Boss happy despite defeat
Burton Albion manager Gary Rowett was happy with the performance levels of his Brewers side as they lost 1-0 to Derby County on Tuesday night.
header by Jeff Hendrick. Rowett, however, is taking plenty of positives from the game.rdThe Albion looked in control for parts of the game at the Pirelli Stadium, and were undone by a 43
“There were lots of encouraging things once again. In every game so far there have been periods where we've done lots of things well. It was a very difficult test against a Derby side who were a kick away from the Premier League and in the first half we attacked fantastically well.
“We counter attacked well and got into some pockets of space and I thought the front three looked a real handful. It's always difficult to maintain that level of intensity as Derby move the ball around so well,” he said.
Stuart Beavon looked particularly bright in the first half, and Rowett believes his side had done enough to earn a goal before the break.
“You could argue that although Derby troubled the goal more than we did, we probably got into as many or more positions in the final third where a final bit of quality gets a shot on goal and we just lacked a bit of composure in front of goal.
“Tonight wasn't a reflection of the types of games that we'll have in League 2 as nobody in our division will keep the ball as well as Derby do.
“It's important that we get back to how we want to play in the league games, which is difficult against sides like Derby. I was really pleased with lots of aspects of tonight's game and there was a lot of positive play,” he added.
Rowett made a string of substitutions in the second half as he looked to get game time into his players, and with youngsters Marcus Harness, Liam Slade and Joe Doyle playing their part.
The manager says his original plan was to give the starting 11 longer game time, but is happy with the strength in depth of the squad.
“I fell that we wanted to start with the team that might start against Oxford, but you don't want to risk injury. You always want to try and win the game so there comes a point where you feel that you can get back into the game with some fresh legs, but it shows the strength in depth of our squad.
“I felt as though for the first half we played with the intensity and attacking threat that we want this season, and that uses a lot of energy up.
“With the quality of the opposition and the way they make you work reduces the chances of getting through 90 minutes. We're working hard in training so hopefully we'll see the benefits when we take it down a bit.”