IN A SEASON where it is easy to be seduced by the bright lights of the Premier League and the relentless push in the Championship to reach the promised land, there are a number of compelling stories emerging from League One.

A failure to observe the battle in the third tier is to miss out on gripping stories which offer proof that the lower leagues are fertile ground for theatre.

Staffordshire played host to two unfolding tales on Saturday afternoon when Sunderland beat Burton Albion 3-0 at the Pirelli Stadium.

An early Grant Leadbitter strike, followed by Lynden Gooch and supplemented by a late Charlie Wyke strike — sandwiched between Josh Earle’s sending-off that left the home side with 10 men for 34 minutes — clinched a hard-fought result for Lee Johnson’s side.

The resonance was hard not to relish — fallen giants on the rise once again as the Mackems’ deserved victory eased them into the play-off places. 

Yet Sunderland’s bid to claw their way out of the old third division is a heartwarming tale for another day. Because, as this season heads into the final straight, to focus solely on the Wearsiders would be to ignore Burton’s noble fight against the drop, despite the weekend’s disappointing defeat.

If the Pirelli — Burton’s well-ordered and relatively new ground — was a preponderance of soulless, gunmetal-grey breeze blocks, they were more than compensated by the big, warm soul of this small community club, as evidenced by its welcoming and helpful staff.

Distinctive yellow-and-black flags stood out in the empty stands behind the goal. “Once a Brewer, Always a Brewer” and “BAFC The Religion” were among them, along with a more salutary reminder of these troubled times: a hoarding for a local funeral director.

The Brewers are led by the returning Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and his assistant Dino Maamria, a charismatic Tunisian steeped in English football.

After departing from his brief first appointment as Burton boss in 2015, Hasselbaink reappeared here last New Year’s Day with the club marooned at the bottom of the table and facing near-certain relegation.

The canny Hasselbaink moved quickly to appoint Maamria, a muscular presence with a big heart — a fighter who has had to battle throughout his career.

In this sporting era, when racist abuse is more prevalent than ever, it was good to see Maamria — an engaging, proud, intelligent man with north African roots — re-emerge in the professional game.

Maamria had earned a reputation as a progressive but adaptable manager, notable for building energetic sides that could play long or short, at such outposts as Southport and Nuneaton Town.

He then led Stevenage to the brink of the League Two play-offs on a paltry budget and afterwards stabilised Oldham. But, you could argue, he was never given the time he needed at either to kick on.

Yes, the teak-tough Maamria, with Berber roots, was born in a tent and grew up in Saharan sands before being spotted by a Burnley scout on his holidays. But there is so much more to him than that.

Surviving a move from Club Olympique des Transports in Tunis to a bleak, alien, post-industrial Lancashire in the mid 1990s — and the attendant culture shock that came with it — was proof that Maamria was made of sterner stuff.

As a non-drinker, Maamria was disconcerted by a culture reliant on alcohol as a catalyst for socialising. If he wanted to meet people back then, the pub was the only place to go, the teetotaller once told me, adding with a wry smile that he drank a lot of coffee in the ’90s.

A bad leg break ended his hopes of playing at a high level. But he still had a bustling playing career to be proud of, consisting in equal parts of bravery and hard work spliced with character and talent.

And so it has been with Burton in 2021.

Three wins in four prior to kick-off boosted hopes of somehow escaping relegation. The subsequent defeat didn’t make things any easier, but Maamria and Hasselbaink know that the results around them in the lower reaches of League One will decide whether they stay up, not the final score against promotion chasers. 

Reflecting on the match, Maamria — who turned 47 this week but looks a decade younger — was gracious in defeat, acknowledging Sunderland’s extra quality but hailing his side’s spirit and tenacity.

“First and foremost, Sunderland are a very good team,” he told me. “We have been really solid of late, we’ve been tight defensively, only conceding one goal in four games. But the first two goals were cheap to concede defensively, which was disappointing.

“We’re back with a bump today but our focus now moves to our game with Charlton on Tuesday.”

He added: “We came out firing after the break only to have a silly sending-off from our young lad who’s on loan from Preston [Josh Earl]. I’m sure he’ll learn from his mistake. But after that, with 10 men against a good Sunderland team, you’re always going to struggle.

“The club was in a poor position when we came. Rock bottom in League One is a challenge. We’ve recruited a lot of young players to inject some energy into the team. But what’s going to define us is our run of games against teams around us in the league.”

There were intriguing narratives everywhere during the 90 minutes.

Aiden McGeady’s quick feet and mesmerising flashes of flair are still burning bright for the Mackems, continuing a career which began at Celtic and involved a four-year spell with Russian giants Spartak Moscow.

Not to mention the reassuringly grey-haired Leadbitter, whose canny right foot underlined that there is far more to him than spraying pleasing cross-field passes. This was especially clear when he linked well with the 34-year-old McGeady before hitting a sweet right-footed curler past Ben Garratt on six minutes to give Sunderland the perfect start.

Albion, who were led by John Brayford — looking like a Game of Thrones extra lost on his way to a battle at Winterfell — regrouped quickly.

The captain, an Albion stalwart during his two spells at the club, linked well down the right flank with the lively Jonny Smith for Ryan Broom to hook over on 13 minutes. 

In a hard-fought, engaging match, veterans McGeady and Leadbitter dovetailed in an efficient manner for the former to test Garratt moments later. The ex-Parkhead attacker’s quick feet forced an excellent save from the Brewers’ shot-stopper as the pressure built on the home side.

And the Burton rearguard was eventually breached again, with Gooch firing home via the underside of the bar just after the half hour to make it 2-0.

Yet Burton refused to be bowed, with Jonny Smith cutting inside to test Lee Burge low down to his right four minutes before the break.

And five minutes after the interval, Smith forced Burge to tip a shot onto the bar as Burton continued to trouble the visitors.

The effort and no little talent shown by both sides meant you couldn’t keep your eyes off the match.

Sunderland’s cultured Dion Sanderson was elegance personified at right back. The 21-year-old, on loan from Wolves, possesses an excellent technique and calm temperament, which — allied with an aerial prowess and a pleasing penchant for the occasional agricultural clearance as a last resort — makes him a genuine prospect.

And speaking of rising stars, it was good to see Lisa Rashid give an excellent performance running the line.

She also showed character in attempting to calm hot heads, when the errant Earle let himself and his teammates down when wading in and pushing Aiden O’Brien over the hoardings during a burgeoning row on the goalline.

Referee Craig Hicks had no option but to hand Earl his second yellow, also giving Sunderland’s O’Brien a caution.

“You simply can’t do that,” admitted Maamria of the incident afterwards, and the Preston loanee’s indiscipline was a shame as it killed the game as a viable contest.

Yet the progressive Hasselbaink and Maamria decided to shake things up with a triple substitution just after the hour, including replacing Broom with Joe Powell — who immediately injected urgency by drilling narrowly over shortly afterwards.

The visitors then made a triple change of their own, with the departing Leadbitter and McGeady earning applause for their classy efforts from the small official Sunderland contingent present.

Wyke thudded the post after Jordan Jones’s fierce shot drew a smart stop from Garrett low down to his right. But he was to find the net 120 seconds later, finding the far corner to make it 3-0 on 76 minutes.

As the clocked ticked down Sunderland were expertly marshalled by their vocal captain Max Power, who deserved his ripple of appreciation from the select few from the Wearside club in attendance when he was swapped for Chris Maguire.

It was good to see Hasselbaink and Maamria offer hearty encouragement and solidarity towards Smith when replacing him with Terry Taylor late on — a sure sign that the spirit in the Burton camp is good and that they are ready for the challenges that lie ahead this spring.

Hasselbaink’s spirit was never in question as a talented striker, nor as a combative boss — as witnessed by his yellow card late on for dissent. 

And there was still time for the Black Cats’ Maguire to test the busy Garrett late on, but he was equal to the task in pulling off an outstanding full-length save.

As the final whistle went, the Burton PA played the tune Local Hero. It’s a stirring piece of music from the peerless guitarist and former Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler, much-used by their bitter rivals Newcastle.

Yet the soundtrack wasn’t a jibe at Sunderland, more a recognition that Hasselbaink and Maamria are well-regarded in these parts — whatever the result.

As Maamria said afterwards: “Burton is a great club. There’s a real family feel to it and I love everything about being here. I’ve been here nearly two months now and everyone, from the tea ladies and cleaners to the chairman, have been brilliant.

“Jimmy is a great guy to work for. I have a love for the game and our thoughts are with the fans during Covid.

“Football is important for people even if they can’t come at the moment. It’s a shame as it would have been great to have a full house against Sunderland. But we have to stay positive and hopefully we can get fans back before the end of season.

“We’re going to do our absolute best to keep Burton in League One this season.”

With such passion and commitment, no wonder this division is proof that the lower leagues are fertile ground for theatre.

Especially the unfolding tale of Burton, Hasselbaink and the charismatic Maamria.