‘Don’t let this good form go for a Burton!’

BURTON boss Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink insisted his side have achieved nothing yet following their win at fellow strugglers Rochdale.

It was the Brewers’ fourth successive win on the road, a run of form that has lifted them off the foot of the table and put them on the path to safety.

Having been bottom for so long they are now only in the relegation zone by virtue of goal difference, level on points with Dale who currently occupy fifth from bottom, but without a win in six and having failed to score in their last four games.

However, Hasselbaink is paying no attention to the rankings at this stage.

“No word of a lie, I haven’t looked at the table, I know it’s important but I don’t want to concentrate on that because there is so much work ahead,” he said.

“We have to take it game by game, pick up points and wins and just concentrate on us.

“It’s great that we’re off the bottom, but we have done nothing yet.

“We have to stay focused.”

Dale made the brighter start in what was an evenly contested first half. On their first attack they had the Burton defence stretched as Aaron Morley’s free-kick prompted efforts from Stephen Humphrys, Alex Newby and Kwadwo Baah in quick succession, all blocked by Burton’s defensive back line.

But the visitors warmed to the task and ended the first half in the ascendancy, with Gavin Bazunu saving brilliantly to deny Tom Hamer.

Substitute Kane Hemmings poked them ahead after 66 minutes when a long throw-in from Hamer, and Lucas Akins sealed the points with a fine effort from 20 yards in the 86th minute.

By that stage, Dale were down to 10 men, Ollie Rathbone having seen red minutes earlier following an altercation with Jonny Smith.

“Ollie got caught up in the moment,” said Dale boss Brian Barry-Murphy.

“It was reckless from Burton’s player but we can’t control what they do, only what we do and I’ve no complaints over the decision.

“It was a very disappointing afternoon from us.

“Burton’s intensity after the break was too much for us and it looked a game too far.”

NILE RANGER’S return to action lasted just 11 minutes during Southend United’s drab draw with Salford City.

The controversial striker – who had not played since January 2018 – came on as a second-half substitute for the Shrimpers. But the forward soon had to make way again, much to the frustration of manager Mark Molesley.

“We’ve been doing a lot of work with Nile, but the worry is it’s hard to recreate that match intensity, that tension in your body, the adrenaline,” said Molesley.

“Unfortunately he’s felt something in his groin and it’s a real shame because he came on and had an impact right away. He won three headers in our attacking half and another two in our box so he showed how useful he can be.”

Southend had the better of the first half with Emile Acquah having a well-struck left-footed shot smartly saved by Vaclav Hladky before the striker sent a header from close range straight at the keeper.

After the break, Nathan Ferguson saw a deflected 20-yard shot tipped wide of the right post by Hladky before

Salford began to get into the game.

Their best chance came in the 71st minute when Ian Henderson saw his volley impressively saved by Southend’s substitute goalkeeper Harry Seaden, who replaced Alex Bass at half-time.

The share of the spoils moved the 22nd placed Shrimpers two points clear of the drop zone.

And Molesley felt it was another good point for his side.

“On reflection it was a good point and we’re continuing to be competitive in every game,” he said. “With the win on Wednesday and the draw today it’s four points from two games and most people would have taken that.”

But Salford coach Warren Joyce felt the visitors deserved more than a point. “You can’t fault the lads’ effort and drive to win the game but we’re obviously we’re disappointed only getting a point because we felt we deserved all three,” he said.

“We had the better chances, but Southend are coming off the back of a good win at Forest Green in the week. We had a hell of a journey here, it took seven and a half hours, and in the first half we looked like that because the sharpness wasn’t there.”

TWO goals from Jamille Matt and a Udoka Godwin-Malife header eased Forest Green to victory.

And Mark Cooper’s side did it with just ten men after Ebou Adams was sent off just before half-time for a challenge on Josh Doherty.

Boss Cooper said: “I think it was important we didn’t panic after the Southend game (in midweek). We trusted the players and knew we would get a response and they were magnificent, all of them.”

Temporary boss Wayne Brown named his first Colchester side, with two changes from the team that started in the defeat to Exeter City in the week.

Junior Tchamadeu and Kwame Poku were given a starting berth, with Michael Folivi and Ben Stevenson both missing from the matchday 18, while 18-year-old Marley Marshall Miranda was named on the bench for the U’s.

It was a cagey opening 15 minutes, with both teams unable to keep create any real chances.

But two home goals in six first-half minutes ensured this was not going to be a repeat performance of their disappointing midweek home defeat by Southend.

The first clearcut chance came 17 minutes in when

Matt got the better of Tommy Smith on the right, and drove a low cross into the box for the arriving Odin Bailey. But luckily for the away side he struck wide from an unmarked position.

The hosts fired the ball into the side netting again with 25 minutes played, but this time it was Godwin-Malife with the effort. Dean Gerken, making his 200th appearance for Colchester, did well to get his fists to the ball to punch away from a swerving free-kick, with the Rovers man following up with a shot wide.

The hosts did get the breakthrough in the 26th minute, Matt twisting to get his head on Collins’ cross and looping it over visiting keeper Gerken.

Matt claimed his second after 31 minutes, firing home from ten yards after his initial header from a corner had been acrobatically cleared off the line.

Reduced to ten men in added on time at the end of the first half, Rovers had to defend for much of the second half, but wrapped things up after 67 minutes when a Collins freekick was headed in by Godwin-Malife.