Late goal delights Burton boss Dino Maamria

Dino Maamria was delighted that his Burton Albion side found a “different” way to win as they completed a double over Exeter with a 1-0 victory thanks to Sam Winnall’s late strike.

Winnall’s goal ensured Albion moved three points clear of the relegation zone, leaving their manager happy with their resolve.

“It is a fantastic win because it is a different type of win,” he said after a tough battle with the Grecians.

“When we have won we have had to score a lot of goals to win games so it is nice to win it today with one and keep a clean sheet.

“It was tough conditions out there today. They are a good team who have been in and around the top 10 all season and you can see why.”

Albion surrendered possession for long periods and when young midfielder Mark Helm went off injured, the Brewers creativity suffered until Winnall’s clinical strike with six minutes left.

“We didn’t control the game at all,” Maamria said. “But from now until the end of the season it is not about playing pretty football, it is about winning games and you see the desire and the commitment of the team to win the game.

“I think the last action of the game sums it up. My centre forward [Dale Taylor] tracking all the way back into the corner to win the ball back and get us a free-kick.”

Victory made it three wins in a row for Albion for the first time this season and successive home clean sheets provide a foundation for Maamria’s side that underwent a massive overhaul in January with 11 new signings.

“The mentality of the team has totally changed and the attitude now is all about winning,” Maamria said, content that his transfer business is paying dividends.

Exeter boss Gary Caldwell was devastated to lose the game.

“It’s a massive kick in the guts for a game that we dominated from start to finish. We knew coming here we had to defend long balls and long throws and I thought we were excellent doing that,” said the Scot.

Caldwell’s only criticism of his team was not taking any of the numerous decent chances that they created although clear-cut opportunities were at a premium for both sides.

“We competed right throughout the game and in possession we were excellent. We found the free man and created opportunities but in football you have to score when you are creating those opportunities and you always run the risk of a sucker punch at the end and that is what happened today,” he said.

“That’s football and you have to use the hurt and that feeling we have in the dressing room for motivation for Tuesday to go again but I can’t fault them for the way that I asked them to play.”