SUB FOX IS HERO FOR BREWERS
STEPHEN Quinn said Burton Albion needed to prove they could win ugly in League One after their sixth defeat of the campaign at Wycombe Wanderers last weekend.
That is exactly what they did at the expense of Bristol Rovers seven days later, finding a way to claim the spoils in a game that looked destined to end goalless.
It was not a Pirelli Stadium classic, nor a stellar performance from the hosts.
Blustery conditions and a constant stream of fouls saw to that, disrupting any real tempo as Albion looked to seize the initiative in a cagey clash.
But there was absolutely nothing ugly or cagey about the match’s decisive moment, courtesy of Ben Fox after 91 minutes.
There was passion, joy and no lack of relief in the celebrations that met the academy graduate’s first League goal, scored with a delightful couple of touches to breach the Pirates’ goal.
The first was a deft one, allowing Fox to control a low, driven cross from Lucas Akins with the inside of his foot and roll it past his marker in the same movement.
His second was instinctive, poking a finish under the advancing Jack Bonham who had, along with the frame of his goal, kept Burton at bay until that late stage.
After three successive League games where he had praised aspects of his side’s performance but bemoaned their inability to get the better of the key moments, Nigel Clough could reflect on an important win that moves his team four points clear of the relegation zone, albeit we are only in October.
Clough was without his firstchoice attacking trio against Rovers, a fact that makes this timely victory feel that bit more significant.
Liam Boyce was away with Northern Ireland – he did not feature in Friday’s UEFA Nations League loss in Austria – while David Templeton and Marvin Sordell were ruled out with shoulder and hip injuries respectively.
Still, Burton persevered with a 4-3-3 shape after a shaky 45 minutes at Wycombe, meaning Akins led the line, with Jake Hesketh on the right flank and Will Miller coming in for his first League start since January on the left.
The former Tottenham Hotspur man had not featured in a League game since suffering a serious knee injury against Queens Park Rangers at the start of 2018 and he looked intent on making up for lost time from the first kick here.
Linking up well with Damien McCrory, the versatile forward looked to get on the ball and run at his full-back, cutting inside and on to his favoured right foot.
Bristol kept man back when out of possession, though, meaning they dealt ably with any deliveries into the box.
Aside from Miller’s intensity, the first half lacked much excitement.
Both teams had moments of carelessness with and without the ball and neither seemed able to get to grips with the wind swirling around the Pirelli. Defences were firmly on top.
Quinn almost capitalised on sloppiness from the visitors in their own half when he nicked a loose ball and skidded a low shot at Bonham’s goal, with the on-loan Brentford man getting down well to tip it wide.
Better was soon to come from Bonham when he flung himself to his right to divert a goal-bound strike from Kyle McFadzean, up within 25 yards of the Pirates’ goal as they dropped deep.
At the other end, Dimitar Evtimov was more of a spectator, although he did have to pick the ball out of his net before the break.
Fortunately for the Brewers, who had failed to deal with a corner from the right, Ollie Clarke was offside when he converted from close range.
Darrell Clarke’s side started the second half brightly, a situation that has caused Burton problems on home soil in recent weeks.
Ollie Clarke dragged a shot wide after a tidy build-up, while midfielder Ed Upson became a central figure as he began to clean up loose possession in the middle.
Quinn was just as influential at the base of the Brewers midfield. But while he looked to spark a quicker tempo out of the hosts, spreading play left and right, a series of niggly fouls and the repeated sounds of referee Martin Coy’s whistle broke the game up.
By full-time, 26 fouls had been committed.
Fox was introduced after 55 minutes to replace Fraser, struggling with a knock and unable to replicate the bursts of energy that make up his game.
Fox soon showed intent and it was from his pass that Albion came close to taking the lead.
Miller received the ball on the left corner of the area, cut inside and aimed his shot for the far corner. It beat Bonham but not the right-hand post, rebounding back into play.
The same fate befell McFadzean’s looped header from Joe Sbarra’s corner soon afterwards. When it came back off the bar, Akins could only divert the rebound straight at the Bristol keeper.
By this stage, Rovers seemed content to take a share of the spoils and they kept 10 men back to thwart the increasingly ambitious Brewers.
They still got a late opening of their own. A rare slip from Quinn gifted possession to striker Alex Jakubiak, who was clean through on goal.
Evtimov raced out and, while he got nothing on the ball, he forced Jakubiak wide to the left before McFadzean managed to get back and clear the danger.
That was it for the visitors – but Albion came forward with one late surge.
The ball was worked out to the right for Akins, as tireless as ever in his efforts up front but immediately more effective on the flank after Devante Cole came on in the 89th minute.
Akins got to the bye-line and crossed for Fox, who showed the ruthless eye for goal that had been lacking from the Brewers in the recent meetings with Scunthorpe United, Southend United and Wycombe.
It was Burton’s first goal in the last 10 minutes of a League game this season.
Albion’s form against the lowerplaced sides in the League table had become a concern, so their fourth win of the campaign could prove important.
They face Plymouth Argyle, currently 23rd, on Saturday, before back-to-back meetings with the pacesetters, Portsmouth and Peterborough United.
Another ugly win or two would be welcome in any of those.