Lawless is still settling into life with Albion

NINE games into the new season and Burton Albion supporters are still waiting to see – or at least read or hear about – the best of summer signing Steven Lawless.

It has not been a lucky start for Lawless, who arrived from the Scottish Premiership with a reputation which at least matched that of previous arrivals from the same source.

Jackson Irvine, Liam Boyce, Ryan Edwards, Scott Fraser and David Templeton were all successful to varying degrees, although Boyce, with his immediate cruciate ligament injury, was the unluckiest of the lot.

Winger or striker Lawless had a hamstring niggle early in pre-season and missed a month of what was a truncated period anyway, so he was playing catch-up from the word go.

He has since missed a game (against Cambridge United) as a precaution because his young son was sent home from school as the result of a Covid-19 alert.

Perhaps the biggest factor, though, as Fraser found in his first season, is that you play an awful lot more football in England and the games come at you thick and fast.

There are 38 games in the Scottish

Premiership in a normal season but 46 in League One. There are more cup competitions.

Fraser played 32 games in his last Scottish Championship season with Dundee United and 37 the season before that.

In his first Burton season he played 50 and, by his own admission, felt the pace. Last season was cut short but he still made 41 appearances. It is a significant difference.

Those are all mitigating factors but the team’s stuttering early season form has not helped either.

Lawless has too often found himself tight to the touchline, back to goal, receiving the ball with a defender or two breathing down his neck.

When he has had the chance to face goal and run at a defender, we have seen more of what he is capable of, such as against Swindon Town when he cruised past a defender and fired a shot narrowly wide.

“He slipped Lucas Akins in as well at Swindon, early doors at 1-0, when Lucas nearly went round the goalkeeper and hit the sidenetting,” manager Jake Buxton recalled when reminded of the effort at Swindon.

Buxton knows there is more to come from the former Livingston and Partick Thistle forward and admits he has not been able to play him in his favoured position yet.

“When we looked at Steven in the summer, we told him about Scott Fraser, a perfect example,” said Buxton.

“That is, the Saturday-tuesdaySaturday in League One compared to Saturday-saturday in the Scottish Premiership. It takes a little bit of time to get used to it, the level and the robustness of that.

“He also had the setback of missing the Cambridge game due to his little boy being sent home from school. He missed four weeks of preseason with his hamstring.

“And he’s also found himself playing on the right, when he’s more a central player, more of a number 10.

“But he’s done well. He’s shown glimpses in training and in games. He probably needs to do it a bit more regularly.”

With the size of Burton’s squad, the chances to do so will surely follow.

“He trained well this week and I spoke to him after training about being patient and waiting for his opportunity,” added Buxton.

“I think that side of my job has been good, in terms of connecting with each player and making sure they are ready and raring for the opportunity.”