THE Brewers returned to pre-season action this evening with a 2-1 away win at Stratford Town.
It was the first game on back on English soil for Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s side since a warm-weather training camp in Portugal last week.
The first chance of the game fell to the home side, as Ben Garratt was forced into a good early safe to deny Ash Sammons long-range effort. Will Grocott was there to try with a follow-up effort, but the Stratford striker was flagged offside.
Gassan Ahadme had the Brewers first chance of the game on the fifteen minute-mark. The striker’s shot from the edge of the area looked to be heading for the top corner, but a touch from defender James O’Neill deflected the effort just wide of the post.
Albion took the lead on the twenty-sixth minute through new signing Davis KEILLOR-DUNN. The former Oldham man picked up the ball from around 25-yards out, before smashing his effort in around the helpless O'Brien in the Stratford Town net.
Hawker leveled for the home side on the forty-minute mark. A Stratford corner was punched clear by Garratt, falling to Josh Hawker on the edge of the box, who’s effort took a deflection and flew past Garratt.
HALF TIME: Stratford Town 1-1 Burton Albion
Stratford started the half the livelier of the two sides, forcing Ben Garratt into a good early save. Storer weaved his way through the Albion defence, threading a ball through to Trialist A, but his weak from inside the box was easily held.
Albion had a major let-off minutes later, as Stratford had three chances in quick succession. Storer had the first effort that was deflected onto the crossbar following a good block from Frazer Blake-Tracy, before Grocott’s follow-up was struck against the post. Garratt was then there to stop the final effort, standing up tall to Will Dawes’ strike to keep the score level.
The Brewers started to come to life in the final twenty minutes, which led to the Brewers regaining the lead in the eighty-second minute.
Academy graduate Charlie Williams did excellently to help his get up the pitch before playing-in Louis MOULT, with the striker making no mistake and emphatically finishing into the top corner.
FULL TIME: Stratford Town 1-2 Burton Albion
FIRST-HALF: Garratt, Brayford, Borthwick-Jackson, Oshilaja, Ahadme, Hughes, Gilligan, Leak, Hamer, Lakin, Keillor-Dunn.
SECOND-HALF: Garratt (Hawkins 60’), Trialist B, Borthwick-Jackson (Trialist A), Oshilaja (Taylor 60’), Ahadme (Hewlett 60’), Hughes, Gilligan (Radcliffe 60’), Kokolo, Hamer, Moult, Trialist C.