A big win – but JFH is looking for ways to be better still Kane: That’s one of the best I’ve scored
NO LET-UP FROM MANAGER AFTER BURTON SCORE FIVE
FIVE goals for the first time under his management and an emphatic three points won at the Pirelli Stadium – but Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was still not completely satisfied after Burton Albion beat Fleetwood Town 5-2 on Tuesday night.
“It was a decent performance but I’m not 100% happy,” said Hasselbaink.
“We got two goals against and I think they were preventable, one from our attacking corner and the other from their corner, so I think we can do better.
“But we played, at times, really well, really good football.
“We closed them down when we had to close them down and when we had to pass the ball, we did.”
Fleetwood went to three at the back for the second half, a move Hasselbaink eventually countered by sending on a second striker, Kane Hemmings.
“I didn’t really like the start of the second half. They changed their shape, which gave us a bit of a problem,” said the Dutchman.
“We went more attacking. We put another striker on to stop their three at the back and that gave them a harder problem. It came off – Kane scored two goals. His first one was very special.”
Several of Burton’s goals were spectacular but it was the first, scored from 20 yards by Lucas Akins, which pleased Hasselbaink the most, because of a build-up in which Terry Taylor stole the ball in midfield to set Akins up.
“Lucas did a really good job up front,” said Hasselbaink.
“I think the first goal was special because it was with his weaker left foot, in the top corner, from open play.
“We look at those moments, when they want to play the ball through midfield and we want to nick it and punish them. We did that, so that’s a goal we’ve worked on. It’s always nice when something you’ve worked on pays off.”
The third goal, by Tom Hamer, was also a product of Burton’s determination, as Hamer reached a ball that at least two defenders were favourites for to hammer in a shot from 12 yards.
“That’s a hunger we need to have and to keep,” said Hasselbaink.
“If you look at his goal, he had crossed the ball first and he picked it back up.
“In a way, he made his own goal and that’s the character we need to have.”
The Fleetwood game appeared more open than some of the battles Burton have been involved in but Hasselbaink said that had more to do with the visitors’ style of play than any conscious decision to play with more freedom now that League One safety has been secured.
“I wanted them still to play the right way,” he said.
“We went direct when we needed to and we got passes in when we needed to. That was the good thing about it. We bossed the game in the right way.
“A lot of things we did were very good. We’re learning and improving and we need to keep on doing that, keep on understanding the game.
“Every game is different. Fleetwood was more like a footballing game, a passing game and trying to get behind them with two or three passes.
“Saturday (against Gillingham) will be totally different, a more direct game where you have to win the first, second, third and fourth balls and then you can get it down and play. And then the one against Oxford will be different again.
“You have to manage that. You cannot only play games one way.”
Hasselbaink’s most notable change for the game was to put Kieran O’hara in goal for the first time.
O’hara was dropped after Hasselbaink watched the 5-1 defeat to Oxford United a day after agreeing to a second spell as Burton manager and Ben Garratt had kept the goalkeeper’s jersey from that point.
“It was a way for me to look at Kieran for next year,” added Hasselbaink.
“Obviously, when I came in I made the change, with Ben. Ben has been absolutely magnificent.
“At the time, it was a big decision and Kieran has been a bit unlucky in a way.
“This was a chance for him to show me what he can do and he did really well. He made a really good save at 3-1.”
KANE Hemmings did not get on the pitch until the 85th minute but, once he did, Burton Albion’s leading scorer ended a 10-game goal drought with two to take his tally for the season to 15.
The first was a brilliant solo effort, as, with his back to goal on the left touchline, he hooked the ball over the head of himself and defender James Hill, turned and out-paced Hill on his way into the penalty area before slotting a shot past Alex Cairns.
“It’s probably one of the best goals I’ve scored. I don’t score many goals like that. I’ll watch it back a couple of times,” said Hemmings.
“I’m obviously happy to score two goals in a 5-2 win – a good day’s work from everybody.”
The second goal saw Sean Clare steal the ball in midfield and burst into the box before slipping a square ball to the unmarked Hemmings for the sort of finish he thrives on.
“I’d have been raging if he hadn’t passed that one!” said Hemmings.
“He probably could have had a shot but I was buzzing when he slid it in and I just needed to get a good connection on it.”
While he was on the bench, Hemmings stood to applaud the latest in a run of brilliant strikes by Joe Powell in the first half, the midfielder crashing in a precise free kick from 25 yards.
“He has a wand. His left foot is outrageous,” said Hemmings.
“I’ve worked with a few in my career who can just put the ball
where they want and Joe’s one of them.
“He’s really coming on at the minute and I was delighted to see him getting another goal.”
Defender Tom Hamer and Lucas Akins got the other goals and Hemmings says the team enjoy the fact that goals are coming from all over the pitch – there have been 13 different scorers under manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink since January.
“As a team in general, you want goals from all over. You attack as a team and you defend as a team,” said Hemmings.
“If you flip it around, our first line of defence is always our strikers and midfielders pushing up and making it hard for the opposition.
“We have the long throw, we work hard on set-pieces and we like to get goals from all over the pitch – we have players who can do it.
“We’re well-rounded regard and it’s good to see.” in that
While Hemmings agreed that Burton probably played with a little more freedom now that the threat of relegation has passed, he also said there was no chance they would have taken the foot off the pedal against Fleetwood.
“It would have been very easy for it to be a dull affair. We were safe on Saturday and we could have gone in with nothing to play for,” he said.
“Maybe we played with a little more freedom that we weren’t doing before but we were doing the right things, the things that have got us into good positions.
“We’re disappointed with the two we conceded but any night you score five goals you have to be happy.”
He believes the momentum the Brewers have built in rising to safety from the bottom is something they can carry into next season.
“It might go a little unnoticed outside the club but within the group we realise what we’ve achieved,” he said.
“Having had a relegation on my CV before and knowing what it takes to get out of that position, I knew it would be difficult.
“But when you go on runs of six wins on the bounce, with that momentum, the way we were organised and the way the gaffer set us up… well, we’ve been incredible.
“We’ve been one of the best teams in the division from January onwards. We can take confidence from that and use it going into next season.”