Burton Albion is amongst the four teams that faces possible relegation at the end of this campaign.
Burton Albion coach Gary Bowyer hopes to be hero once again this season, as he prepare his troops for this weekend fixture.
Bowyer said “I might be the king of the cliches between now and the end of the season but we go one game at a time and that’s all we can concentrate on.
“We’ve just got to go and apply ourselves the way that we applied ourselves last Saturday with a little bit more learning again. And that’s the main thing, us learning and getting better.”
He regards it as largely irrelevant that Rovers have their own problems and could be dragged closer to the drop zone if Burton were to win.
Bowyer said “It’s just the opportunity to win three points, How Bristol Rovers go after this weekend is out of our control, so we just concentrate on what we can control.
“I watched them the other night (in their 1-1 draw with Stockport County in midweek). They made four changes with 10-15 minutes left, changed how they were playing and kept going to the end.
Bowyer highlighted that he doesn’t put his focus on previous fixtures but rather on the next fixtures.
He said “I can only look at the next game in the sense of the way that the players have acquitted themselves.
“It means that they keep the shirt. I’m a big believer in that and it then drives standards. It drives the intensity in training because you’re challenging the other lads.
“And they know. We spoke to them in a meeting and the lads that have the shirts at this moment in time have to perform at a standard.
“I have to feel, in my opinion, they are doing that to a standard to keep the shirt. The other lads know that they’ve got to push them and really try to get in.
“That’s what you want in your environment and it’s exactly what we’ve got, which is great. But the next three games are all on the road and you can imagine that the squad will play its part.”
Even though his side soo far managed to play two away fixtures and bound to play thir one away, Bowyer underlined that they will prepare the same way they do when they are playing home.
He said “Home or away, the pre-planning and prep, the processes we go through and attention to detail would be exactly the same.
“The only change from that is that we’re on the bus but I think being on the bus for that time also helps bring the group closer together. They get one or two games going on the bus.
“I think it adds to the spirit within the group. And every now and again, I have to walk down the bus and just make sure there’s no fighting going on!.”
Albion coach went on to emphasize that all players are special and equal therefore no one will be treated different.
Bowyer said “We don’t have any one individual getting carried away and the group wouldn’t allow it.
“It’s just a case of everybody buying into what they’re trying to do and just driving standards and raising that line every day.
“They’ve been brilliant with that and, as a reflection of the work they’ve put in in training, they’re getting their rewards with performances on the pitch.”
Bowyer went on to cite Rumarn Burrell as an example. The striker is in rich form, with six goals in 2025 so far but his boss points out that those goals would not be happening without the work Burrell puts in.
He said “He could quite easily have had a hat-trick on Saturday, so he is getting opportunities, but we’ve spoken about keeping his feet firmly on the ground and he knows it.
“A lot of those opportunities have come from his work. If he starts for one minute thinking he’s cracked it and this game’s easy and he can just stand on the halfway line and let JD (Jon Dadi Bodvarsson) do his running for him, he won’t be getting any of the chances.”
Burton Albion’s players are being encouraged to face the reality without thinking twice if they want to keep their status in League 1.
Bowyer said “I can’t comment on the previous times but I think we are able to focus on what we want to achieve and how we go about it.
“We try very hard to work with the players on that and to concentrate on the process and on the things that we can control, which is our intensity and our quality in training.
“They’re a really good group, they really are. They’re honest, they’re hard-working, they enjoy themselves at the right time, which we’ve encouraged, like celebrating Rumarn Burrell’s player of the month.
“Then we’re just going out and trying to do the best that we possibly can. And that’s all you can ask, that they give you everything.
“And from a manager or head coach’s point of view, over the years, that’s what I pride myself on, that my teams will give it a good go.
“If they do that, you might be undone by a referee’s decision, you might be undone by a worldie, like with Exeter at home.
“When that happens there’s not much you can say other than to get them ready for the next one. And I think that’s exactly where we are at this moment in time. When they give me everything, then I’ll back them all the way.”
The Brewers are now six matches unbeaten going into this Saturday’s game away to Bristol Rovers.
BY LUCKY SEANEGO
