Burton Albion Vs Bristol Rovers, Pirelli Stadium, Burton-on-Trent, Sky Bet League 2, Saturday 23rd November 2013, Kick Offf 3:00pm please log in to view this image Vs please log in to view this image please log in to view this image Burton Albion Info please log in to view this image Founded: 1950 Nickname: Brewers Address: Pirelli Stadium, Burton Upon Trent, Staffs, DE13 0AR Year Ground Opened: 2005 Pitch Size: 110 x 72 yards Main Telephone No: 01283 565 938 Fax No: 01283 523 199 Official Web Site: www.burtonalbionfc.co.uk Current League Position: 11th Current League Form: W W W L L Head To Head Vs The Gas: http://www.bristolrovers-mad.co.uk/head_to_head/next/vs/match/index.shtml For Anyone Going Tickets: Tickets for our trip to Burton will be pay on the day. Supporters Club coaches leave Kinsgwood at 10.15am and the Memorial Stadium at 10.45am. Coach fare is £15. Terrace tickets are priced at £15 for adults, £13 for over 65s and 17-22, and £5 for U16s, while seats are £18 for adults, £16 for over 65s and 17-22 and £8 for U16s. Seats can be purchased in advance by calling 01283 565938. How To Get There: Leave the M1 at junction 22 and join the A511 towards Coalville/Burton. Turn right at the junction of the A5121, towards Burton North. Just before the next roundabout you will see the stadium on your right. Turn right at the roundabout into Princess Way. A short distance along Princess Way on the right, is the entrance to the Club Car Park. There is a large car park at the ground which costs £2. Alternative car parking is available at the Ryknild Trading Estate, by the roundabout leading to Princess Way. Otherwise street parking. SatNav: DE13 0AR Duration: 2 hours 13 minutes Distance: 127 miles Away Facilities Away fans are predominantly housed in the Coors East Stand Terrace at one end of the ground, where just over 1,400 fans can be accommodated. In addition 400 seats are also made available to visiting supporters in the Main Stand. As you would expect from a modern stadium, the view of the playing action and facilities are good. There is also a bar for away supporters which is open until 15 minutes after the second half has started. Last visit: Rovers' last visit to Burton was in October last year, with the two teams sharing the points in a 1-1 draw. David Clarkson got the goal for Rovers on the half hour mark. please log in to view this image
Burton's home record is played 8 won 2 draw 2 lost 4 so I'm going for a close 2-1 victory to us, scorers Beardsley and Clarkson.
Defender backs side to return to form Brewers defender Ian Sharps is confident Albion can bounce back to winning ways after suffering the 2-0 defeat to Dagenham & Redbridge on Saturday. The centre-back explained how conceding goals at the start of either half knocked the sides' confidence and momentum, especially after half-time when Burton looked the more likely team to score. Sharps told Brewers Player: "We had a chance within the first couple of minutes from a corner and their 'keeper has made a decent save, if that goes in it is a totally different game and then the penalty knocked us a little bit. "Just as we were getting into the game in the second-half we have conceded a soft goal and again it knocked us back a little bit and we didn't really get going. "It probably shouldn't have but it did and it took us a little bit of time to get going," he added. Sharps admits he as an experience defender was frustrated at conceding what he described as 'soft goals' at key times. "We were the better team going into the end of the first-half and the beginning of the second-half they've got their second goal and we shouldn't be conceding that type of goal," he said. The former Shrewsbury Town man has backed Albion to come back stronger when they face Bristol Rovers at the Pirelli Stadium on Saturday and admits everyone needs to up their game if they're to get back to winning ways. "They had good players and we just didn't defend well enough or do anything to 100 percent today and you need to do that to win games, everyone will be looking to step it up next week. "We're disappointed of course we are and hopefully it will be two goals that we don't concede again this season." "We've made chances but we haven't made their goalkeeper work enough I think. "I don't think it was a penalty but the referee has given it and we just had to get on with it, hopefully we get some decisions go our way soon," Sharps added.
Previous 2 visits to Burton: October 2011 - Burton 2-1 Rovers - Rovers were on a high after a fantastic display against Rotherham the previous week and they carried on from where they left off as Matt Harrold headed in Matt Gill's corner. However, Burton turned it around before half-time as Cleveland Taylor fired in from the edge of the box, before Billy Kee scored from close range. And despite some second half pressure from Rovers, Burton held on. October 2012 - Burton 1-1 Rovers - A rare good performance under McGhee last season as Rovers were in charge for most of the game, taking a first half lead through David Clarkson's powerful low volley, but again we couldn't keep a clean sheet as Kee was able to head home a free-kick from the right early in the second half to give his side a point.
Manager on Saturday's game. John Ward hopes that his side will be able to extend their unbeaten run when they visit Burton’s Pirelli Stadium this weekend. His side have gone five games unbeaten, and the manager is pleased to have a bit more consistency about the side. He said: “The league points are really important to us, but the cup tie gives us confidence to go into the game against Burton. “We go to Burton knowing that we drew there last year, and beat them at our place, so are confident enough in that, even though we know it is a totally different game. “Five games unbeaten gives us the knowledge that we can be consistent and it is important to keep going on that sort of roll. There is a little bit of stability now. “I think Burton are a good side, and I think it is a good place to go and play. The crowd play a part as they are close by, and everyone has a part to play. “I am looking forward to the next two games, and if we can maintain our form then I think we can give Burton a tough match.” Will Packwood will be back in contention after being forced to miss the cup tie, but Seanan Clucas could be a doubt after returning from international duty with a knee injury. John said: “Seanan is back from international duty, but he has come back with a knee injury. He is going to go out and train today with Phil Kite, and we will see how he goes. “Will Packwood is back, he was not available for the cup tie. We looked after Matt Harrold on Tuesday. “Ryan Brunt tweaked his knee on Tuesday, so we didn’t want to take that risk. I could easily have sat him on the bench and not used him and no-one would be any the wiser. “We will look after him this next day or two and see if he is available for the weekend. “I don’t know how long we will be without Alefe Santos, as we are in unknown territory. “Alefe is a young boy who doesn’t know anything about hamstring injuries and how bad it is. That is inexperience, and hopefully he will not get too many injuries like that in the future. “Garry Kenneth is up at the FA medical centre at Burton this week – we will know far more about him when he comes back next week.” The manager confirmed that he is looking at the loan market, and his key target would be a wide player. He said: “I am looking at the loan market and there is a week until the window closes. I am talking to my scouts and getting information through. “We will look in to it strongly, I am looking, but I am not close to bringing anyone in. “I would look at a wide position, but there are two games to come before the window closes, so that could alter if anything else crops up.”
A look at tomorrow's opposition Bristol Rovers travel up to the Midlands to pay their third ever visit to Burton Albion’s Pirelli Stadium this weekend. Currently in 11th spot on 24 points, the Brewers are within striking distance of the Play Off places, but have lost their last two League games. Last season Rovers’ visit to the Pirelli Stadium started well as they dominated the first half and on 30 minutes David Clarkson received the ball on the edge of the area and with time to pick his spot, he hit a first time volley into the corner of the net to register his third goal of the season The home side equalised on 50 minutes, when Billy Kee got in front of the Rovers defenders and glanced a header past Neil Etheridge following a free kick out on the right. It was a disappointing goal to concede, as the free kick was needlessly conceded and Kee, one of the smaller players on the pitch, was allowed to nip in to score while Rovers seemed, momentarily, to switch off. In the Brewers latest game opponents Dagenham and Redbridge ended a losing run of three league and cup fixtures. The Daggers were awarded a penalty after 8 minutes when Phil Edwards brought down Zavon Hines, who then slotted home from the spot. Hines turned provider on 54 minutes when his free-kick was headed home from close range by Luke Howell. Albion Boss Gary Rowett was bitterly disappointed, "The penalty was clearly not a penalty. Phil's pulled his leg away, Hines kicked his own foot and fell down, but the referee gave it and I can only be bitterly disappointed with that. "The second one - there's no point in me going into lots of detail but fair play to Dagenham. They were good, but I don't believe there would have been an awful lot in the game up to that point. Suddenly you're trying to chase a game at 2-0 down and you've got to try and open the game up." Rovers and Albion have crossed paths just four times in total, with one win to each team and two draws. Rovers lost on their first ever visit to the Midlands two years ago and last season came that 1-1 draw. Looking at his team’s season so far, Gary Rowett admits his side are not scoring the spectacular goals they did last season but thinks they are better in other ways. They are missing the striking skills of Calvin Zola and Jacques Maghoma who have both moved on. Rowett commented, “Last season we scored a lot of wonder goals, 10 to 15 of them. In lots of other areas I think we’ve improved. “I still believe we’ve definitely improved as a whole group. There’s not a lot of difference in midfield we’re much of a muchness what we’re doing. “Adam McGurk’s approach and link-up play is as good as anything I’ve seen at League Two level. But at the moment we haven’t just got that last little bit that Billy (Kee) gave us last season where he came to life in the box and haven’t got what Calvin brought to the team. “There are lots of things we’ve done well over the last 18 months and at the moment we’ve not quite managed to do that. Wide we’ve not had the same impact. We’ve not quite had that ability to break down a defence when it’s a tight game. “We’ve got to try to work at more ‘rubbish-looking’ goals, more goals where we bludgeon a goal from nothing. Recently things have been down to an individual sparking something off.” Burton defender Ian Sharps added his assessment of recent games,” We played OK against Dagenham & Redbridge but OK wasn't enough to get us anything from the visit to Victoria Road. Performances of an OK nature won't secure promotion though will they? "We haven't played that badly but haven't played well enough to get anything. Playing OK doesn't get you wins and doesn't get you promotion but it's important not to get too high when you win or too low when you lose." Meanwhile Rowett has been looking at improving the Brewer’s defensive abilities. Even when they had their best season last time out, finishing fourth and getting into the play-offs, they conceded 65 goals in 46 games. This was an improvement on the 81 conceded in 2011/12, 70 in 2010/11 and 71 in 2009/10, but Rowett wants to do better and emulate the tight defence displayed by champions Gillingham last season. “Keeping clean sheets is massive. I look at our best season in the league and we conceded somewhere in the mid-60s. If we keep going like we are it could be 50-odd. So, keeping clean sheets is massively important and keeping them doesn’t seem to be stopping us scoring goals. I’ve been really, really pleased with it” “And if you think about it, three of those clean sheets came with Matty Palmer, an 18-year-old, playing in central midfield. You might think that would make you weaker defensively, but it hasn’t. "Gillingham conceded only 39 goals last season as they waltzed to promotion, while Chesterfield, who missed out on the play-offs, shipped just 46. “Sometimes the fans can perhaps perceive it as negative but if you look at teams like Gillingham who won it last season, they did it without conceding a lot of goals. There’s something in it. “With all due respect, there isn’t a Gillingham, Port Vale or Bradford at the moment running away with it. There are lots of good teams in the division and lots of teams cancelling each other out. “It’s an even division and anyone with ambition is sensing a chance to be up there. Every game is winnable, where there were times last season where we thought we’d be happy with a point. Every Saturday is a big game now.”
Possible Line Ups (Evil Post) The Gas (4-1-4-1) Mildenhall Smith_Packwood_Parkes_Brown Clarke Richards_O'Toole_Norburn_Clarkson Beardsley The Brewers (4-4-2) Pickford Edwards_Sharps_Candsdell-Sherriff_McCory Macdonald_Palmer_Weir_Hussey Kee_McGurk
I hate it when newspapers put possible line-ups as they give the impression that that will definitely be the starting XI
Burton Albion striker Michael Symes has been ruled out for about three weeks with a groin injury. Utility man Rory Delap has had a setback in his recovery from a hamstring problem and is also out. Bristol Rovers midfielder Seanan Clucas will be assessed after picking up a knee injury while on international duty with Northern Ireland Under-21s. Defender Will Packwood is available after being cup tied for Tuesday's FA Cup first-round replay win over York.
Line up: Mildenhall, Smith, Parkes, Packwood, Brown, Clarke, Richards, O'Toole, Lockyer, Clarkson, Beardsley. 4141 Formation: ---------------Mildenhall----------------- Smith---Parkes---Packwood---Brown ------------------Clarke------------------- Richards--O'Toole--Lockyer-Clarkson ----------------Beardsley----------------- Subs: Gough, Keary, Southway, Norburn, Harding, Hunter & Harrold. Who didnt travel: Harrison, Clucas & Brunt all injured.
Same formation as at York. Packwood returns to CB and Lockyer pushed into CM and Norburn misses out and is on the bench. Norburns reward for scoring at York is being dropped!
