Why Bolton Wanderers were always Nigel Clough's biggest concern on the final day

Nigel Clough always believed that Bolton Wanderers could prove Burton Albion's biggest obstacle to Championship safety on the final day.

In a breathless denouement to the campaign, Phil Parkinson's Wanderers scored twice in the final five minutes at the Macron Stadium to beat Nottingham Forest and climb to 43 points.

It left Albion, who had previously been safe on 42 points when Hope Akpan curled home a fine equaliser at Preston North End, requiring a last-gasp winner.

That ultimately eluded them, with Louis Moult's injury-time strike confirming Albion's return to League One in the most painful of circumstances for Clough and his side.

"They (Bolton) were always going to be the problem for me to us," said Clough shortly after those survival-securing goals from David Wheater and Aaron Wilbraham for Wanderers.

"We were looking at it before. We fancied Derby County to beat Barnsley, Bolton were always the problem.

"When you're playing a team that don't really have anything to play for, that's always the problem.

"(It feels) pretty bad. I don't know if it's worse or not having got so close.

"If we'd have been 3-0 down, then we'd have had that feeling for the last hour of the game or however long.

"But for all of it to happen so late on, that probably makes it worse at the moment."

From a neutral's perspective, the final moments of the Championship survival race were a thrilling conclusion to a battle that ebbed and flowed during the last month of the campaign.

But that is not how it felt to those on the pitch, on the bench and in the stands for Albion.

An away following of 1,969 Brewers fans at Deepdale - less than 800 fewer than the entire Pirelli Stadium attendance for January's defeat to Reading - were in fine voice all afternoon.

And Clough knows how hard the relegation will have been felt by those supporters, as it was in the Burton dressing room.

"It was unbelievable support today," he added.

"When we came out and saw the mass of yellow and black behind the goal, it was unbelievable.

"It's so cruel on them.

"It's cruel on everybody, situations like this.

"But I suppose for the so-called neutrals, it's exciting. Not for us."