Predicted by the bookmakers to prop up the table this season, Burton Albion will be out to prove all doubters wrong as they did in their debut campaign, and secure yet another semester of Championship football.

The Brewers scraped survival last season following spells of decent form, but with the division set to be at its most competitive state in many years, many will harbour the belief that Nigel Clough’s men will be too weak to handle the demands thrust upon them this year.

Clough has done what he can to strengthen, with a number of new faces through the doors of the Pirelli Stadium this offseason.

Like many sides in the division this summer, Burton smashed their transfer record with the acquisition of SPFL top scorer, Liam Boyce, marking a real coup for a club considered by many to be the smallest in the league.

However the Northern Irishman could be set to miss most of the season with a knee injury picked up in the pre-season friendly with Shrewsbury, which will be a hammer blow to Clough’s side.

Burton certainly proved their Championship credentials last night without Boyce with a win over an almost full strength Leicester side, with new signing Hope Akpan opening the scoring, and Lewis Akins doubling the lead before the Foxes pulled one back late on.

Sometimes the Championship, or any league for that matter, cannot be navigated by big spending and fancy transfers, and such is the beauty of the English game that club’s of Burton’s stature can compete at this level despite their financial restrictions.

With the money seeping down from the Premier League evolving into a flood with every passing year, it is a breath of fresh air to see little Burton Albion punching above their weight, and based on the summer Clough’s men have had, I would not bet against them surviving the drop yet again.

Can Burton survive or are they destined for the drop?