New boys Burton Albion have won their second game of the Championship season, beating neighbours Derby County 1-0 at the Pirelli Stadium.
Irvine and Akins celebrate at the end of the game
Fresh off the back of Tuesday’s 5-0 hammering away to Liverpool in the EFL Cup, the Brewers have bounced straight back in their quest to climb away from the relegation zone, overcoming local rivals Derby County, whom they had never faced in a competitive fixture until Friday night.
Burton took a surprise early lead when Jackson Irvine headed in Lucas Akins’ cross in the 12th minute in what proved to be the game’s only goal.
On the whole, Derby had the better of the match with 64% of the possession as well as 10 shots on goal compared to Burton’s seven.
Treating those two impostors just the same…almost
The Rams have become traditional promotion hopefuls in the Championship, but have had a poor start to the season with only one win in their first five games. They have now fallen below Burton in the standings.
Meanwhile the result has seen Burton shoot up to 6th in the table – although there are of course another 11 matches this weekend which may see them fall slightly.
What will be of most concern to Derby manager Nigel Pearson is his side’s impotency in front of goal. While the defence has been miserly in conceding only three goals in five games, his attackers have found the back of the net on just one occasion in that same timeframe.
In contrast, matches involving Burton are currently averaging 3.8 goals per game, but former Derby manager Nigel Clough will be delighted with his side’s resilience as they managed to hold on to such a tight lead for almost 80 minutes of football.
Irvine wheels away after scoring the only goal
Fans of the club were unsurprisingly over the moon with the result.
Having only entered the Football League in 2009 and achieved successive promotions to reach the Championship, results like this against seasoned opposition like Derby Country are exactly what’s needed if they are to stave off relegation, or even – dare we say it – ascend to the top flight of English football.
Unsurprisingly, Burton fans on Twitter could not contain their joy at the result.
Burton now have a fortnight break in which to recuperate before taking on Wolves at Molineux, while Derby will be hosting Newcastle as they aim to get their season back on track.
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