Nigel Clough: Burton Albion manager's decision to leave saved jobs - Buxton
- Published
Jake Buxton had a spell with Burton in 2008-09 before rejoining the club in the summer of 2017
Nigel Clough stepping down as Burton Albion manager saved an "unbelievable" number of jobs at the League One club, new player-boss Jake Buxton has said.
Clough, 54, left on Monday, with chairman Ben Robinson indicating that the financial impact of coronavirus played a part in his decision.
"It's a credit to the man he is," Buxton told BBC Radio Derby on Tuesday.
"He's realised the strains this pandemic has caused in all businesses and football is not immune to that."
The 35-year-old continued: "With Nigel stepping down, he's protected the club, and an unbelievable amount of jobs will be protected because of what he's done."
Swindon Town chairman Lee Power said on Monday that he feared "30-40%" of League One and Two clubs may not make it to the start of next season without further financial aid and the financial situation at Burton is stark.
Chairman Ben Robinson told BBC Radio Derby that the losses the club had incurred since football's shutdown in March were significant.
"We've lost hundreds of thousands of pounds because we've lost five home matches," he said.
"From the third week of March the doors were closed. We are very successful as a wedding venue, as well as parties and conferences, and all that has gone too."
League One clubs have still to reach an agreement about the outcome of their season, with six saying last week they were determined to complete their remaining fixtures.
As a result, it is unknown when the 2020-21 season will begin, which is also a cause for concern for teams in the lower leagues.
"It's serious for the majority of clubs out there. Every club, unless they've got a multi-millionaire backer, faces an uncertain future, as do many businesses as well," Robinson added.
"The biggest unknown factor is when will we start playing matches next season and when will we start playing matches behind closed doors?"