The saying goes that home is where the heart is.

For Burton Albion, that is true in more than one way.

Throughout their against-the-odds rise from League Two to a second season in the Championship, the Brewers have built their successes around a strong foundation at the Pirelli Stadium.

In the campaign when they won the fourth tier title, they secured victory in 16 of their 23 home games.

Burton Albion are back at the Pirelli Stadium for their next two games
Burton Albion are back at the Pirelli Stadium for their next two games

Two years later, as they survived in a fiercely competitive Championship, nine of their 13 League victories came in front of their own fans.

The Pirelli has been at the heart of their triumphs.

But it has also provided the Brewers with heart when they most need it.

Just think about that unforgettable 2-1 triumph over Gillingham on the penultimate day of the 2015-16 season, when Tom Naylor’s injury-time winner from Matt Palmer’s corner placed Albion on the verge of history and promotion to the Championship.

Even earlier that month, when a run of five games without a win had knocked confidence and threatened to derail Burton’s top-two hopes, Nigel Clough’s side were able to respond from conceding early on in a vital top-of-the-table clash with Wigan Athletic to secure a precious share of the spoils.

There was a special atmosphere under the Pirelli floodlights that night, as there was for some of Albion’s big performances there last season.

You could almost sense what was coming before Cauley Woodrow grabbed a dramatic, 94th-minute winner against Wolverhampton Wanderers in February.

Burton Albion celebrate Tom Naylor's last-gasp winner in the crucial victory over Gillingham in 2015/16

Burton had lost eight of their previous 10 matches before that one and with Blackburn Rovers hot on their heels and boasting a game in hand, even a draw would have kept them under severe pressure.

And so to this Saturday’s clash with Ipswich Town and the home game against Barnsley three days later.

Neither of these fixtures hold quite the same significance as the aforementioned matches. Whatever happens in the coming days, there is still plenty of time – and 31 games – to go.

But the Brewers will want to make a statement against the Tractor Boys this weekend and reinvigorate their home form after those successive 4-0 defeats to Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers before the international break, not to mention ending a five-match winless run.

Both of those sides were in sparkling form when they left the Pirelli with a couple of handsome wins.

Albion’s home form overall, meanwhile, is not too bad, with two wins, one draw and three losses to their name.

The second of those wins – a 2-1 triumph over Fulham – was the last time Clough’s men found the net in the League.

Lucas Akins tucks away the penalty that put Burton 2-1 up agaisnt Fulham
Lucas Akins tucks away the penalty that put Burton 2-1 up agaisnt Fulham

The run without a goal has stretched to five games since then. That is a weight hanging around the team’s neck at the moment. The longer it goes on, the heavier it will become.

Ending that sequence will be their primary focus this weekend, while retaining the defensive solidity that has helped them look a miserly outfit on the road over recent weeks.

As Clough and his players have acknowledged, there is more of an onus on them to play a more open attacking game on home soil.

That can, of course, lead to more gaps at the back, as Albion discovered to their cost against Villa and Wolves.

Robert Snodgrass in action for Aston Villa
Robert Snodgrass in action for Aston Villa

They will not, then, tear gung-ho out of the blocks on Saturday and risk conceding an early goal as they chase a telling blow of their own.

But we can still expect an impassioned response from the Brewers. They are a point adrift of safety at this stage and have slightly fallen away from their intended point-per-game target.

One win will get that close to being back on track.

And while Kyle McFadzean suggested last week that it might be easier for Albion to play on the road right now following their recent home humblings, the Pirelli Stadium has so often proved the place where Albion rise to the occasion just when they need to.

In the next week, they have two such occasions as they look to get the goals and the points flowing again.

Burton fans and players alike will want a happy homecoming.