HAT-TRICK hero Lucas Akins says that Saturday's home game against Gillingam is now the biggest of the season for the Brewers.
Albion's chances of playing Championship football next season were given a major boost with a 3-0 victory against Colchester coupled with Walsall's 4-0 defeat at Bradford.Akins scored all three goals to record the first hat-trick of his career and was clutching the matchball as he talked to the press after Saturday's game.
He said: "It was a great performance and with results going our way, almost the perfect day. We still have two massive games left but it is now in our hands and we have to go and take advantage of that now.
"Goal difference could be a factor and it would be terrible to lose out by an odd goal so it was important we pushed on.
"It was a good day to be Brewer.
"We may look back in the future and say that was the day but obviously it's not done and dusted. We will go back out and train really hard because Gillingham is now our biggest game of the season.
"We don't want the play offs we want automatic promotion. We have to go and finish the job off now and then we will look back on today as a good one for the history of Burton Albion."
Reliving his hat-trick Akins said: "The first one was a tap in after Mark Duffy did brilliantly and I was in the right place at the right time. The second goal I managed to hit the target and it has gone in. The third just opened up for me as I cut in and I have hit the target again.
"It was nice to get my hat-trick in front of our fans who turned up in numbers again today and hopefully we rewarded them with a performance.
"It was nice to get a hat-trick but I like to look at the bigger picture and the win we needed.
"We were delighted with the clean sheet away from home and it came off the back of two very good performances."
Albion fans are urged to buy tickets as soon as possible for Saturday's game with demand now expected to be very high.