'I'd bet on Ipswich to get promoted' - Burton assistant praises Town

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By any measure, Burton have had a shaky start to the season.

After a summer in which boss Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink held talks with Barnsley about taking over at the Tykes - eventually deciding to stay - they have struggled so far.

They started with a 3-0 defeat at Wycombe Wanderers, before returning home and getting tonked 4-0 by newly-promoted Bristol Rovers.

The Brewers finally got their first point of the season at Accrington Stanley in a 4-4 draw on Saturday - but that only tells half of the story!

Burton were 3-0 up inside 50 minutes - summer signing Davis Keillor-Dunn bagging a hat-trick - and still led 4-2 with nine minutes left.

But they conceded two goals in injury time to get pegged back to 4-4 - and should actually have lost the game right at the death, Kody Adedoyin missing a gilt-edged chance for Stanley.

So after three games, Burton have just one point on the board, while scoring four goals and conceding 11 - almost double the total netted against the next leakiest defence, Cheltenham's six.

There was no respite in the EFL Cup either, with the Brewers getting dumped out 2-0 at League Two Rochdale.

More bad news

The last thing you need, after a bad start to the season, and with table-topping Ipswich coming to town, is injury issues.

Unfortunately, that's exactly what Burton have, with their weekend starting central midfield pairing of Cameron Borthwick Jackson and Calum Butcher both doubts for Town's visit.

Assistant manager Dino Maamria confirmed today that both picked up knocks in the shoot-out at Stanley.

He said: “Calum came off with a slight groin strain and we are checking that today but he’s doubtful. Cameron took a knock on the head, and we need to monitor that and see how he is.

“Everyone else is fit and ready but we have to consider that after Rochdale, Accrington and playing again tomorrow, we may need to freshen it up and get a team that is ready to be on the front foot against Ipswich.”

Veteran defender Michael Mancienne is another out hurt after injuring his knee at Wycombe on opening day.

Bouncing back

Despite the struggles so far, Maamria insists that Burton can take a lot of positives from the Accrington draw - and the stats around it.

“We saw so many good things and it was totally different to what we had been seeing, but managing that last few minutes of the game needs to be better," he explained.

"We gave away some soft free kicks and defended them too deep when there was no need. That’s an easy fix and we will show them that today.

“It happens because when you haven’t been winning you try and hold on for dear life rather than just carrying on playing the game in front of you.

"Because we haven’t been winning, psychologically our players aren’t ready to be comfortable seeing the game out. If we were on a wining streak, we would never have drawn that game.

“But we started the game really well and the physical data shows that we covered more ground than at any point in the season and created more chances so there are so many positives.”

Davis Keillor-Dunn, seen playing for former side Oldham, scored a 50-minute hat-trick in Burton's wild 4-4 draw at Accrington on Saturday. (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

Ones to watch

After scoring a 50-minute treble on Saturday, Keillor-Dunn is now League One's joint-leading marksman, and will clearly head into this game with his confidence high.

The forward was signed from Oldham Athletic in the summer, having bagged 17 goals in 56 games for a side who were relegated to the National League.

"I think we needed a bit more creativity up the top end of the pitch, and we hope he can offer that for us," Hasselbaink said when he signed Keillor-Dunn.

"He can play all four positions up front, whether it's wide or central."

True to those words, Keillor-Dunn has played both centrally and on the left already so far this season, as Burton have turned out in a number of formations - starting the season in a 4-2-3-1, fielding a 3-4-3 in their EFL cup defeat and lining up in a 4-4-2 at Accrington.

Striker Gassan Ahadme, a product of the Norwich City youth system, also netted on Saturday. He'll pose a physical threat to Town's defenders, standing just over 6ft 1ins tall, embracing a tussle and packing a decent turn of pace.

Ahadme joined Portsmouth on loan at the start of last season (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

Maamria on Town

It's fair to say Burton's assistant is a fan of the Blues.

He told the media today: “I’m not a gambling man but if you gave a me a pound, I would put it on Ipswich to get promoted this season.

"They are a very good team, with a fantastic coach. They have a strong squad, with depth and top players.

“We haven’t got the finances of the likes of Ipswich and Portsmouth, so we have to be better organised, hungry, and a team that presses off the front foot and that plays off the second ball and makes thing happen.

“We saw that on Saturday and I think at any other given time we would not concede those goals in the future. Clean sheets are fundamental and that’s something we have to work on and get better at.”