Carter’s signing a big call which paid off for Hasselbaink
ROOKIE DEFENDER PLAYED HUGE ROLE IN ALBION SURVIVAL
“I MUST have done something right!” said Hayden Carter, a comment that is an instant leading contender for understatement of the season.
How close might Burton Albion’s player of the season voting have been if the young Blackburn Rovers centre-half had been with the club for the whole season?
Carter came second to Ryan Edwards in the poll, having been with the Brewers for only four months and that in itself is a measure of the impact he had.
The level of that achievement is not lost on the 21-year-old.
“I’m thankful to the fans at home for voting for me and the only negative is that they couldn’t have been in the ground supporting us on the journey we’ve been on,” said Carter.
“I’ve seen all the social media comments about me and it means a lot, to achieve that after only being here four months.
“But congratulations to Ryan Edwards for winning it. He deserves it, he’s been brilliant since I came in and he never stops running.”
Certainly, the social media comments have all been positive, mostly glowing, at a time when what gets said on social media is under the spotlight.
Facebook, Twitter and Instgram have all had a role to play for a young man who has not seen his mum, Yvonne Bradbury, for more than a year owing to the combined effects of the pandemic and the nomadic life of a footballer.
His mother joined the various Brewers Facebook supporters’ pages and joined in chatting to fans, her joy and pride in her son’s success glowing from every post.
Obviously, it has all helped that things have gone well on the pitch for the club since Carter arrived – and what a huge part he played in that.
When Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink made him his first signing, Burton were in utter disarray.
Carter’s predecessor, Sam Hughes, on loan from Leicester City, had been looking a player of the season contender himself until he tore his cruciate ligament in the 3-1 defeat at home to Doncaster Rovers.
In the three games that followed, Burton conceded 14 goals, losing 5-1, 4-3 and 5-1 again. They were rock bottom in all senses.
And Hasselbaink turned to a rookie centre-half who had made only two first team starts for Blackburn in the Championship. It was a big call, arguably Hasselbaink’s biggest, so far, and it could have gone horribly wrong.
But it did not.
Yes, it has been written before but still bears repeating: Burton had conceded 50 goals in less than half a season prior to Carter’s arrival.
They have conceded 23, in 24 matches, since, a record unfortunately dented by conceding four on the last day. There have been nine clean sheets, only one of which did not result in a win. Carter has played every single minute since his debut on January 9, scoring in a 1-0 win over Gillingham which gave the Brewers a clean sheet for the first time in almost a year and a win for only the second time in 20 matches. Always a threat at setpieces, he popped in three more goals and might have doubled that tally – but his defending has been so good that no-one would have minded if he had not scored at all.
After that last game was lost 4-0 to Oxford United on Saturday, Carter said: “It was obviously disappointing. You don’t like to lose games, especially in the manner we did but nothing can take away from the brilliant second half of the season we had and, hopefully, the club can push on again next season.
“I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. It’s nice being in a team that has won most weeks and we’ve defended quite well, which is always the main thing for a defender.
“The stand-out moment was probably my debut – to win, score and get a clean sheet was a good one. But the whole experience has been brilliant.”
Only in one or two matches has he had a problem with his opponent. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
A relegation battle is, of course, a big learning curve for a career which will, almost certainly, be played out at a level higher than League One.
“There have been a lot of different styles of play,” said Carter.
“One week, you can be against a team who try to play out from the back and build through the thirds, then another week you’re against a direct side and you’re heading everything and kicking everything.
“I’ve really enjoyed it and learnt a lot – too much to say. I can’t thank the gaffer and Dino and everyone enough for giving me the opportu
nity to come and get my first regular taste of football.”
The learning curve applies not just to the heading and kicking of the ball. One Burton supporter, not without justification, pointed out at the weekend that a significant moment had been the way Carter stood his ground in the face of provocation from Sunderland’s experienced former Millwall midfielder Aiden O’brien.
Carter was shielding a ball out for a goal kick when O’brien attempted to barge him over the advertising hoardings and the pair were in each other’s faces for a few seconds.
The subsequent melee earned both clubs a fine but O’brien and Burton’s Josh Earl were the two players booked, Earl having joined in to shove the Sunderland man, and Earl was sent off, as it was his second yellow.
Carter has shown that he cannot be shaken up by experienced strikers all season: “Only in one or two matches has he had a problem with his opponent. The majority of the time he has really bossed the strikers around,” Hasselbaink observed last week.
Burton fans and maybe Hasselbaink, too, would be happy if the next step of Carter’s development was a season-long loan at Burton but perhaps his next step will be higher up.
“My aim now is to enjoy the break, it’s needed after the tough run of games, but my main aim is to go back to Blackburn as fit as I can and as ready as I can to fight for a place in their side,” he said.
He must have a real chance of achieving that and Burton supporters will watch his progress with interest.