MARTIN Paterson has praised Brewers supporters for the way they stick with the team.
The Albion manager was hoping his side could bounce back from the home defeat to Lincoln on Saturday with a win against Cheltenham last night but the game was a victim of the wet weather forcing the Brewers to change plans for the week and refocus on Bristol Rovers away as the next game.
Paterson was disappointed with his side’s lack of a cutting edge against Lincoln but hopes the fans understand what he’s trying to instill into the squad.
He said: “I would rather play to win than have any fear of losing. These players cannot hold that fear of losing any more. I have told them we are going to play to win.
“My message to supporters is that when we are at home, I want them to play with freedom in that final third.
“We have a fantastic support base. You go across the country, and you see players make mistakes and you hear moans and groans, and I don’t see that here. The crowd at Burton Albion want to see young players express themselves, especially in the final third.
“My lesson to the lads is that I will embrace mistakes as it means we are getting better. Losing to 10 men on Saturday hurt, but what disappoints me was that we didn’t express ourselves and show our individuality and quality in the final third.
“The schedule changes now but we don’t just train like mad today because we have missed a day. We will keep to the same physical load and ultimately, we will prepare for Bristol Rovers which is another exciting but tough game.
“We are monitoring Sam Hughes and Jasper Moon for the weekend. Jasper’s injury against Lincoln is a little bit moer than a knock. I keep saying to Sam that it’s important that when he does come back he stays back – we don’t want to take risks with Sam.”