Why Joe’s return was a joy to watch
IT was a joy to watch Joe Powell play on Tuesday night against Charlton Athletic and now we must hope that the young midfielder kicks on from a much-awaited return to form.
Powell was a thorn in Charlton’s side, exactly as his team-mates would want him to be.
At his best, he is so assured on the ball and glides forward. He can pick a pass, he can arrive in the box at the right time and he is the first choice for set-piece deliveries.
In the right mood, he has a confident swagger about him, too.
When Charlton keeper Ben Amos scuffed a clearance to him, under pressure from Ryan Edwards, Powell took the ball on a couple of steps, then instinctively and audaciously lifted it gently over the goalkeeper into the net.
That sort of confidence, that sort of touch, was what we soon saw when he first arrived from West Ham United in January, a young player taking the plunge a couple of divisions down because he needed to prove that he was ready for more than just under-23s football.
There was a goal in his second game, a stone’s throw from home, away to AFC Wimbledon, and another two away to Lincoln City.
Powell began this season well, with two goals in the 3-3 draw away to Peterborough United in the EFL Trophy, one a perfectly-executed free kick from the left when he spotted the goalkeeper, Daniel Gyollai, preoccupied with something other than covering his near post.
But Powell’s influence dipped. It is easy to forget that, having turned 22 only last month, this is still his first full season in League football. We cannot expect miracles.
What Jake Buxton was expecting, though, as he made plain last week, was a better work-rate to go with Powell’s undoubted talent.
After starting the 2-0 defeat away to Plymouth Argyle on October 10, Powell got 14 minutes off the bench against Bristol Rovers.
He was substituted after 63 minutes as the Brewers went down 1-0 at home to Rochdale, then got 10 minutes from the bench, against Blackpool, in the next four matches.
No-one in a Burton shirt covered themselves in glory when he was given a start against Barnet in the FA Cup and he was one of the players who missed the Hull City game which followed because of Covid19.
It was back to the bench, and a 77th-minute appearance, for the
Northampton Town defeat – then came his chance, against Charlton.
Buxton was as pleased with what Powell did off the ball as he was with what he did with it.
Perhaps the formation helped. With Ciaran Gilligan and Stephen Quinn sitting deep in midfield, in front of the back four, and Ryan Edwards doing enough running for two people, Powell had a bit of licence to be creative.
But he also had to work and there was a point in the first half when Quinn reminded him so in rather forceful terms. You hear these things more readily in an empty stadium.
I saw Powell as he left afterwards, trudging to his car, looking spent. But there was also a big smile on his face. Hopefully, there will be more to come.