Burton’s Dino Maamria satisfied with point from frustrating draw with Accrington

Posted Sunday, February 26, 2023 by PA

Dino Maamria was happy to see his Burton side take a point from a typically attritional goalless draw with Accrington on a frustrating afternoon at the Pirelli Stadium.

Chances were at a premium throughout the game, with Deji Oshilaja’s deflected header being cleared off the line in the second half the closest that either side came to claiming all three points.

“We take a draw and a clean sheet,” said the Brewers boss.

“We knew exactly the type of game it was going to be. We knew it was going to be a difficult game and we had to take our chances. There was a brilliant clearance off the line, but they came for a draw and got it.

“We are disappointed that we didn’t get the win today. We realise how big a game it was for us.”

A point was enough to keep Albion four points above the Sky Bet League One drop zone as other results went in their favour, but Maamria felt his side needed more tempo and have to keep home form going in their battle against the drop.

“Everything felt flat today for some reason,” he said. “We need to make this our fortress from now to the end of the season and we must play with that energy and tempo to get the crowd behind us and I don’t think we did that today.

“There are a lot of positives in the performance too. Sometimes you don’t get the win when you expect to and that is a testament to where we are as a team, and I think this group of players is ready to go and try and get a result at Ipswich next week.”

Accrington boss John Coleman recognised the value of a hard-earned point after a difficult week that saw his side play with 10 men for much of the game in midweek but battle to a draw against a fellow relegation rival.

“It could be a valuable point for both teams,” Coleman said. “We wanted to come here and try to win but the game was very scrappy.”

Stanley were under pressure for long periods but weathered what Burton could throw at a resilient defence and Coleman thought a draw was a fair result.

He said: “Burton probably had the better chances, particularly in the second half, and Sean has done a great clearance off the line and they have a couple of chances that haven’t hit the target with, and we have had a couple ourselves that have flashed across the face of goal.

“I think if either side had won it then it would have been harsh. Defences were definitely on top. One thing you can say about both teams is that they give it everything. There was no malice in the game considering that both sides are fighting for their lives.”