LOSS OF POINTS IS NOT A HASSEL
JIMMY Floyd Hasselbaink claimed Carl McHugh’s late equaliser should not have stood as Burton’s lead at the top was cut to a single point.
The Brewers boss insists Lucas Akins was pushed as McHugh headed home from close range to move Plymouth back into the play-off places.
Hasselbaink’s table-toppers were on course for all three points when Kevin Stewart, on loan from Liverpool, marked his debut with a deflected goal on 33 minutes.
But joy turned to frustration as the Pilgrims grabbed a leveller, much to the fury of Hasselbaink.
He moaned: “It was a blatant push. Why else would Lucas go down? It is tough to take but you can’t control it.
“I can go and find the referee and tell him it was a foul, but we have to live with it. We are still in a good position and we can’t cry about two lost points. We have to keep going and try and beat Wycombe on Monday.”
McHugh’s equaliser means Burton are one point clear of Shrewsbury Town at the summit and boast an eight-point cushion on fourthplaced Bury.
And goalscorer Stewart says he would love nothing more than helping Burton clinch promotion.
Stewart added: “I am really happy getting the goal but it was a shame we conceded an equaliser.
“We felt comfortable and I couldn’t see them scoring. It is a horrible way to concede via a set-piece. But we need to keep going because we are in a great position. It would be great to help Burton get there – that would mean everything to me.”
Plymouth engineered the first decent chance when Lewis Alessandra crossed for Gethin Jones and the on-loan midfielder struck a shot straight into the legs of Jon McLaughlin. Bobby Reid rescued Plymouth on 15 minutes after he blocked Shane Cansdell-Sherriff’s header on the line.
But there was nothing the hosts could do about the opener as Stewart collected the ball 25 yards out and hit a shot that took a deflection off McHugh before going in via the inside of the post.
Plymouth came close to an equaliser eight minutes into the second half with a wellrehearsed training ground move.
Bobby Reid rolled a free-kick into the path of Reuben Reid and he peeled away from his marker before rattling the post.
Plymouth rarely threatened an equaliser until the 86th minute when Bobby Reid swung over a corner and McHugh neatly headed home from close range.
Plymouth boss John Sheridan said: “I thought it was tight, not a lot between the two teams. A draw was a fair result.
“They are very well organised. They get men behind the ball, keep their shape and sometimes you have got to be patient.
“We didn’t play great but we kept plugging away and got our rewards in the end.We are still in there. Burton are well known for getting 1-0 results and for us to come back against the side at the top of the table shows a lot of character. It could be very valuable.”