FOR the second time in a week Nigel Clough named separate XI's in each half as Stoke City visited the Pirelli Stadium.
1st Half XI:Â McLaughlin, Edwards, McCrory, Naylor, McFadzean, Turner, Fox, Davies, Beavon, Palmer, Tabb.The Brewers enjoyed a lot of the ball during the opening ten minutes but the first clear-cut chance fell to Stoke City through Joselu. The number 11 was played through by right back Glen Johnson but his shot was dragged wide of McLaughlin's right-hand post.
Stoke had another good chance just over 15 minutes into the game as a whipped Charlie Adam free kick was met by the head of Philipp Wollschield but Jon McLaughlin did brilliantly to deny him at his near post, and hold on the re-bound.
It was Ben Fox who registered the first shot on target for the Brewers. Steve Davies trapped the ball on the edge of the box before laying it to Ben Fox who let fly from 20 yards but his effort wasn't strong enough to beat Jack Butland.
The biggest cheer of the first half came when Stoke thought they had the lead, through Joselu, only to be denied by the offside flag on the far side.
HT: Burton Albion 0-0 Stoke City.
2nd Half XI: Bywater, O'Grady, Tanner, Irvine, Mousinho, Harness, McCrory, Delaney, Flanagan, Akins, Butcher.
GOAL: It only took him 3 minutes. Chris O'Grady found the net just three minutes into his Burton Albion debut, and with his first touch too! Marcus Harness whipped a corner in from the left, the goalkeeper didn't do as much as he should have done and Chris O'Grady volleyed into the corner of the net 1-0.
GOAL: And it didn't take him long to score his second in an Albion shirt. With just ten minutes between the two goals, Chris O'Grady bagged his second of the game after Lucas Akins provided a powerful cross from the right and the Brighton-loanee headed past Jakob Haugaard in the Stoke goal 2-0.
The loanee O'Grady nearly turned provider for a third Burton Albion goal as he held off a number of Stoke defenders to pull the ball back from the byline to Akins who saw his shot well saved by Haugaard.
Burton Albion made a sub with 15 minutes to go as Damien McCrory made way for Tom Naylor. Tom Flanagan switched to left back whilst Tom Naylor slotted in at right back.
The Pirelli crowd were very nearly treated to a stunner, through Naylor! O'Grady picked up the ball on the left before switching it over to the onrushing Naylor down the right who unleashed a vicious volley towards goal but it didn't dip enough to trouble the goalkeeper.
GOAL: It was a third for Burton Albion on 86 minutes through Lucas Akins! Marcus Harness picked up the ball and went on a winding run through the Stoke defence before getting tackled, but the ball fell to Akins who made no mistake in slotting into the bottom corner 3-0.
FT: Burton Albion 3-0 Stoke City