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Photo: Lee Dickenson

HEAD MASTER: Zander Diamond displays his aerial prowess for Athletic.

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It’s a cup canter as visitors go for a Burton
THE CHRONOLOGY of a game can have a big impact on how it ends up being analysed.

The bare facts indicate a routine passage through to a second-round FA Cup tie against either Preston or Southend.

Three goals scored – another to add to Shefki Kuqi’s ever-growing collection, the first of Robbie Simpson’s career as an Athletic player and one from captain Dean Furman – to one against was an outcome nobody at the club would have turned down beforehand.

For those home fans present at Boundary Park, though, the way the game played itself out left a slightly hollow feeling.

Had Athletic turned around a one-goal deficit to storm back and win the second half by three goals to zero – as opposed to what actually happened, the exact opposite – the half-uttered moans that greeted the full-time whistle would instead have been cheers acclaiming a band of never-say-die heroes.

The end result is the same; it just doesn’t feel the same. In truth, Burton handed this game to Athletic on a plate.

In a shoddy opening, the npower League Two side – who boast an impressive legacy in the competition – were reduced to 10 men, conceding two penalties and letting in the softest of strikes from an ambitious long-range free-kick.

Even taker Simpson had half-turned his back on the shot, before an unfathomable goalkeeping blunder from Ross Atkins.

Once Furman had slid home a pass from Kuqi, it was pipe and slippers time. The Flying Finn had by then scored from one fourth-minute penalty and had another saved two minutes later.

Playing in fits and starts, the stage was set after half-time for Athletic to force home their advantage and treat the crowd to some of the classy attacking football which had caused Crewe so many problems days earlier.

Instead, the mentality changed and the team did the minimum needed to get by.

The passing game which had stretched the visitors’ back line was swapped for a percentage game of passes pumped into channels.

It was well after the hour that the returning James Wesolowski had the home side’s first effort at goal of the second half, hitting the outside of a post.

Calvin Zola netted with a scrappy effort and substitute Filipe Morais almost saw his attempted flick deep in defence end in disaster as a flag for offside rendered lively substitute Andres Gurrieri’s shot past Alex Cisak ineffectual.

Had it counted, Burton would have had a total of six minutes to force an equaliser. Shades of Exeter circa last season, the more pessimistic Athletic follower may have feared.

Athletic manager Paul Dickov made three changes to the which that saw off Crewe by the same scoreline in midweek.

Kuqi had already caused a slight moment of panic when shutting down Atkins as the ball trickled into his area in the first minute and the pair were to duel again only two minutes after that.

Athletic’s top scorer shut down left-back Danny Blanchett and as the ball spooned into the air, Simpson did well to nod it over Ryan Austin and get his body between the goal and the defender.

Racing in ready to let fly, he was bundled over and the inevitable result was a red card for Austin and a penalty.

A good start almost became a great one when a rush of blood to Atkins’ head led him to clatter into Luca Scapuzzi near the byline and in a position of little danger.

Kuqi’s first penalty sent Atkins the wrong way, but this time the ’keeper’s decision to dive right was the correct one and he pushed a low, but insufficiently powered shot around the post for a corner.

Simpson made it two with a 35-yard free-kick which appeared to carry no danger for Atkins, before the on-loan Derby ‘keeper mystifyingly let it spill out of his hands and drop over the line. The relief at getting off the mark was clear in Simpson’s celebrations.

Zander Diamond had headed a couple of efforts off target after moving up from the back for set pieces and, but for an optimistic shout for a push in the area on Calvin Zola by Jean-Yves Mvoto, it was one-way traffic.

Kuqi was causing a host of problems every time the ball went into his orbit and after marauding down the left flank 10 minutes before half-time, he cut back a perfect ball for the onrushing Furman to dispatch from close range.

A nasty clash of heads between two visiting players occurred just before half-time and summed up a calamitous opening half for the visitors – who at least came out fighting and in a far more organised shape in the second period.

Alex Cisak had to be alert to block a shot from Jacques Maghoma with his legs and Corbett lashed a terrific angled volley no more than a couple of yards wide as Burton negotiated a pathway towards competitiveness.

Wesolowski scraped the outside of Atkins’ left-hand post with a shot that arrived after Kieran Lee had neatly chipped the ball into his feet 10 yards from goal.

A half-cleared ball in from deep fell for Zola to smuggle home between Cisak’s legs as Athletic’s defence creaked for the first time.

Simpson had a header cleared from just in front of the line after a cross from Morais, who came on to replace the quiet Scapuzzi.

After Gurrieri’s disallowed strike, Kuqi almost doubled his tally for the afternoon only for the well-worked Atkins to block his low angled attempt from eight yards.