MANSFIELD Town beat the Young Brewers 3-0 despite a good first-half performance from Albion.
The Young Brewers started on the front foot and put the hosts under a lot of pressure with numerous early corners.
Burton’s first chance was in the ninth minute and came from some brilliant hold-up play by Tom Hewlett fed Kyle Clamp to drive over the halfway line. The ball broke to Tom Armitage whose shot was blocked.
Manny Shittu went close minutes later when he dribbled into the box and forced a smart save. Shittu then appeared to be fouled in the box, however the referee waved away strong appeals from the Brewers.
Armitage then forced a brilliant save as Albion continued to press. Then, on 27 minutes, it was 1-0 to Mansfield. The Brewers conceded a free-kick and were punished for leaving a man unmarked, as he headed the ball home.
Just before the half-time whistle blew, it was made 2-0. Albion failed to deal with a long ball towards the box and a well-placed finish beat Fairbrother.
HALF-TIME: Mansfield Town 2-0 Burton Albion
The second-half was not as action-packed as the Brewers struggled to put pressure on the Stags.
Kyle Clamp turned in the box but his shot was blocked before Mansfield added a third late-on. A long ball over the top caught Albion off-guard and the ball was slotted home to settle the game.