Home win made it a fine week for the Brewers
FOUR points from two Easter games maintained Jimmy Floyd Hasslebaink’s two points per game record as Burton Albion manager this season and he was satisfied with the return from two hard-fought battles.
After drawing 0-0 away to Accrington Stanley on Friday, the Brewers ended what had become a run of four games without a win by edging out Swindon Town 2-1 on Monday, with captain John Brayford heading a late winner.
The results put Burton eight points clear of the League One drop zone with eight matches left.
“We had to work very hard and dig very deep for that win,” said Hasselbaink.
“There was a lot at stake in the match for both sides and you could see that. It was hard fought with really small margins.
“Now the point at Accrington is a big one and we finish with four points over Easter from the two games.
“We would have taken four points beforehand, so it has been a good week.
“Safety is our aim and League One status for next year. We are crawling to that, a step closer, but we are still not there.
“We are in a good position but there is still some sweat to put out.”
The Dutchman was happier with his side’s first-half performance than the second, as they were put under some pressure by Swindon after the break.
“The first half was one of the best I have seen us play and we could have gone two or three up,” said Hasselbaink.
“They scored a really well-taken goal, although we were a little bit disappointed with that because we knew he (Jack Payne) was only going to shoot with his left foot. We needed to block the left foot off.
“The second half was a different story. We didn’t come out of the blocks so well and in the first 20 minutes we had to defend and dig deep.
“We defended better in the first half. We dropped a bit deep in the second half but then you have to give Swindon credit.
“They kept the ball really well at certain stages but we stayed focused.
“We could have done better ourselves with the ball at times but we battled well. It was good to see that even when we were under pressure we never really panicked and stayed in our shape.
“I thought Michael Mancienne did a brilliant job in front of the back four, protecting them. It wasn’t easy.
“We got a break with a clearance off the line by Hayden Carter and then from a set-piece, where John Brayford was immense and we got the winning goal.”
The manager confirmed that Burton had targeted a perceived Swindon weakness in defending setpieces and so it proved, as Tom Hamer’s first-half headed goal and
Brayford’s winner both came from free kicks, delivered by Jonny Smith and Joe Powell respectively.
“We knew set pieces would be important and we knew we needed to make them vital for us,” said Hasselbaink.
“We looked at them and saw that, in the past, they have had problems from set-pieces, so we knew that we could get chances from them.”
Hamer’s was his first goal for the club and Hasselbaink felt it had been coming.
Opposing teams tend to concentrate on the threat from centrehalves Michael Bostwick and Hayden Carter when Burton have set-pieces, both having scored this season, so Hasselbaink was pleased to see both of his full-backs get in on the act.
“Tom was due one,” he said.
“A lot of people don’t know how good he is in the air. A lot of times he gets the fourth or fifth marker and I think he could get more goals.
“We knew when we got him that he has a great leap, he attacks the ball and he can score goals. He hung in the air quite a bit for the goal.
“I think he can score goals in open play, too, getting in the box and getting in at the back post and we will work on that.
“It’s nice to see that both fullbacks are getting on the scoresheet and we are scoring from set-pieces. It’s an important weapon.”
Ever the perfectionist, the manager detailed areas in which Burton might have done better – but he was a happy man overall.
“I thought Kane Hemmings could have been a little bit sharper and could have stayed onside a bit more. I thought Jonny Smith could have done a bit better with his shot in the first half and that Sean Clare could have been a little more positive – but I’m not complaining, we have the three points,” he said.