Burton 1, City 1

They say that good things come to those who wait. Jon McLaughlin’s patience clearly paid off with a faultless display in his first outing for three months.

There’s no more frustrating position in the squad than that of the back-up goalkeeper and the British Students stopper had not seen a hint of action since Matt Glennon’s arrival in January.

But summoned from his regular spot on the bench, McLaughlin seized the opportunity at the Pirelli Stadium.

Throw in an early penalty save and it gave Peter Taylor plenty of food for thought in the chase for summer contracts.

Spot-kicks seem to follow McLaughlin around. Three times he faced shoot-outs in last year’s Student Games in Serbia; the only blemish of his last appearance against Cheltenham was their penalty equaliser.

So it was no shock when he was once again summoned for a 12-yard duel after Russell Penn had accepted the invitation of Steve O’Leary’s dangling leg.

McLaughlin guessed right to beat out Greg Pearson’s effort – and then hoped it will have been a decent addition on his CV when Taylor draws up his retained list.

“It’s always an opportunity to get the glory for a second or two,” smiled the affable keeper. “You can’t really lose with penalties because the striker is always the favourite.

“A lot of it is down to guess work and getting a feeling. There isn’t too much information in this league – you don’t get the Prozone stats.

“If you’ve not given it away, you can only be the hero. It’s good to test yourself like that and I was delighted with the save.”

The 22-year-old was no one-trick pony, lighting up an otherwise typically end-of-season encounter with two further saves from Shaun Harrad and another tip-over from a Penn thunderbolt.

Taylor was clearly impressed and has told McLaughlin there will be further opportunities.

The keeper said: “A run of games gives you the chance to build some form. Obviously Glenny (Matt Glennon) has been playing well and is also looking to earn a contract, so it’s up to what the gaffer says. But if I get the chance, I’ll try to take it with both hands.

“The main thing is to stay composed and play your normal game. There’s that temptation to come for everything and look to make the super saves but the last thing you do as a goalkeeper is go chasing the game.”

McLaughlin’s team-mates had to do plenty of chasing in a first half dominated by the home side.

Still operating with his shadow squad, Taylor had sent out City in a 4-3-3 encouraging to pass the ball more away from the Valley Parade quagmire. For 45 minutes, they never did anything of the sort.

Luke Oliver was up front from the start but the lack of service left the big man totally isolated.

Burton looked to hit the right flank every time, where former Scunthorpe winger Cleveland Taylor gave Robbie Threlfall a torrid time. The only saving grace for City was that Taylor’s crossing was more miss than hit.

Gavin Grant had begun on the left but offered little defensive help to his full back, so Taylor quickly transferred Gareth Evans to double up.

Evans delivered the only moment of concern for Burton keeper Artur Krysiak with a low drive from O’Leary’s through ball. Otherwise it was one-way traffic, with only McLaughlin keeping the Brewers at bay.

At least City won a corner on the stroke of half-time – their first away from home since Hereford – but even that became a swift Burton break which saw home skipper John McGrath go close.

Taylor was not fooled by the interval stalemate. It had been a 0-0 thrashing! City had to buck their ideas up and fortunately they did, prompted by the presence of James O’Brien in midfield.

The young Irishman, like McLaughlin, has had to wait to catch the new manager’s eye. And like McLaughlin, he did just that by injecting energy and enthusiasm into a previously-lethargic away performance.

Taylor said: “He’s got a very decent right foot and is capable of scoring goals. I know he’s a good player and hopefully we’ll see a lot more of him.”

O’Brien had barely touched the ball when City grabbed a surprise lead. Grant picked off a loose pass from Tony James and embarked on his one run of the afternoon. His shot was instantly deflected but the ball spiralled high into the warm air and plopped onto Oliver’s head for a looping nod over Krysiak.

It was hardly a goal of beauty, nor one justified by the pattern of play, but the new-found confidence at last got City playing.

Evans twice went close to extending their lead, while McLaughlin continued to win his personal battle with Harrad at the other end.

City were eight minutes away from their first win for six games when the Burton striker finally got his own back.

Jon Bateson went missing after Steve Kabba won the ball in midfield and fed overlapping left back Paul Boertien. He had plenty of space for a low cross which Harrad bundled home for his 18th goal of his side’s debut league season.

It was some justice for the hosts – and they nearly grabbed a win late on when a James header was blocked on the line by O’Brien protecting the far post.

Right place; right time. When Taylor issued his six-game ultimatum, two of the squad were clearly listening. Attendance: 2,648