Beavon’s strike puts Brewers in heaven
DISCIPLINE made all the difference according to Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink as he watched his Burton Albion side go top of the League One table with a 1-0 victory over Swindon Town.
Stuart Beavon struck Burton’s first ever goal at the County Ground just before the half-hour mark to ensure the visitors leapfrogged Walsall and Gillingham to the division’s summit.
Hasselbaink, who has led Burton to six wins in their first eight games in the third tier following promotion from League Two last term, was delighted with the application shown by his players in their negating of the hosts.
“We closed them down and made it uncomfortable for them and didn’t let them come into their game. Then we penetrated when we needed to penetrate,” said the Dutchman.
“We had more chances to score two or three more.We didn’t but the organisation was really good and Swindon didn’t have an answer to our pressing and made mistakes.
“They are a very good team if you let them be but we were not prepared to let them be.We put them in an uncomfortable place.
“We know Swindon is ‘pass, pass, pass, pass’. They make their keeper their sweeper. So then you have to be brave and go to their keeper and lock one area off, and that’s what we did.
“When you come to Swindon if you think you can match them with the ball then you are crazy. That’s what they do really well. So we needed to get them as much as possible without the ball.”
Swindon rarely forced visiting goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin into a save, with Wes Thomas and Yaser Kasim coming closest for the Robins, and manager Mark Cooper lamented his team’s lethargy in midfield after the match.
“We knew what they (Burton) were going to do and they did it very well,” said Cooper. “We helped them on their way by giving them a goal, with a lack of responsibility again.We didn’t create enough to get back in the game.We were sloppy in possession, we could have had a trophy for back-passes – we’d have won it easily.
“We have to be better at the other end.We needed to play quicker. Everything was slow; it was like a testimonial game and there’s work that needs to be done there. The goalkeeper probably had the most touches from pass-backs.
“Midfield players were having five touches instead of two or one and in the first half our wide forwards were very ineffective. We didn’t play quick enough and the only way you can beat a team in a block like that is to move it quickly across the pitch.”