CITY 1 BURTON 0

CITY and Michael Collins can breathe a little easier after their first-month wobble went for a Burton last night.

There was a suggestion of a storm brewing following three successive defeats.

But the Bantams put that discomfort behind them to see off the Brewers at Valley Parade and give their head coach the reaction he had been hoping for.

It was not always pretty – or particularly comfortable – but City showed the effort that had been sadly lacking at Southend three days earlier. They deserved the reward for it thanks to a neat finish from Jack Payne.

Collins had made two changes from the Essex no-show but most significantly switched formation to 4-4-2 – something his critics have been crying out for.

It was slightly harsh on Luca Colville to drop down to the bench having looked the most capable of an otherwise anonymous midfield at Roots Hall.

But he made way as George Miller was thrown up front alongside Eoin Doyle. The other change saw Joe Riley, subbed at half-time in each of the last two league outings, replaced at right back by Kelvin Mellor.

There was a Kilgallon on the pitch – but it was the defender’s son Bobby, who was one of the mascots.

The City set-up looked a back-to-basics switch aimed at digging them out of a hole, even if it was a move away from the principles that Collins has been trying to instil.

Opposite number Nigel Clough has seen his Burton resources heavily depleted by a summer of departures following their relegation, including Hope Akpan to Valley Parade, and four injuries in the first three games. He even named fitness coach Chris Beardsley on the bench.

Collins had said before the game that he “sometimes loved setbacks” because they were part of developing.

The head coach had experienced his fair share in the previous week with a run of losses and the enforced removal of Tyrell Robinson from the picture.

That had started a few nerves jangling among supporters with the social media pitchforks already resurfacing.

Burton had been getting Twitter abuse as well for their slow start – to the extent that Clough and chairman Ben Robinson issued a public statement pre-match condemning the perpetrators.

So, less than three weeks into the season, the stakes were high on both sides.

The opening exchanges were predictably edgy as City looked to push forward, with Sean Scannell looking more of an influence early on than he had in the entire game on Saturday.

But apart from a couple of ambitious tries from Eoin Doyle, there was nothing to get excited about in the scrappy action. It looked like two teams currently low on confidence.

There was a twitchiness about the crowd when Burton did get upfield – and the Brewers fashioned the first hint of danger midway through the half.

Northern Ireland international Liam Boyce, boasting a scoring record of three in three, caused the threat on the left. His drilled cross was flicked goalwards by Lucas Akins but Richard O’Donnell made the low save and Adam Chicksen was on hand to clear away the rebound.

Then Boyce got a flick-on to Marvin Sordell’s cross but could not quite divert it past the City keeper.

But joy and relief descended on Valley Parade in the 33rd minute as the Bantams grabbed the lead with a moment of magic from Payne.

Scannell attacked down the right and when he found his path blocked off by a wall of white shirts, the loose ball broke sideways for Payne to hoover up just outside the Burton box.

The midfielder’s quick feet did the rest, weaving cleverly past two tackles before clipping a low shot beyond keeper Stephen Bywater and in off the post.

There was a touch of the Robbie Blake about the way he took the chance – City’s first home goal of the campaign.

The pressure valve suitably eased, City discovered a swagger and almost bagged a quickfire second as Akpan shot straight at Bywater from Ryan McGowan’s cross. He should really have scored but his half-volley lacked conviction.

But City came again and skipper Josh Wright’s cross picked out Doyle, whose header flashed past the post with the keeper rooted to the spot.

Scannell was enjoying himself as he bossed his personal battle with left back Ben Turner. But there was no room for anyone to relax at the interval with only a slender one-goal advantage.

That was rammed home in the first few minutes of the second half as McGowan could only half-block David Templeton’s centre and Sordell swept the rebound over the bar from around the penalty spot.

Sordell was involved in everything and after wasting a free-kick just outside the box, he beat Payne to set up Templeton for a bullet header that did not miss by much.

City were giving away free-kicks in risky areas and a McGowan foul on Templeton allowed Burton to threaten once more, Kyle McFadzean’s shot ricocheting wide off his team-mate Turner.

The Kop burst into song in a bid to rally the troops but Burton’s threat was growing and Scott Fraser brushed the post with a fizzing drive.

“Everywhere we go” rang round the ground as Burton continued to probe – the fans sensed the importance of seeing it through for three points.

City responded with a slick move involving Wright and Doyle before Scannell drove high and wide while the background noise bounced along.

Burton could not find their targets but were still having plenty of opportunities. Marcus Harness saw his shot deflected off Riley and McFadzean’s looping curler flew over as O’Donnell scrambled back.

There was one more late scare with the last kick of stoppage time as Akins scuffed wide in a packed City box before referee Chris Sarginson’s whistle was cheered heartily. Nobody would have enjoyed hearing that more than Collins.

CITY: O’Donnell 7, Mellor 7 (Riley 69min), McGowan 6, O’Connor 7, Chicksen 6, Scannell 8, Akpan 6, Wright 7, Payne 7 (Colville 88min), Miller 7 (Gibson 69min), Doyle 6. Subs (not used): Bruenker, Knight-Percival, Hudson, Wilson.

BURTON: Bywater 6, Brayford 7, McFadzean 7, Buxton 6, Turner 5, Fox 6, Templeton 6 (Harness 75min), Fraser 7, Akins 6, Boyce 6, Sordell 7 (Hodge 82min). Subs (not used): Allen, Miller, Hutchinson, Beardsley, Campbell.