Marcus Harness’s goal was enough to see Town to a 1-0 victory over his old club Burton Albion at the Pirelli Stadium, moving the Blues a point clear at the top of League One. Town didn’t have it all their own way against the Brewers, however, with the home side having come closest to scoring on a number of occasions before Harness’s low shot from the edge of the area on the hour mark secured the three points.
Boss Kieran McKenna made three changes to the team which comprehensively beat MK Dons 3-0 on Saturday.
Greg Leigh, making his first league start for the Blues, Sone Aluko and Kayden Jackson came into the starting line-up with Leif Davis and Conor Chaplin dropping to the bench and Wes Burns absent from the 18 due to a groin problem.
Town, with former right-back Stephen Ward among those watching from the stand, started with Jackson taking Burns’s right wing-back role and Aluko and Marcus Harness the number 10s behind lone out-and-out striker Freddie Lapado.
Burton made two changes from the team which drew 4-4 at Accrington on Saturday with Terry Taylor and Deji Oshilaja coming into the side for one-time Town academy youngster Calum Butcher, who dropped out of the 18, and striker Victor Adeboyejo, who was on the bench.
With rain falling steadily, there was an early scare for Town from a long throw on the right in the opening minute.
Leigh was unable to head clear and the ball reached Gassan Ahadme, whose looping effort was tipped onto the bar by Christian Walton.
The loose ball fell for Conor Shaughnessy who seemed certain to score, but the centre-half turned his ankle as he headed towards goal with Leigh helping it round the post. After treatment, the injury forced Shaughnessy off and Joe Powell took over.
Burton’s intentions were made clear early on with free-kicks given for fouls on skipper Sam Morsy, Lee Evans and Aluko in quick succession as Town sought to play out from their own half. Soon afterwards, the Blues won three corners but ultimately without home keeper Viljami Sinisalo being tested.
On 12, Aluko slipped as he turned his man inside his own half but still got away and threaded a superb pass for Ladapo to chase but the striker scuffed his shot beyond Sinisalo’s right post.
Burton’s constant pressing was making it hard for Town to play out from the back and in the 23rd minute Harness, who started his career with the Brewers played a panicky pass back towards his own area from wide on the left midway inside the Blues’ half. He only succeeded in finding Ahadme but Walton was equal to the Burton number nine’s effort.
Subsequently, Jonny Smith sent the ball back in from the right but Ahedme was unable to hit the target beyond the far post.
The home side went close again a minute later when Smith’s cross found Davis Keillor-Dunn but the former Oldham man shot wide from a tight angle.
Town had been under the cosh somewhat but in the 32nd minute, they won a corner on the right, Sinisalo punching out to Morsy, whose shot was deflected behind for another flag-kick.
On 39 Leigh sent Ladapo away down the left and the striker cut in before hitting a shot which deflected wide.
The Blues threatened again a minute later with Aluko and then Jackson both seeing efforts blocked from the edge of the area.
In the final minute of the half, George Edmundson was shown the half’s first yellow card for a foul on Keillor-Dunn with Town having again struggled to work their way out of their half under pressure. The 25-yard free-kick was laid off to sub Powell who smashed powerfully past Walton’s left post but close enough to have the keeper scrambling across his goal.
That was the last action of a half which had been tough going for the Blues, who were fortunate not to have gone in behind with Burton having had much the better of the chances.
The early opportunity in which Shaughnessy suffered his injury looked a certain goal, while Ahadme ought to have done better with the chance which was presented to him by Harness.
Town had had their moments but too often they had been forced into errors in their own half by the home side’s determined pressing which wasn’t allowing the Blues any time on the ball.
The Brewers struck the first effort of the second half in the 50th minute, Smith hitting a shot over from the left of the area but the ball looped over the bar.
On 53, after some well-worked football on the right, Evans hit a shot from just outside the area which Sinisalo pawed wide down to his left. From the corner, the ball was played to Morsy on the edge of the box but the captain’s low shot was blocked.
A minute later, Tom Hamer played a weak back pass into the path of Ladapo putting the striker through on goal. However, the former Rotherham man’s touch was too strong and keeper Sinisalo was able to block. It was a big chance for the Blues in what had been a difficult evening for them to create serious opportunities.
Within seconds at the other end, an under-hit Luke Woolfenden back pass handed possession to Smith, who took the ball past Walton at a tight angle on the left from where he cut back to Ahadme and but the Blues keeper had got back to brilliantly save the striker’s low effort with his feet.
Not for the first time Burton had seemed certain to score and Town should have been behind but on the hour, they went in front out of nothing.
Leigh played the ball inside to Harness, who brought it inside just outside the box and smashed a low shot into the corner of the net with Sinisalo not even making a move. It was the former Brewer’s third goal in three league games for the Blues and perhaps the sweetest against his old club.
Having gone in front, Town defended some Burton pressure without Walton being forced into a further save, although on 64 the keeper underwent treatment after appearing to be hit by an object thrown from the crowd behind the goal. After a discussion with referee Ben Toner the Blues’ number one was able to continue.
In the 72nd minute the Blues made a triple substitution with Harness, Ladapo and Aluko replaced by Conor Chaplin, Kane Vincent-Young and Tyreece John-Jules with Jackson now the central striker.
Two minutes later, Evans played a ball through to Jackson, which the striker reached but couldn’t hit on target from a tight angle while off balance.
Burton continued to look for an equaliser and on 78 Albion skipper John Brayford headed a free-kick from the left goalwards but Walton was equal to it, diving to his left to claim confidently.
Four minutes later the home side were forced into a change when centre-half Deji Oshilaja suffered a knock and was replaced by attacker Adeboyejo.
Town were increasingly a threat on the break in the latter stages. In the 85th minute Vincent-Young was sent away on the right and his led to Town’s 11th corner of the evening, which was quickly followed by the 12th with Chaplin twice and Evans having strikes from the edge of the area blocked.
In the penultimate scheduled minute, Jackson was threaded in on the left of the box after exchanging passes with Chaplin and flicked the ball past the advancing keeper but the ball was cleared from inside the six-yard box.
Deep in six minutes of injury time Town swapped Jackson for Cameron Burgess as Burton kept pushing for a leveller but with Walton not forced into a significant stop. Moments later, Leigh was booked for a foul.
Home keeper Sinisalo came up for a last second corner but the ball was sent over too deep and seconds later referee Hamer confirmed Town’s third win in three league games for the first time since February 2021.
The epitome of a hard-fought victory for the Blues, who could well have found themselves behind on several occasions prior to Harness’s goal, the sort of game Town haven't tended to win since they've been in League One.
The game was as different from Saturday’s win against the MK Dons as is possible with Burton’s in-your-face approach knocking Town off their stride for long spells with the Brewers also having the better opportunities with Walton again very impressive in goal but with some of the finishing poor.
The decisive goal was one worthy of winning any match with Harness proving to be an excellent acquisition for the Blues, whose fans sang long and loud after the final whistle.
Town, a point ahead of Peterborough at the top of the division having taken 10 points from their first 12, have another difficult away trip next, at Shrewsbury on Saturday.
Burton: Sinisalo, Brayford (c), Borthwick-Jackson, Oshilaja (Adeboyejo 82), Hughes, Ahadme, Keillor-Dunn, Smith (Moult 88), Shaughnessy (Powell 5), Taylor, Hamer. Unused: Garratt, Onyango, Lakin, Castro.
Town: Walton, Donacien, Woolfenden, Edmundson, Leigh, Evans, Morsy (c), Aluko (Chaplin 72), Harness (John-Jules 72), Jackson, Ladapo (Vincent-Young 72). Unused: Hladky, Burgess, Davis, Edwards. Referee: Ben Toner (Lancashire). Att: 3,562 (Town: 1,580).