By Pete Oliver

I don't want to get into the League, I want to play in the League Burton captain Darren Stride

As the club's record appearance maker, Burton Albion's Darren Stride has already been on an impressive journey with the Brewers.

But the Burton skipper still has one important step to take to set the seal on a prodigious career.

"I don't want to get into the League, I want to play in the League," Stride told BBC Sport.

"If we got there this season I would be very disappointed not to play. I would love to play League football."

At the age of 32, the clock is ticking. But Stride, who has no immediate plans to wind up his near 600-game stint with the Brewers, believes Burton's time is coming.

"If it does not happen this year it will happen in the next two or three years, unless something goes drastically wrong," he said.

"The whole club has moved forward vastly over the last five years. Anyone who had moved away from Burton and come back would not recognise how far we have progressed.

"The club is set up for the Football League. It is hard to get into the Conference and then it is hard to get into the League but the teams that have gone up have proved that they can survive."

Burton certainly had a couple of near misses at gaining promotion to the Conference top-flight under long-serving manager Nigel Clough, before switching from the Southern League to the Unibond League and running away with the title in 2002.

We have added that extra bit of quality which was perhaps just lacking for the past couple of seasons Darren Stride

Since then they have made steady progress and after a highest ever sixth-placed finish last season now look to have their best chance yet of making it into the League for the first time.

A 14-match unbeaten run has lifted Clough's side, who are yet to lose away from home, into third place in the table.

"In our year in the Unibond League we only lost two games and so had a few long unbeaten runs, but to go 14 games unbeaten in a league as competitive as the Conference is tremendous, especially for a part-time club," Stride added.

"A few people thought we might be dark horses but I don't think they put us up there in the top three or four."

Fittingly for a man who has done just about every job in Burton's team since emerging from the youth side in 1993, Stride is one of four members of Clough's squad who still have regular employment outside football.

He combines his work as a builder with Burton's three weekly training sessions - fixtures permitting - and does not see the schedule as a handicap.

"Fitness-wise I don't think any teams will over-run us," he said.

"Everybody looks after themselves. I think we can bridge the gap and come the end of the season hopefully it will show that."

Despite their lack of fully professional status, Burton have a clutch of players with Football League backgrounds, including top scorer Daryl Clare.

Summer signings Jake Edwards, David Farrell, Mark Greaves and John McGrath have all also played at a higher level.

Stride played a key role in Burton's FA Cup run of 2005/06

And Stride, operating more now as a central defender than his customary midfield role, believes they and the foundations created by Clough have contributed to making Burton serious top-five candidates.

He said: "Ever since I have been at the club there has been a good team spirit. There are no rotten eggs. Team spirit is always high but when you have a good run like this you seem to get together even more.

"We had a good core to the squad and we added some good players.

"We have added that extra bit of quality which was perhaps just lacking for the past couple of seasons."

Traditionally slow starters, a reversal of that trend bodes well for Burton's prospects of securing a play-off place.

Stride accepts that there may be a blip along the way but with the momentum behind them, is optimistic any dip in form will be short-lived.

And after missing out in the final round of games last season, he hopes Burton can take their promotion challenge all the way this time round.

"I think it will be very similar to last season," he added. "There might be one or two sneak away at the top but then there will be six or eight teams vying for the play-offs and it will probably be as tight as last year.