Curle sees good and bad in Cobblers
BURTON Albion’s opponents tomorrow, Northampton Town, were in action on Tuesday night, rounding off their EFL Trophy group stage with a laboured goalless draw at home to League Two Stevenage.
The Cobblers won the penalpty shoot-out but manager Keith Curle said he saw both “good and bad” in the performance.
Curle made only two changes from the team that lost 1-0 at home to Accrington Stanley last Saturday for the midweek game.
“There’s food for thought, both good and bad,” said Curle.
“That’s the case for every game we play, every training session and every time the players perform in front of me. It’s an opportunity to stake their claim.
“Shaun Mcwilliams came on (from the bench) and did well and gave us a spark.
“He showed us what he can do and it was his type of game. He scampered around, he got about, landed on second balls and got the ball going forward and that’s what Shaun is about.
“I was very tempted to play him in the Oxford City game in the FA Cup but you look at the amount of time he’s been out and the training levels that he’s been at – it would have been unfair to put him into that game.
“It might take the other lads two or three days to get over it but it would have taken Shaun a bit longer so he’s had to wait patiently for his opportunity.
“But while he has been waiting, the lad has been training well.”
Curle also experienced winger Ricky Holmes aiming to get back into his plans as he builds his fitness.
The 33-year-old winger is wellknown to Burton supporters for having been a thorn in the Brewers’ side over a number of years.
He scored a hat-trick for Barnet in a 3-2 win against Burton in 2012, folloing it up the next year with a goal for Portsmouth as they won 2-1 at the Pirelli Stadium.
In 2018 he scored for Oxford in a 3-1 win over Burton but he missed all of last season with injury and joined Northampton in the summer.
He played 55 minutes against Stevenage.
“Ricky did well,” said Curle. “He was a bright spark and there were some nice touches.
“You can see what he’s all about but he’s still working to get back to where he wants to be and there’s more to come from him.”