They say 'Never Go Back’. But both Burton boss Nigel Clough and Birmingham manager Gary Rowett have bucked that trend and still proved relatively successful in both their spells at their respective clubs.

Clough has done so twice as manager at Burton Albion, while Rowett has been a hit with Birmingham, both as player - and now as manager.

Any other examples of that? Or where people have gone from hero to zero, second time around? Graham Taylor at Villa? Ron Atkinson at Albion? Kevin Keegan at Newcastle?

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Burton boss Nigel Clough believes that Gary Rowett deserves a good reception back at his old stamping ground tonight, following another ex-Brewers boss Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, whose QPR side drew here 1-1 a month ago.

"He’ll get a great ovation," said Clough. "And he thoroughly deserves it. He played a major part, the same as Jimmy when he came back the other week. You can’t deny the role they’ve played in this club being in the Championship."

Blues boss Gary Rowett is well aware of Burton's home pedigree, admitting: "They've made a good strong start under Nigel. It's fantastic to see them doing well.

"I just hope they won't be celebrating after this game. We don't want to be another notch on their bedpost." 

Top of the agenda after Birmingham City made the short trip up the A38 to Burton tonight is Gary Rowett's first return to the Pirelli Stadium since for St Andrew's almost two years to the day.

He brings with him five other former Brewers employees - his three backroom men, Kevin Summerfield, Mark Sale and Kevin Poole, plus midfielder Jacques Maghoma and Adam Legzdins.

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Burton bring back defender Tom Naylor in place of John Mousinho, who drops to the bench, where Shaun Barker is among the substitutes instead of Tom Flanagan.

Birmingham make one change, bringing in an extra central midfielder in Dave Davis, who returns from suspension. In returning to a 4-3-3/4-5-1 formation, Blues drop striker Clayton Donaldson to the bench, just a game after he returned from a month out with an Achilles injury. 

Burton Albion: McLaughlin, Brayford, McFadzean, Turner, Akins, Naylor, Palmer, Irvine, Dyer, O'Grady, Ward. Subs: Mousinho, Williamson, Bywater, Miller, Choudhury, Harness, Barker. 

Birmingham City: Legzdins, Spector, Morrison, Shotton, Grounds, Kieftenbeld, Gleeson, Cotterill, Davis, Maghoma, Jutkiewicz. Subs: Robinson, Donaldson, Fabbrini, Adams, Brown, Stewart, Kuszczak. 

Referee: Tim Robinson (West Sussex)

Gary Rowett had a great record in his two and a half years in charge of Burton Albion, from March 2012 to October 2015 - a win rate of 44.4%, from his side's 63 victories in 142 matches.

But it is not quite as good as Nigel Clough's. In his 540 games at the helm, in his two spells as boss (from October 1998 to January 2009, then since being reappointed last December), his side have won 250 times - a win rate of 46.3%.

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Gary Rowett's Birmingham have arrived at the Pirelli Stadium in form, having climbed to fifth in the Championship on Tuesday night when they beat bottom club Rotherham United 4-2 at St Andrew's.

That was their sixth win in 13 Championship games this season - and Rowett's side have been beaten just twice.

When Burton Albion won promotion to the Championship, it meant a number of coach drivers having to add the Pirelli Stadium to the football destinations in their satnav.

Tonight, it's the turn of Birmingham City to venture into DE14 for the first time - one of several second-tier clubs who will do so this season.

Hello and welcome to tonight's Championship fixture between Nigel Clough's Burton, 19th in the table, and Gary Rowett's Blues, who start the night nine points better off - and 14 places higher in fifth.