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).

Photo: Pagepix

RobsonWark added 23:30 - Aug 16 The fact that we are winning hides the fact how bad our center halves really are. If we had Hladky in goal you would all be screaming about them!!!
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RobsonWark added 23:31 - Aug 16 But then it's probably the same so called fans loving them like they did their golden boy who could do nothing wrong - Chambers!!
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WorcesterBlue added 23:32 - Aug 16 A continuation of last season vs long ball teams but with some slightly better quality. Walton class, Harness growing into things. Could have been 3-3 to be fair. Feel for any striker in a system where the two CMs sit 10 feet in front of the 3 CDs: Evans offers nothing meaning Morsy has to constantly drop in to try to receive the ball. Before judging Ladapo ( who should have scored) let's get someone playing near him. But I'm just a dinosaur who thinks football is about positivity and goal threat rather than possession. 3 points and hopefully another 3 on Saturday :)

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grinch added 23:36 - Aug 16 Jackson did well tonight he was asked to stay on the burton wing back and defend alot which he did well and then when he went upfront he was sk much better than ludopo. Some poor passing at back from edmunson and wolfy put us under pressure and think that Evans and skipper struggled. Donacien and Walton were superb and the dubs made a difference with a tired burton team. Rubbishbfirst half but good second half just about deserved the win and played good footy in last 30 mins COYB

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Dissboyitfc added 23:38 - Aug 16 Didn't see the game so can't really comment on it. However i never expected an easy game nor did i expect us to carry saturdays form into it, but i would rather reflect on 3 points gained than 2 points dropped because we cracked under the pressure! Walton is a top keeper and we are lucky to have him, but keeping the ball out of the net is his job within the team, put another way we could have a player who scores a hatrick in a 3-0 victory, are we then going to say without him it was a draw! no we are going to say well done. Every position on the pitch is capable of a match winning performance. Lets enjoy the 3 points tonight. I will happily take another 1-0 on saturday with a match winning performance from Walton! Unfortunately there are going to be more games like this than the game we witnessed on sat.

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AlanG296 added 23:45 - Aug 16 Both away games won by a single goal margin with Walton marked 9 out of 10 by the EADT for both and TWTD ratings had him second to Morsy at FGR and best rating tonight. If we need him to be that good to beat two of the weaker teams in the division, what chance do we have against the promotion contenders?
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KiwiTractor added 23:47 - Aug 16 Exactly the sort of game I expected against Burton, and as so many have already mentioned, we wouldn't have won this type of game over the past few seasons. So job done. Unfortunately we will have a lot more of these types of games (as opposed to an MK Dons type opposition), so I hope we can keep this going. Not pretty by the sounds of things but 3 points were important. Just voted Walton as my player of the season - getting in early...

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RobsonWark added 23:51 - Aug 16 KiwiTractor there is one and only one reason we wouldn't have won these types of games over the past few seasons - it's because we didn't have Walton as our goalkeeper then. Our center halves tonight were soooooooooooo POOR!!
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Rimsy added 00:08 - Aug 17 Good result in the end, but much to be concerned with. Still can't see why anyone rates Jackson, he just has no class about him. KVY much the better option if Burns is unavailable. Hopefully won't get too many more starts and is kept back for cameos. Now i'm all for playing out from the back, but some of our defensive play was suicidal and how we got away with it I don't know. Thinking Edmundson is already getting unsettled by rumours. Corners are still an issue. When we get a corner, i'm not thinking 'here's an opportunity to score', rather i'm hoping we don't mess it up so much that it leads to a breakaway and a goal against. On the plus side (aside from the win obviously), Walton is superb and has already won us several points this season. Harness is coming good, Leigh did well. Morsy was not at his best but still effective and has plenty of credits in hand to be forgiven the odd below par effort. Ladapo played well but has'nt found his shooting boots yet. Need another striker, but i'm sure that's in hand.

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Cadiar added 00:37 - Aug 17 God almighty some of the criticism from the usual football experts. Harness was useless until scoring, Jackson a waste of space, centre backs not good enough, etc, etc. You'd all better get to Playford Rd tomorrow to take over the coaching. Perhaps we should get Chambers back, I'm sure some would love it. This was a hard, tough match & everyone played their part, Walton does what he's there to do & does it excellently, Jackson worked his socks off, Lapado also, Harness 3 in 3 obviously not good enough for some so called supporters. Perhaps these Fwits haven't noticed we are top with equal best GD, we haven't lost either. There are going to be many more games like this so stop whinging, we won. At long last we are looking like a team that could get promoted. I'm happy & actually enjoying it all, it's early days but so far so good. Wonder how vehement the criticism will be if we lose. Col U could do with more support so all you detractors & experts should maybe go down the A12

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Billysherlockblue added 01:12 - Aug 17 I thought harness and leigh were brill . Walton mom. Centre halves did not win their headers. Midfield deep to help our defence. Everyone else put in a great shift even jackson but jackson wouldnt hit a barn door. Hes fast but watch him run he loops in a slight circle instead of going direct towards the ball so he often comes out 2nd best. Robbie keane used do this. Afraid of a tacle mabey. Just my thoughts and opinions. Ps a brilliant win but we were hammered1st half.💙

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TractorfactorSteve added 05:44 - Aug 17 Without Town fans the attendance would've been below 2,000. They play like a non league team so I suppose they get the support they deserve.
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Nobbysnuts added 06:06 - Aug 17 Great result but certainly not a great performance...if that makes sense....
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martin587 added 06:21 - Aug 17 First of all well done to us traveling supporters phenomenal once again.An excellent three points from a very difficult game in which we could have be trailing at half time had Burton taken there chances.Town are growing in confidence every game and the fitness and stamina really shows though in the later stages.Great all round performance and things looking better week by week.Well done lads.Very happy drive back to Southend.

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therein61 added 06:38 - Aug 17 We are now winning games we would have been bullied out of in the past few seasons credit to the boys(riding our luck at times) for sticking at it.
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Dissboyitfc added 07:07 - Aug 17 Pheonix... we haven't won at shrewsbury in last 4 attempts, just saying! I think it will be another tough game.
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JewellintheTown added 07:19 - Aug 17 Can the Jackson fan club please explain why he's still here, as I can't see what he has to offer? It feels like a bunch of people feel sorry for him because he's a nice guy but know in their hearts he's just not good enough, especially as he's a striker who can't score. Doesn't matter he can run etc, he needs to do his number 1 function & score, but can't do it. Everything else he brings isn't relevant if he can't do that role. We all want him to succeed & come good & KM has brought out the best in him, which shows his limit. We're not a charity though. He's just not up to the standard we need. Without goals we don't go up. With Jackson on the team sheet, we won't. Sad to say considering his poor return on investment - 1 in 6 games is poor for goal ratio for any striker. Vote me down as a protest but you know deep down we need better.

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joyousblue added 07:32 - Aug 17 Robsonwark , you are a complete ##at , were you there I was , stayed over coming home today . Since when have our centre half's become poor , what about the stand out performances during last season , your point if Walton wasn't in goal we would have lost many games last season and this one last night , but we didn't you idiot , we have Walton , top goalkeeper, I know you wish we had a weaker goalie , it's team play , but not everyone plays a 100 per cent every game ,no matter how good they are , but it's what you have as a team that gets you through it , got no idea how our centre backs in your words are suddenly rubbish , your yet again the only one that's rubbish in your clueless posts ., what do you do wait for the players markings before you spill your crap , I love the diverse comments on here most , have a balanced attitude , people like you should just go and support Norwich , because your that brain dead level you tw##

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Nobbysnuts added 07:44 - Aug 17 Good god....just watched the highlights....should of lost that 4-1.....thank god we have a decent keeper and they couldn't hit a cows arse with a banjo....
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Letchworth_Blue added 08:07 - Aug 17 Whatever deal Walton is on, rip it up and double it!! If we are to get promoted this season, he will be the main reason. Our defence is making too many errors and we are relying on him to make world-class saves every game. Its early days, but we need to be mindful that in our pursuit of a striker, our defence also needs looking at.
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martin587 added 08:09 - Aug 17 Can we please stop knocking Jackson and concentrate on the way our club is playing.He may not be “everyone's cup of tea” but leave the guy alone and while he wears a town shirt we should get behind him whether good or bad.Just saying.
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Texastom added 08:16 - Aug 17 Jackson isn't good enough simple. He can't score and shouldn't be in the squad. Sorry but we need a proven Striker like Stewart at Sunderland. We have the money and baffled we still haven't resolved this issue and keep bringing in average front players. Could well comeback to haunt us.
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dirtydingusmagee added 09:21 - Aug 17 just as i thought it would be a hard match , it was a hard fought win , KM was spot on re their tactics too. MOM for me was Walton with a lesser keeper it would have been a different result, but its a team game , it takes 11 players to dig in to get the points, and thats what they did. Still threw a couple of or customary shockers in to the game but managed a clean sheet. WELL DONE LADS, , lets get a good run going and move on up this year . COYB

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Gazelle added 09:49 - Aug 17 Anyone would think we lost to read some of the comments on here. It was a tough game as KM said it would be, conditions were awful with with wind and rain and the opposition were more like a pub side than a football team. We were never given a moment to dwell on the ball and even Walton had a bloke dancing in front of him when he looked like distributing the ball. The important thing is we won and there'll be a few more games like this if we are to win the league and not everyone can be on top form every game remember that.

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Billysherlockblue added 09:51 - Aug 17 Its a great win and lets face it we all log on here for the difference in opinion. Some say leigh and harness poor i though t next to walton they were fab. I slated jackson all game because im passionate about our team but he worked very hard after first twenty mins thats what he offers . Imo not good enough but a great addition after 60 mins. Great win but shakey. Great banter on here which is great as im in Ireland and watch on ifollow. Though game sat but you can only play whats in front of you. Roll on the tractor boys💙

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