Experience counted in Burton Albion defeat according to Doncaster Rovers boss Richie Wellens

There was little in the game in the opening 45 minutes but Burton were much the stronger side after the break and ran out 2-0 winners courtesy of a Tom O’Connor free kick and a controversial Daniel Jebbison strike.

“They’re a good team at what they do,” Wellens said.

“It’s obviously been tough conditions but they played the conditions really well.

“The difference in the game was that they have know-how and experience across the pitch and they relentlessly put balls in areas where it’s difficult to defend both with and without the wind.

“And when we played long, we hit the men too much and don’t hit areas. They were miles better than us at hitting areas and running into space.

“I thought for 45 minutes there was nothing in the game and then we give away a stupid free kick on the edge of our box through a lack of experience.

“If we were a bit more patient, we get there, slow him down and make him play away from our goal then job done. But we give a free kick away that results in a goal and I think Pontus [Dahlberg] should have done better.

“For ten minutes, they were really good and we were poor. They kept put in areas, especially down the right channel and they’re really good at it.

“We had a one on one straight after they scored and Joe could maybe have got his shot off or gone down when he went around the goalkeeper.

“We just didn’t do the right things when we were on the ball.”

O’Connor curled a free kick into the box that bounced straight in to put Burton ahead ten minutes into the second half.

Jebbison hooked home on 76 minutes in an incident that was initially ruled out for offside only for referee Peter Wright to overturn the decision.

Wellens admitted he was baffled by the outcome but refused to use it as an excuse for his side’s defeat.

He said: “It;s a rule I’m not really clear on. There’s a man stood right in the way of Pontus that has put the ball in the back of the net.

“I’m told that if their player plays it to someone who is offside but it deviates off one of our players on the way, then it’s onside.

“It’s strange because if he’s not there then Tom doesn’t have to make the touch and it goes straight through to Pontus.”

Conditions at the Pirelli Stadium were very difficult with driving wind and a bobbly pitch following overnight snow.

While Wellens admitted it hampered his side’s ability to play he felt they could have managed the game better.

He said: “The players tried their very best to play but at times we got it down and dwelt on it too long and got it took away.

“But I do think the conditions were tough.”

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