BURTON Albion Professional Development Lead Coach Keith Gilroy praised the team's work ethic after looking very sharp in their 4-0 win over Grimsby Town in the first game back after Christmas.
Though Grimsby made life hard for Albion at times, the Young Brewers' hard battling came with its rewards. Another two goals for Dylan Scott to add to his tally plus a brace from Charlie Williams, one of which being a 25-yard freekick, gave Albion the perfect start to the new year as they came out 4-0 winners.
After the game Gilroy said: “The lads have come back really well this week, we came back on Monday after having their program over Christmas.
"They’ve all looked very bright and sharp so I’m very happy."
Despite scoring five in the game before Christmas and another four against Grimsby, Gilroy was eager to highlight how impressed he is with the side defensively.
Gilroy said: “I think understanding how you play three at the back takes a little bit of time and we have to be adaptable.
“With players going out on loan and players getting injured it changes all the time, but we’re getting a lot better with understanding how to play and how to play out.
"But when you’ve got the likes of Will Tamen and Cameron Gilbert that are particularly good in the air, it really helps.
With the group starting the new year from where they left off before Christmas scoring freely, Gilroy pointed out that the side's aim is just to keep playing well and developing.
“We’re not really setting ourselves goals in terms of gaining points," said Gilroy.
"It’s tough in Academy football as some weeks you could have four players out on loan and have to play some under-16s which is great for their development but it might not show in the results.
“But in terms of targets, we just want to keep upping the standards within the culture that we set and that’s everything around the pitch, the ground, the college and hopefully that’ll correlate on the grass as well."