The start of the season has not gone as well for Burton Albion as it might have done, for sure, but at the same time, suggestions that it could be another long season of struggle are very premature. I have seen one or two supporters suggest that Burton could be sitting near the top of League One with four wins from four – they and Rotherham United have played one less than everyone else – but let’s put that into perspective.
Every club COULD have won their first four games but only one of them, Stevenage, did so and they have now lost their fifth. I get what those supporters mean, though. One of the games was won, one of them was a goalless draw which could have gone Burton’s way and they have led at half-time in both of the games they have lost – so that’s a lot closer to winning all four than Peterborough’s United’s minus six goal difference from losing their first four.
Other supporters are still talking about multiple signings being needed to stave off disaster but that is a mantra some of them have been repeating for years, as if signings are the only answer to any problems. In the wake of Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Stockport County, here are a few of the talking points.
Stats can say anything you want them to: According to the official stats, Burton shaded possession overall, at 54.1%, despite Stockport having nearly 65% of the ball in a first half in which the Brewers were plainly the better side The Brewers had more shots, 20 to 14, and more touches inside the opposing box, 29-22, so creating opportunities does not seem to be an issue.
Taking them obviously is and Jake Beesley might have had a couple more goals on Saturday to go with the four he might have had against Port Vale. Albion also hit the post twice. Sebastian Revan’s deflected shot could have dropped inside the post rather than shaving it and falling to safety. Tyrese Shade was unlucky to hit the post and see the rebound also bounce to safety after hitting keeper Corey Addai. I guess he could have lived with it going down as an own goal, than his own first for the club, if the ball had gone in. But for all that, Stockport proved resilient and they had that bit of quality which turned the game around when the vastly-experienced Ollie Norwood buried a stunning free kick from at least 30 yards.
A mental issue with being ahead? Obviously, it must not become a mental thing for the young Brewers squad to struggle when they come out for the second half of games with the lead. Almost always, the opposition will come out with renewed vigour after the break; usually they will be trying something different. Stockport made the switch before half-time when they put Kyle Wootton on and started banging long balls at him.
For both Barnsley and Stockport, it worked. They got at Burton and Albion did not react well. Toby Sibbick, notably, had a tough time from Wootton and was perhaps belatedly replaced centrally by Jasper Moon. But because it has happened twice does not mean it is going to happen in every game. The bigger picture is that things even out.
Last season, Burton conceded three in each of their first two League games and four in the Carabao Cup between them. But the next two games were goalless draws. It’s just how it is that there will always be many different types of game. We should worry if it keeps happening – but not when it’s happened twice.
Bowyer wears his heart on his sleeve: It was an awkward interview for Radio Derby’s Dave Fletcher when he asked Gary Bowyer what had gone wrong in the second half against Stockport. Once he had composed himself, Bowyer deflected the question and referred back to how good his team had been in the first half – he was not going to throw his players under the bus publicly, with emotions still raw, for what they had done wrong in that second half.
Bowyer was as downbeat at Edgeley Park as he had been upbeat at Prenton Park days earlier when his second-string got past Tranmere Rovers in the Carabao Cup. It might mean a few more tricky interviews as the season goes on but most will prefer emotion to a dispassionate response.
Yes they need to add numbers: It’s fairly obvious that they do but it also seems there is a balancing act going on behind the scenes and that we will have to be patient – as is always the case for the clubs without silly money to throw around towards the end of transfer windows. Burton have three loan slots to fill and I will be surprised if they do not fill them. I would be equally surprised, though, if they rushed into any signing, loan or otherwise, for the sake of it. That just will not happen.
A couple of big pluses from Saturday: Those would be Tyrese Shade and Kyran Lofthouse. The number of mentions Lofthouse got in the first half was well into double figures as he ran at Stockport, got crosses in, won corners, won free kicks – and won headers when he was the target for Jordan Amissah’s long kicks, which have been much better in the last two games. It has been easy to see why Bowyer rates him most of the time Lofthouse has been with the Brewers but it was especially obvious on Saturday.
Shade is beginning to look the real deal Bowyer assures us he can be and, on his first League start, was desperately close to his first goal for the club when he hit the post on Saturday. He also caused Stockport to go down to 10 men when his speed and strength were too much for Brad Hills as he pursued a long pass after 31 minutes. Without the foul, he would have been in one-on-one with keeper Addai and the foul was also inches away from being a penalty. Shade’s eventual fall was within the box but referee Seb Stockbridge, not always a favourite of Burton supporters, had a good game on Saturday and was correct about the first contact being outside the box.
All of our Burton Albion news appears daily in the Burton Mail. Much of it can also be found here: http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/all-about/burton-albion and here: https://www.staffordshire-live.co.uk/sport/
