Albion still can’t get a pizza the action in Papa John’s Trophy
IT’S ANOTHER EARLY EXIT AFTER BREWERS LEAD VILLA KIDS 2-0
IT would be fair to say that the Football League Trophy, in whatever its many guises, is not Burton Albion’s favourite competition.
OK, the Papa John’s Trophy, as it is currently known, is not most people’s favourite competition until the prospect of a trip to Wembley comes into focus in the later stages.
In the Brewers’ case, what late stages? They have yet to progress beyond the laborious group stages and that record was emphatically kept on Tuesday night when Aston Villa’s Under-21s ran out 4-2 winners after being 2-0 down in half an hour with Albion apparently in control.
What happened after that halfhour did not please Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink one iota, notwithstanding that Villa’s star in the making, Cameron Archer, scored a marvellous hat-trick in an entertaining second-half show.
Whatever the merits of the competition, this was a chance for several Burton players to make their case for more involvement. Only the centre-back pairing of Conor Shaughnessy and Ryan Leak, along with captain for the night Kane Hemmings, could regard themselves as regulars so far, although, hopefully, Daniel Jebbison is heading that way.
Both the left-backs signed in the summer, Frazer Blake-Tracy and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, played, with Blake-Tracy at rightsliding back, while there was a run-out for Omari Patrick on one wing, Hemmings taking the other.
The game began predictably, the Villa youngsters schooled in passing and more passing wherever they were on the pitch.
Burton, too, moved the ball nicely, although there appeared to be some standing water after a day of rain.
The Brewers were a touch more direct, also predictably, and after an offside flag saved Shaughnessy, who was caught in possession as he broke forward, Albion took a 20thminute lead.
Joe Powell’s corner from the left found Shaughnessy for a nearpost header that deserved a goal but it hit the far post and Jebbison reacted quickest to knock the ball in. The stillness of the Villa defence will not have thrilled their coaches.
Three minutes later, they were found wanting again. Jacob Maddox broke forward, played a lovely ball to the left for Patrick and his shot was deflected for a corner on the right. When Powell whipped this one in, it was missed by goalkeeper Oliwier Zych and Hemmings, almost on the line, turned the ball in.
Zych did better to turn aside Powell’s 20-yard shot, then Lamare Bogarde, who had been dispossessed by Maddox, got back to make an excellent challenge as the Burton forward shot.
A third goal then and Burton might have romped away with it but, instead, Archer pulled one back, jinking inside from the right and
It had been good from the Villa youngsters but Burton went missing in a game they had been controlling.
a low shot inside Ellery Balcombe’s left-hand post.
Burton should have had another before half-time when Hemmings nodded down Borthwick-Jackson’s cross and Shaughnessy six yards out, contrived to hit the outside of the post.
The second half was a different story and left Hasselbaink fuming. Villa equalised six minutes after the break when Caleb Chukwuemeka found space on the right and crossed for Tristan Goodridge to tuck the ball into the corner of the net.
In the 59th minute, an errant backpass let in Maddox, who had shown some good touches, and when his shot was parried by Zych, Josh Feeney made a brave challenge to stop Jebbison putting the ball into the unguarded net.
Two minutes later, Villa went ahead with a thunderous finish by
Archer from 15 yards. Receiving a low ball in from the left, he calmly lifted the ball up with his right foot and volleyed with his left.
He was not finished. Chukwuemeka set him up 20 yards out and the finish was low, again precise, to Balcombe’s left, after 71 minutes.
It had been very good from the Villa youngsters in the second half but, largely, Burton went missing in a game they had been controlling.