Concerns grow as Albion can't strike balance that they need

BURTON Albion's difficult start to the season goes on after they were beaten 1-0 at home by Lincoln City.

- By COLSTON CRAWFORD

A header from a corner by former Derby County defender Sonny Bradley separated the sides but, on a frustrating afternoon, the Brewers simply did not carry enough threat up front and wasted possession too often.

Unusually, they had the majority of possession, 65%, but were laboured in a lot of what they tried and careless at times. There is a lot of work for them to do.

The big pre-match news from the Brewers' camp was that, with new goalkeeper Brad Collins ruled out by illness, academy graduate Kamil Dudek was called up for his League debut in goal.

Late window signings Alex Hartridge and George Evans also made their League debuts for the club.

For Lincoln, former Brewer Tom Hamer was on the bench.

The Brewers began with a spell of possession and there were a couple of safe early touches for Dudek.

But he was called into action in the third minute when Ben House got his head to a cross from the right and he saved with relative comfort to his right.

House, unmarked, volleyed a chance wide in the fifth minute but he would have been flagged offside anyway. It was, nonetheless, a concern the space the Lincoln forward had found in the early minutes.

Dudek was out of his area quickly to deal with a long, low kick from his opposite number, George Wickens, in the 10th minute. It was confident work.

Kyren Lofthouse raised the home crowd with a good run through the middle a minute later and when he was fouled, the Brewers took a quick free kick and nothing came of it.