Emile Heskey's Managerial Bout

Blades Strike Lucky
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It was another match where we failed to convert possession into goals. Sheffield United were well organised at the back and we really struggled to break them down, despite having greater possession.

John Mousinho didn't start against Sheffield United, so I allowed him to play in the U21's match to keep match fit. This was a pretty stupid decision in hindsight, as he picked up an injury ruling him out for the next 3 matches or so. He is another midfielder who has found himself playing as a CB this season, so my options have just become even more limited!

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Burton Denied by Late Goal
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I thought we had managed to steal a win in the 85th minute when Stuart Beavon got his head on the end of a floated cross to the backpost, only to be denied 3 minutes later by Ryan Colclough.

A draw was probably a fair result in the end but it was very frustrating to see us concede just 3 minutes after going ahead.



Dominant Burton Leave it Late
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Despite battering Fleetwood today, we only just managed to come away with the win. We created numerous chances in the match but failed to convert the majority, whilst Fleetwood managed to score the only real opportunity they had.

We managed to get the victory but our performance level has really dropped off, since we lost the plot against Chesterfield a month ago.

Aurelien Joachim was the latest casualty and will rule him out for the remainder of the season. He has been sent to a specialist for treatment, with an estimated recovery time of 3 months so will not feature again this season.

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So many injuries ... I have the same problem... bug maybe ?
 
kolas79 said:
So many injuries ... I have the same problem... bug maybe ?
Click to expand...

Possibly - but I didnt really have any injuries until a couple of months ago and now we have been dropping like flies! I am putting mine down to end of season fatigue :p
 
I think its kind realistic when lower league team has lot of injuries..IRL I did play and train with finnish 5th division team(I'm 17y old) and they did have much injuries cause they don't have the fitness coach. Even one of their best player was 17y old boy and I did play few matches so its kinda realistic...
 
Miles Jacobson did say that one of the main things he wanted to do was make it more realistic. Lower standard of football and coaching means more injuries I guess..
 
The injuries also add to the challenge and gives youth players a chance in the first team. It's just annoying when all the injuries come at the same time, but oh well.
 
Superior Finish Provides Cutting Edge For Burton

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So today we got a bit of good karma, as we managed to get the win despite being outplayed for large parts of the match. There have been quite a few games this season where we have dominated games and failed to win, so am secretly quite happy. That being said we didn't play great football and were bailed out by some classy finishing.



Bennett Sends Burton Top
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We are back at the top of the table after Bennett's goal secured us a narrow 1-0 victory. Our finishing went back to being pretty woeful as we squandered a number of chances to extend our lead, including a missed penalty from Edwards. We still got the win which is all that really matters at the end of the day, and feels great to be sat at the top of League 1.



Burton Lose Top Spot

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Well that didn't last long!

Calum Butcher managed to get himself sent off after just 16 minutes, when we had made a promising start to the match. Unfortunately this left us with just 10 men for the majority of the game and we failed to keep Millwall out.



Butcher has been handed a 2 match ban for his dismissal, which is not ideal and have given him a warning over his future conduct.

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Right winger, Zeli Ismail also sustained a gashed head in the match and will likely miss our next 2 matches. He has been my main man down the right, but have a capable backup in Akins so am not to concerned. Although it does look as though he will be going down the rugby shop with Petr Cech to get a scrum cap.

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March Review

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It has been a pretty solid month for us, picking up a total of 10 points out of 18. Mason Bennett has hit some decent form recently and ended up coming 3rd in Player of the Month. Whenever he has scored this month we have won, so lets hope he can score every game!


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So with just 7 games left to play, we are in a very good position to make a final push for automatic promotion. It is very close at the top of the table and I would say there are 5 teams, in with a shout of making the top 2; Barnsley, Peterborough, Walsall, Millwall and ourselves.

Our fixture list for April includes a massive game at home to current leaders Barnsley. The rest of the month doesn't look to bad for us and will be aiming to achieve a minimum of 12 points throughout the month.

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Beavon Secures Burton Victory
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A very impressive performance from the lads today, but again just the one goal to show for it. Bury didn't come to play expansive football and instead decided to keep bodies behind the ball and play for a 0-0 draw. Fortunately Beavon managed to find a way through the wall and secure us the win.

I was later informed after the game that Bury's starting line up weighed on average a staggering 7kg more per player than ours. Just shows that brains are more important than brawn!

Shane Cansdell-Sherriff was our latest CB to get injured, as he damaged his heel in the match against Bury. Fortunately O'Connor has returned from injury and will feature from the bench against Scunthorpe.

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Butcher has received a further 2 match ban, totalling a 4 week suspension which is very frustrating! I did appeal the extension but was politely told to F@£k Off!

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Scunthorpe Hold Out for Draw

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I had hoped to get all 3 points from the game, but to fair Scunthorpe played very well. A costly mistake from Tom Naylor gifted them an equaliser midway through the second half and we couldn't find a winner, despite some heavy pressure at the end.



Barnsley Go Top After Draw With Burton

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This was a huge match, 3rd vs 2nd and a win would have put us in a great position to clinch automatic promotion. Unfortunately Barnsley were too good for us on the day and we were lucky to get a point out of the match.

With Peterborough losing, we haven't lost any ground on first place and we still have it all to play for with 4 games to go.



Wigan Outclass Burton


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Bollocks!

Wigan thoroughly deserved there win today and have really dented our chances of winning the League. I knew Wigan were a decent side but I really fancied us to get the 3 points coming into the match. We really need to get back to winning ways and fast!


Beavon Hattrick Fires Burton into Promotion Hunt
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YES! That is exactly what we needed!

That was one of our best performances i have seen this season up until the 76th minute, when we switched off at the back and conceded to quick fire goals. Beavon was immense today picking up a hattrick and an assist and with other results going our way we are right back in the hunt, sitting just 2 points behind the leaders.

Controversial Penalty Moves Burton Top

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With us winning and Barnsley losing consecutive matches, we move to top of the table with just 1 match to play. Meaning a win will crown us Champions!

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The victory here today has also secured a playoff spot for us, but my eyes are firmly fixed on top spot.

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We travel to Doncaster for the final game of the season and with the prospect of being announced Champions, there is no doubt the away stand will be a sellout.

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If both Barnsley and Peterborough win or draw and we lose then we will have to battle it out in the playoffs. So basically we have to win our final match. End of.










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Burton Miss Out On Promotion
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I am absolutely distraught, along with the players, coaching staff and supporters. We had come so close, only for it to be snatched away in the last game. I know we were never expected to even challenge for the title but we had one hand on it going into todays match and we now have to compete in the playoffs.

Inside 35 minutes, we knew we had to win as both Peterborough and Barnsley had gone 2-0 up in their matches. We still had a long way to go and there was no need to panic, but on the stroke of halftime, Andrew Williams found himself in acres of space at the back post and cooly finished past Saussez.

We had to go more attacking in the second half and decided to bring El Khayati on to attack the left wing. He was the man that made the break through as he got his head on the end of a floated cross from Ismail. 1-1. 64 minutes gone.

From then on we went all out for the win, but couldn't break through Doncaster's defence. A half hearted penalty appeal from Beavon was the best we could manage, as both Peterborough and Barnsley held on to win there matches, dropping us down to 3rd.

It's going to be a tough job to rally the lads and get them focused after such an agonising last game, but thats my job and thats what i'm going to do.

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We will be playing Walsall in the Playoffs Semi Final, which i am rather pleased about as we have beaten them 4-0 away and 3-1 at home this season.

Although no doubt that means we will lose these matches...

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