Nigel Clough believes Championship survival this time around for Burton Albion would eclipse last season's feat.

The Brewers are three points adrift of safety with eight games to play, with Birmingham City and Barnsley directly above them, and Reading, Bolton Wanderers and Hull City further clear.

Albion's current tally of 30 points has them sat 23rd in the division. At this same stage 12 months ago, they were 11 points - but only two places - better off.

Clough's reasoning for ranking a second Championship survival effort above his team's first is vindicated given the quality on show this season.

Nigel Clough looks on at the Pirelli Stadium
Nigel Clough looks on at the Pirelli Stadium

Promotion chasers Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cardiff City and Bristol City were all battling to avoid relegation at times last year, but those sides are among those to have improved, leaving little room for error in the bottom half of the table.

And that is without addressing Burton's horrendously bad luck with injuries this campaign.

"Our aim this season was to try to improve on last year, but we can't do that now," he said.

Albion would have to win each of their final eight games to better their tally of 52 points from 2016-17.

"If we stay in the league it will be a bigger achievement than last year," added Clough.

Burton Albion's 1-0 loss at Cardiff City in January 2017 was their seventh from eight games

"We knew at the start of the season that it would be more difficult.

"We wanted to try to improve, that's why we brought Joe Mason and Sean Scannell on loan in August.

"They didn't work out because of injury and illness and different things.

"We haven't quite managed to improve as we hoped."

Joe Mason of Burton Albion
Joe Mason of Burton Albion

Despite the Brewers' struggles, their aim is still to set up plenty more "mismatches" for next season by surviving in the Championship.

On Saturday, they faced a Wolves side that had £15.8m-signing Ruben Neves, a summer capture from Porto, pulling the strings in midfield.

For Clough, the fact that Burton are competing with a side that boasts the financial clout the Molineux side have is incomprehensible given his side's non-league past.

"It'll become more of a mismatch (next season), because when we played Wolves 12 months ago it was not the same club as it is now," he added.

Ruben Neves of Wolverhampton Wanderers
Ruben Neves of Wolverhampton Wanderers

"When you're dealing with that sort of level in the Championship - they won't be in the Championship because they’ll be promoted in a few months time - that's the sort of level that people are buying into the Championship at the moment.

Burton Albion chairman Ben Robinson ahead of the Brewers' Carabao Cup tie at Old Trafford

"And that makes it even more incredible that we're competing with them."

With Burton Albion run in a sustainable manner, relegation out of the Championship would not spark a drastic change in the way the club operates.

That has been the case for certain clubs following relegation over the years, but Clough knows that a drop to League One would not spell disaster for the Brewers off the field.

So while Burton strive to upset the odds again and book a third successive Championship campaign, does that knowledge ease the burden of relegation on Clough and his staff?

Nigel Clough and Ben Robinson
Nigel Clough and Ben Robinson

"Yes, of course it is," he continued.

"There's the responsibility we carry for supporters (to survive).

"But it's slightly eased knowing that other people won't lose their jobs, and that generally the club won't suffer in that way.

Nigel Clough celebrates Burton Albion staying in the Championship at Barnsley

"And also we've had a season-and-a-half now in the Championship that nobody ever dreamed we'd have.

"But we'd like another one, and another one.

"It's on the field that affects everything unfortunately.

"The way the chairman has run the club has always been the same, which has been great.

"He runs the club almost independent of what happens on the pitch.

"The worst thing ever is when people lose their jobs or people suffer because the football side fails - and he has never run his football club like that.

"That's one of the strengths."