Burton Albion 5-2 Accrington Stanley Player Ratings: McFadzean impresses

“Err… cheers Lucas, you can put me down now” – https://www.burtonalbionfc.co.uk/ (Credit: John Potts and Richard Holmes)

Lucas Akins became Burton Albion’s top all-time EFL goalscorer on Saturday, when his brace helped the Brewers to a deserved 5-2 win over relegation-threatened Accrington Stanley. Here’s our Player Ratings from the contest.

Burton Albion

Bradley Collins – it’s fair to say the Chelsea loanee might have enjoyed better afternoons at Burton so far than the one he had here – he let McConville’s effort go through his legs before fouling Clark for the penalty. Then again, he did superbly to tip over Kee’s close-range header on 75 minutes – when the game was all-square. 4

John Brayford – the right-back perhaps does not quite have the same level of pace and drive that he showed while at Sheffield United a few years ago, so his game is more about linking up intelligently with his teammates. Did not do quite so much of that in the first half but improved in the second period. 6
Jake Buxton – the ex-Derby man was a very good Championship centre-back in the mid-2010s, but clearly he has lost a yard or two of pace and maybe that has affected him slightly. Slow to become aware of McConville’s threat in the lead-up to the opener and not especially impressive in possession – although he did come close with a header following Wallace’s cross and looked strong after the break. 6
Kyle McFadzean – the centre-back showed here just why he has been among Burton’s more consistent performers over the last two seasons. McFadzean was not only aggressive when needed, he also showed the qualities to carry the ball into the opposing half and contribute to the build-up play as well as threaten goal. The former Crawley man’s 64th-minute free-kick was a belter – right inside the top left-hand corner – but he had threatened something like that earlier with a stinging drive midway through the first half. 9
Colin Daniel – the adventurous left-back got forward superbly to link up with Wallace, Fraser and at times Harness, then Templeton in the latter stages, making a series of excellent runs to the byline that hugely helped the Brewers’ attacking play. If there was one tiny blemish in Daniel’s strong performance, it might have been his first half defensive work, which was perhaps a tad lackadaisical in the build-up to Stanley’s two goals. 8

Stephen Quinn – the experienced midfielder did not push on quite as freely as Allen and Fraser, but rather acted as the rock in midfield holding things together. When pressing from those ahead of Quinn forced clearances, he mopped up a lot of second balls and picked one or two appealing diagonals, which gave the Brewers a sense of control. 7
Kieran Wallace – the 23-year-old, who signed on a short-term deal in January, at times linked up nicely with Fraser and Daniel in the first half but he appeared to be stationed relatively deep. Although this was not as much a reflection on Wallace’s performance as what Burton need structurally, the team looked better when he was replaced by a more attacking player in Templeton who stayed high up the pitch. 6
Jamie Allen – the former Rochdale midfielder got forward with boundless energy and enthusiasm; contributed significantly to the tempo and intensity of Burton’s play and picked some good through balls, too. Because he did not start attacking moves as a centre-forward, it often caused confusion in the opposing rear-guard when he did pop up in that position, as we saw in the lead-up to the third goal. Came close a couple of times in the first half too and showed terrier-like qualities off-the-ball. 8

Scott Fraser – this was an outstanding performance from Fraser, who linked play superbly in those pockets between the opposing defence and midfield. Showed good movement and combination with Harness before tucking past Maxted just before half-time, was unlucky to see another effort early in the second period deflected behind and was a major creative influence throughout. 8

Marcus Harness – the academy graduate does most damage not on the left, but in the right channel or centrally. For the first hour, Harness looked lively but because he spent a lot of time down the left channel, he struggled to get the ball onto his left-foot in a way that would allow him to make movements to threaten goal. Once Templeton came on, Harness did not have as much responsibility to graft down the left – that freed him up and we saw the results. 7
Lucas Akins – with Liam Boyce away on international duty, Akins really stepped up to the plate, despite stylistic differences to the Northern Irishman. The Brewers stalwart is not a classic centre-forward – his two goals were well-taken penalties – but rather somebody who causes problems with direct runs down the right channel. Once Templeton’s arrival gave him the freedom to exploit those areas, rather than play centrally with less success as we saw in the first half, he was unstoppable, teeing up the third goal in an outstanding display. It was a wonderful day all-round for Akins, who became Burton’s top all-time EFL goalscorer. 9

David Templeton (on 64) – the wide man has made a positive impression from joining from north of the border. Although billed as a classic winger, Templeton appeared to like breaking into the box, especially in transitional phases of play. 9
Ben Fox  (on 84) – the academy graduate certainly showed a willingness to get forward and support attacks, such was his youthful exuberance. Played Templeton in for a presentable opening in his short time on the pitch and it is good to see the 21-year-old back from a hamstring injury. 7
Will Miller (on 88) – the 22-year-old also provided fresh energy from the bench to enhance competition for places, especially if Nigel Clough wants an attacking setup with two forward-thinking midfielders pushing beyond Quinn. 6

Accrington Stanley

Jonny Maxted – the former Guiseley goalkeeper, who got his move to Stanley off the back of a strong  FA Cup performance against them, has enjoyed more game time since Connor Ripley’s exit and he fared well in the first half, when he made stops from McFadzean and Allen. Although it would be unusual to say a stopper had a good game despite conceding five goals, he did not look especially at fault for any of them. 6

Callum Johnson – the Middlesbrough loanee has generally looked a confident operator at right-back but this was perhaps a more subdued performance than usual. Johnson did not get up to support attacks in the first half as much as Donacien did and could not exactly complain about being taken off with 10 minutes of normal time to play. Then again, when he did come off, Accrington ended up getting torn apart down his flank. 5
Mark Hughes – with one of the centre-back positions frequently changing hands since Jimmy Dunne’s summer exit, Hughes’ role in providing continuity and leadership is vitally important – and the former Morecambe and Stevenage man did not quite deliver on that score. Guilty perhaps of pushing too far up in the build-up to Burton’s fourth goal and then conceded the penalty for the fifth. 4
Harvey Rodgers – the Hull academy graduate left his leg hanging unnecessarily to concede the penalty that led to Burton’s third goal. Other than that, it was not as if Rodgers had a particularly bad game because he did not make more than one overt mistake – but rather focused on stopping the opposition getting in behind him. The problem with this was that it meant that he struggled to properly dominate his penalty area – perhaps understandable for somebody who has made just 38 professional appearances. 5
Janoi Donacien – the defender, who recently returned to the club on loan from Ipswich, is a right-back by trade but deputised at left-back here. The pace and power he provides was evident at times in the first half, when he also played an excellent diagonal ball to Kee in the lead-up to the opener. Equally though, Donacien is right-footed and his athletic qualities might have been better suited on that natural side, where he may have played if the situation of the squad was slightly different. Accrington’s struggles down the left in the second half might imply Donacien had one or two issues defensively. 5

Jordan Clark – the former Shrewsbury man’s counter-attacking run led to the penalty, from which Kee bagged Stanley’ second. He was otherwise very quiet though and, when Johnson came off, he was asked to cover the right-back position in certain phases of play, but his attitude towards that responsibility was not overly impressive and at times he needed his teammates to bail him out. If Clark is not on his game technically, he needs to at least be putting in more of a shift. 4
Sam Finley – while at AFC Fylde last season, Finley showed plenty of battling, ball-winning qualities in the National League Play-Off Eliminators and on this evidence, he has transferred them two divisions higher. At certain periods, he took on the role of pressing up alongside Kee but he also covered the wide areas selflessly. In the last  10 minutes, after Johnson went off, Finley was almost playing central midfield whilst doing work he should not have had to be doing at right-back. 6
Daniel Barlaser – the Newcastle loanee did one or two pieces of good work in the first half, when he stopped Harness getting onto his left-foot at times as well as playing an excellent ball to set Clark through for the penalty – although he was perhaps guilty of letting Fraser go unmarked for his goal. Looked a little bit lost after the break and did not see enough of the ball to show more of what he is capable of in possession. 4
Sean McConville – the Stanley stalwart had a decent first half, with one or two nice flicks and tricks as the team played through the press well early on – took his goal well, tucking the ball between Collins’ legs and had a modest role in the second. Perhaps the only issue with McConville is that the one thing he does not have is pace and when the Reds are on the back foot, sometimes they could do with that counter-attacking outlet. By the same token, there’s also a responsibility on McConville’s teammates to do more to get him on the ball in a way that suits his strengths. 5

Scott Brown – perhaps surprisingly, the battle-hardened midfielder began the match operating as a second striker out of possession, as John Coleman favoured his aggression and tenacity in the press. Unfortunately though, Brown lacked the stamina to maintain the intensity of his display and dropped into a midfield role after roughly a quarter of the contest; Smyth’s return will be welcome. 4

Billy Kee – Accrington’s top scorer with 13 goals in all competitions, Kee is a hugely influential figure and he did well to hold off Daniel when teeing up McConville for the opener, before coolly converting the penalty shortly afterwards. Kee though is not particularly tall or quick so he needs accurate service from high up the pitch which is something he did not necessarily get regularly here, especially in the second half. Forced a good save from Collins with a close-range header with 15 minutes to go. 7

Luke Armstrong (on 80) – with Paul Smyth away on international duty with Northern Ireland, this was an excellent opportunity for Armstrong to prove his worth. At the start of his (loan spell) he could not quite replicate the goalscoring form he showed in the National League with Gateshead but he was still working hard and getting chances; here, we saw similar levels of work rate with the striker looking that little bit sharper in front of goal. 6