Gaffer pleased with Pompey win
Burton Albion manager Gary Rowett was very pleased after seeing the Brewers secure a 2-0 win against Portsmouth at the Pirelli Stadium.
Adam McGurk and Lucas Akins struck either side of half-time to earn a comfortable victory – a win that takes the Brewers back to the top of League 2.
Reflecting on the result, Rowett was happy with the way his side attacked.
“I felt it was a comfortable victory. The goal changes everything and the way we started was excellent. Some of our attacking play both in the first and second half was very incisive and we perhaps could have had a few more goals.
“We limited them to very few chances and when you have the bodies to break any attack up, I’m very pleased with many aspects of today’s game,” he said.
Portsmouth are one of the favourites for promotion this season, leaving Rowett to believe it would be a good test of his side’s ability, and the boss was delighted at the way the threat was dealt with.
“There are parts of us that thought it would be our biggest test, but I never made a big issue of that to the players. I wanted us to go about our game in the same way as usual.
“We’ve beaten QPR and Wigan so there was no reason to change what we do. If anything, they changed three or four times to try and chase the game and whatever we did, we dealt with comfortably.
“I was pleased with the way the players started in a game that could easily have been too much or one too many, but we worked hard and the appetite was probably epitomised by Stuart Beavon.
He chased everything and it was almost the complete performance from him, maybe apart from nicking a goal himself,” the manager continued.
Adam McGurk scored after 85 seconds to set the Albion on their way to victory, and it set the tone as the Brewers created chances throughout.
“The key to scoring early means that people aren’t frustrated and they have to come out to make the game. The more they do that it suits us to go and attack. It was important but I don’t think it changed too much. I still think we would have broken them down and attacked in the way we did.
“It’s been the most pleasing aspect that our movement is better, the way we’ve attacked and ran into space. I’m not sure how many chances we had today but I’d think it was quite a few, and that’s very pleasing,” he added.
Today’s win is the seventh from eight games in all competitions this season – a record Rowett feels is deserved.
“I wouldn’t say we expected it, but I believe this team are capable of doing something like that and we now have to maintain it. We won’t go every eight games and win seven of them but the more we can maintain the way we work and any obstacles that come our way, we have half a chance. We’re not thinking too much about it, it’s just a good start,” said Rowett.
With York City visiting next Saturday, Rowett says confidence is naturally high after such a blistering start, and is looking forward to getting back on the training ground this week ahead of the game.
“Confidence is high anyway, and the way we’re playing at the minute we can give them a difficult game regardless of who we play. It’s about improving every game and that’s what we’ve done so far.
“It’s a good chance to recover, but also a chance to work. We gave them three days off at the start of the week and I thought at times it took a bit of steam out of some of our intensity and we can get some work done this week.
“It’s a shorter week with a day less to recover but it’s still a good chance for us to work them.”