Nigel Clough’s side looked down and out but three wins have put them within sight of survival in a league where the odds are stacked firmly against them

It was last month, two days after a 5-0 humbling by Hull on home turf that left Burton marooned at the bottom of the Championship and eight points adrift of safety with four games remaining, that Ben Robinson, the club’s chairman, penned an open letter to supporters. In short, he says, it was a message that served as a reality check, a reminder of the challenge given their extraordinary journey from the Unibond League to here.

In the last line, he referenced the need to generate another miracle if Burton had any hope of preserving their status. The manager, Nigel Clough, sounded resigned to their fate. “We are nearly done now, I’d say,” he said, after that loss extended their winless run to nine. It looked as though they had left themselves too much to do, the writing on the wall.

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But, three straight wins later, Burton have earned a fighting chance before heading into the final game of the season against play-off chasing Preston at Deepdale on Sunday. That they have taken it to the wire is nothing short of incredible. “We go there thinking it’s still possible to survive, create a great escape and another massive miracle,” Robinson says. “Realistically, you wouldn’t have expected us to win those three games, at home to Derby, away to Sunderland and at home to Bolton – three tough games. But the team came good, produced nine points and three great performances.”

It is not entirely in their own hands and come Sunday lunchtime they will have one eye on the teams they find themselves sandwiched in between. Bolton entertain Nottingham Forest while they could do with neighbours Derby, who host Barnsley, doing them a favour. Mathematically a point could prove sufficient with Bolton, who go into the weekend occupying 23rd, one point and one place below them,and Barnsley ahead of Albion thanks only to a far superior goal difference.

If they were to pull it off, would it taste even sweeter than after staying up in their maiden season with one game to spare last April? “I think so, because people say it’s the second season that’s the biggest challenge and that’s why I think if we managed to do it this season, it would be an even bigger miracle.”

Burton faced Manchester United in the EFL Cup in September but even in the second tier most weeks, Robinson says, it is David v Goliath battle. Of the gulf in financial muscle, Clough said it can be “demoralising at times when you go into games like Wolves knowing deep down you can’t compete” and that his players are not “daft” in recognising the chasm.

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“If you look at our wage bill then I think the next club spending more than we do are probably spending 50% more than what we do,” Robinson says. “Most clubs we are competing against are spending, two, three or four times what we do on the wage bill. We spent under £1m on the team last summer and we recently played Middlesbrough, and were unlucky not to beat them, who spent £50m on their team and that’s just one example.”

Burton operate with comfortably the smallest budget in the division, a modest wage bill of around £8m and the average attendance at their Pirelli Stadium, opened in 2005, is just below 4,700. Robinson admits to being disappointed at their gates but one the biggest frustrations this season was the anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained by club-record signing Liam Boyce, a £500,000 arrival from Ross County, against Shrewsbury Town five weeks into pre-season. He scored a 90th-minute winner after Darren Bent had equalised at former club Sunderland two weeks ago.

Robinson describes Sunderland’s plight as “really sad” and believes Burton have been able to punch above their weight on the pitch because of his manager. “I think that’s his skill, if you look at the spirit of the team,” he says. “He has worked within limited resources to get the best results. It’s not how much you spend; it’s how you spend. That’s why Nigel Clough’s been successful.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Burton face a final-day showdown that could settle their destiny. Photograph: John Potts/ProSports/Rex/Shutterstock

As a club, they are prepared for “both scenarios” but securing a third consecutive season in the second tier would mean a lot for Robinson, who has been involved with the club for 34 years, across two spells. “I’m 73 in September, so I enjoy every day of my life but I’d be dead chuffed,” he says. “And I’d be particularly pleased for Nigel and the players. You could say ‘it’s just another game’ but it’s obviously a game on which so much depends and we are going there with a great chance.

“Preston need a result to get into the play-offs, they have everything to play for and so we have we. We are looking forward to it. If we survive, fine. If we don’t, then we will look at next season with the same approach we have had all these years, and deal with it accordingly. Stranger things have happened.”

Talking points

• Just the thought of another team pulling off some last-day heroics will be of deep concern to Paul Clement and his Reading side. This time last year they were gearing up for the play-offs but, after an embarrassing 4-0 home defeat by Ipswich, they still need a point to guarantee safety. “We’re now in a position we wanted to avoid, which is having to go to Cardiff and get a result,” the manager said. “If we don’t, it’s in the lap of the gods.”

• Barnet have their own big dreams after taking their fight for League Two survival to the last day. Martin Allen’s men must beat relegated Chesterfield to stay afloat in the Football League but will still most likely to rely on results elsewhere, namely Morecambe’s trip to Coventry.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Will Barnet pull off a remarkable escape? Photograph: Mark Pollitt/ProSports/Rex/Shutterstock

• Morecambe received a mini-boost of sorts before Sunday’s showdown with confirmation that the club’s sale, to Bond Group Investments Limited, a London-based firm, has gone through after months of uncertainty. “We are very pleased to confirm this transaction and look forward to a period of sustained stability and growth within the club,” said chairman Peter McGuigan.