Boss delighted with Hartlepool win
Burton Albion manager Gary Rowett was full of praise for his side after they beat Hartlepool United 3-0 at the Pirelli Stadium.
The Brewers led 1-0 at half-time thanks to Billy Kee, and goals from Jimmy Phillips and Lee Bell after the break put the game beyond doubt, and Rowett says there was lots to be pleased about.
“It was a good three points and a really good performance. We’ve played well recently at home and not had the goals to show for it. It was probably our most dominant performance of the season and we dominated from the first minute and maybe should have had more. We restricted Hartlepool to very few chances and it’s nice to see the goals to go in.
“There were lots of good things about today and our attacking was excellent. We showed really good control and Billy and Gary Alexander were a real threat all game. There was a lot to be pleased with, especially after a disappointing game last week a Northampton and I told the players today to show everyone what we’re about. We bounce back well after setbacks and I thought we did really well today,” said Rowett.
The win has all but confirmed a top seven finish for the Brewers this season, and whilst Rowett is pleased with that, he wants to see if his team can push for an automatic promotion spot.
“Our first port of call in our list of achievements was to make the play-offs and today has all but solidified that. We can be proud of that but now want to go one step further and chase the next few games, try a few new things and see if we can gamble a bit.
“All you can do is keep trying to win games and keep the pressure on the teams ahead of you. We want to keep our part of the bargain and keep winning games. We’ve made an excellent start with a really bright performance and the question now is whether we can maintain that pressure,” Rowett said.
Rowett also spoke about the confidence of his team after scoring the second goal, with Saturday being the first time that the Brewers had scored more than twice at home this season.
“You could see straight away that when we scored the second goal, suddenly everyone wants the ball and everyone plays with more confidence. I don’t think we’ve been overly tense at home and today is our 11th home win of the season.
“It’s another clean sheet and we have the best defensive record alongside Southend, so things are heading in the right direction,” Rowett added.
Rowett also says that tomorrow’s game at Newport County presents an opportunity to players not currently in the starting eleven, given how quickly the game comes around following yesterday.
“We’ll come in and have a cool down and make sure everyone’s fully prepared. We have 24 hours less preparation than most other teams and we’ll make changes if we think they’re needed. There’s one or two desperate for a chance and we’ll find out if we have a good enough squad.
“If I pick the same team we probably won’t have the same energy with such a short road to recovery, so it will be a good opportunity for some of the other players.”