Burton Albion v Gillingham - Opposition Fan Preview - Written by Lewis Browning

Gillingham’s men head to Burton Albion this weekend in an important game that will catapult the winners well into the play-off fight. You can read our preview of the game here.


We spoke to Brewers fan Edward Walker about his team’s season so far, how he views the game, and what he sees in Burton’s future.


How’s your season been so far?


It’s been going pretty much as I expected so far. League One is incredibly tight up and around the top and Burton have been involved in that play-off race for a while, though we’ve never looked like really cementing our place in there.


And your form going into the game?


Two defeats in nine League games, taking 17 points from a possible 27 in that time. The Christmas period was a near-perfect one for Burton Albion and we had gone five league games without defeat until Rotherham got a hard-fought 3-2 win over us on Saturday.

Who are your key players?


We have some excellent wingers; Jamie Murphy and Oliver Sarkic both scored great goals against Rotherham at the weekend, and Joe Powell looks a bright prospect who has recently joined from West Ham United. It’s the midfield three, though, that I find to be the strongest part of the team. Conor Shaughnessy joined from Leeds United in January, but the trio who have more commonly featured are Stephen Quinn, Ryan Edwards and Scott Fraser. Quinn sits at the base and is usually the link as the team works the ball from one side of the pitch to the other. Edwards is an energetic player who is getting better every week. He’s normally the one making late runs into the box and has already bagged four in the league alone. Fraser, though, is, perhaps, the star of the team. He’s a creative midfielder who loves getting the ball on the turn and driving forward into the final third. He has the most assists of any player in League One this season with 11, and has five goals on top of that. Gills fans who went to last season’s game at the Pirelli Stadum might remember him as he scored both of Burton’s goals. You did still manage to take all three points, though!


Any notable absentees?


Our top scorer Liam Boyce left for Heart of Midlothian in the January window. He was a huge part of how the team played for the last 18 months and there’s a big fear that Burton will slip further away from the play-off places without his goals and general hold-up play. Academy graduate Ben Fox was one I really hoped to see a lot of this season, but the midfielder has, sadly, missed the whole season so far with injury. Everton loanee Nathan Broadhead might be back - he got both of the goals from the left wing as Burton won 2-1 at Priestfield back in August.


Who do you reckon is Gillingham’s biggest threat?


I went to watch Gillingham recently when they beat Shrewsbury 2-0 at Priestfield, and what stood out to me was how effective John Akinde looked. He’s such a presence up front and, considering how much of a hard time Burton have had against big, physical strikers in the past, it’s not something I’m looking forward to seeing!


What do you expect from Steve Evans’ side on the day?


Steve Evans is not a very popular person at Burton Albion, and it goes back to when he referred to Burton as ‘pub team’ whilst at Boston United. He’s one of those managers Burton fans very much enjoy beating! As for how the side will play, I’d hope to see something similar to the 4-1-2-1-2 I saw Gillingham use against Shrewsbury. That midfield diamond looked very good, particularly Ben Pringle and Stuart O’Keefe in the wider midfield roles. Combine that with Akinde up front and it could prove to be a long afternoon for Burton Albion. 


How do you see the game going?


Difficult to tell. On paper you’d expect a close game given Burton are just two points and one place above Gillingham in the table. Our last few games have shown that we’re capable of scoring very nice goals whilst conceding very poor ones. Both sides should be aiming for the win, though, and I’d hope it proves to be something better than one of those drab 0-0s! 


A prediction, please.


You have to admire the run Gillingham are on. To go 10 League games in a row unbeaten is fantastic for any team, and Burton are by no means entitled to end that run this weekend. I’d never back the Brewers to lose, though, so I’m going to play it safe and go with a draw, but I expect goals. 2-2.


How do you see the rest of your season panning out?


It will come down to whether or not Lucas Akins can step into the shoes left by Liam Boyce. Akins can play up top but is much more comfortable on the wing, and he needs the ball to feet rather than in the air as his touch is not great. If we can change our style to suit this, then there is a small top six shout given the quality of players around him. I had us predicted 10th before the season began, and, given this team is still a season or so away from being genuine promotion contenders, I reckon that will be around where we finish.


Edward can be found on Twitter at @FRfootballEd or on the D3D4 Football Podcast.