albion (21st) travel to Lincoln City (10th)
BA with a win could climb out of the relegation zone.

https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2025/02/22/england/league-one/lincoln-city-fc/burton-albion-fc/4378764/

And BA (21st) do get a 92nd winner to get up 1-0.

Unfortunately the Posh (20th) also won, so Albion stay in the drop zone, but their recent good form, gives hope they can stay up.

Niche Cache

This turnaround from Burton Albion has been spectacular. These guys didn’t win a single game until November – they only had two wins after 25 matches. Burton Albion were so far adrift they couldn’t see land. Yet after only taking 15 points from those 25 games, they’re now on a run of: WWWDDLWW which has netted them 17 points from eight games. All of a sudden they’re only two points away from climbing out of the relegation zone. 

BA (21st) travel to Wycombe Wanderers (2nd).

https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2025/03/04/england/league-one/wycombe-wanderers-fc/burton-albion-fc/4378794/

Crocs in goal for a 2-0 loss. BA remain 21st & in the drop zone. 
3 pts below 20th (Bristol Rovers)

Burton Albion (21st) host Bolton Wanderers (7th)

https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2025/03/08/england/league-one/burton-albion-fc/bolton-wanderers-football-club/4378798/

Crocs in goal for a 1-2 loss. Burton Albion 21st, stuck in the relegation spots, and Bristol Rovers (20th) are now 6 pts ahead.

Only 10 games left. BA are going to need another winning run, to avoid the drop

Burton Albion (21st) travel  to Shrewsbury (24th/last). BA need a win. 6 pts from safety

Crocs in goal for a 2-0 road win at Shrewsbury who seemed doom for the drop.

Unfortunately Peterborough also won, so remains a 6 pts gap between Burton Albion (21st) and safety

Burton Albion (21st) travel to Stockport County (5th)

Crocs in goal, but BA down 1-0 with 20 mins to go.

Edit - finished a 2-1 loss for BA

Burton Albion (21st) host Leyton Orient (9th).

https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2025/04/01/england/league-one/burton-albion-fc/leyton-orient-fc/4378846/

Crocs in goal for a critical 2-1 win. BA stay 21st in the drop zone but now close within 3 pts of Bristol Rovers (20th).

BA also with a game in hand, and better GD.

Burton Albion (21st) travel to Wrexham (2nd)

BA (21st) go down to 10 men in the 10th min. As expected that doesn't go well, and they lose 3-0. Kept it 0-0 until 71st min. Crocs in goal.

But Bristol Rovers (20th) also lost so gap stays at 3 pts, BA with the game in hand.

Burton Albion (21st) host Huddersfield (8th)

Crocs in goal for a 3-0 win.

Big moment to, as after spending almost the entire season in the drop zone, BA rise to 20th, and out of the relegation spots.

They go ahead of Bristol Rovers (21st) on GD. Albion also having game in hand on BR. Happy days. 5 league games left, with 3 of those at home.

Looks like very much a 2 horse race between Rovers & Albion (both 42 pts) re the final relegation spot.

Wigan (17th), Mansfield Town (18th) and Northampton Town (19th) all on 47 pts look safe. Whilst  Crawley Town (22nd, 36 pts), Cambridge United (23rd, 35
pts) & Shrewsbury Town (24th, 30 pts) all look doomed

Niche Cache

And with that, ladies and gentlemen, Burton Albion have risen out of the bottom four. It’s only on goal difference at this stage but with four matches left they’re trending in the right direction. This is a club that needed 14 games before they finally won one of them. Now they’re nearing safety. What’s more, their initial captain Elliott Watt was loaned to St Johnstone in January and his successor Ryan Sweeney’s is currently injured (he suffered a head knock making a goal-line clearance in the comeback win against Leyton Orient two weeks ago) so Max Crocombe has captained the Brewers for the past two matches.

Burton Albion (20th) travel to Exeter City (15th).

Relegation rival Bristol Rovers (21st) with a tough ask travelling to Wrexham (2nd), so good chance that if BA win at Exeter they open a 3 pt gap.

https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2025/04/18/england/league-one/exeter-city-fc/burton-albion-fc/4378882/

Edit - Crocs in goal. 0-0 at HT.

A 0-0 draw. Bristol Rovers managed a 1-1 draw at Wrexham so BA and BR remain tied on pts 

BA a game in hand

BA (20th on GD) host runaway league leaders Birmingham City.

Bristol Rovers (21st on GD) host Stevenage. BA still with the game in hand.

https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2025/04/21/england/league-one/burton-albion-fc/birmingham-city-fc/4378894/

Crocs in goal for a 1-2 loss.

Bristol Rovers also lost (0-1 to Stevenage), so Burton Albion (20th, 43 pts) stay out of the drop zone on GD. BA with a game in hand in BR

The run in for both teams -
Burton Albion - Cambridge United (H), Wigan (H) & Charlton (A)
Bristol Rovers - Reading (H) & Blackpool (A)

Wigan & Blackpool nothing to play for, but the other 3 teams are in relegation or promotion scraps.

Waine's Mansfield (19th, 48 pts) could still yet be relegated if they lost all 3 of their final games, and both Albion (3 games left) and Rovers (2 games left) won theirs. That's an unlikely scenario.