Away Team

SETTING THE SCENE FOR TODAY'S GAME

Burton made a managerial change at the start of the year with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink making a return to the Pirelli Stadium.

The former Cobblers boss has wasted no time in overhauling the Brewers squad bringing in nine new signings in an attempt to turn the club’s season around.

Three players arrived on deadline day, midfielder Ryan Broom on loan from Peterborough, defender Josh Earl on loan from Preston North End and midfielder Terry Taylor from Wolves. Burton paid an undisclosed fee for teenager Taylor who spent the first half of the season on loan at Grimsby in League 2.

Broom, 24, has played 18 times for Posh since joining from Cheltenham in August while Earl, 22, has played just seven games for North End this season, but signed a new three-year deal at Deepdale in October.

Defender Tom Hamer and winger Jonny Smith joined the Brewers in January, both also for undisclosed feeds. Hamer, 21, made the move from Oldham with Smith, 23, making the switch from Bristol City after cutting short his loan spell at Swindon.

Hamer and Smiths’ signings followed the earlier January arrivals of Wycombe striker Josh Parker, QPR goalkeeper Dillon Barnes and two loanees, Blackburn Rovers centreback Hayden Carter and Oxford United midfielder Sean Clare.

Antigua and Barbuda international Parker spent a month on loan at the Cobblers back in 2010, making 3 appearances.

With the plethora of new signings there were also a number of departures, including former Cobblers defender Neal Eardley who has been loaned out to Barrow.

Eardley, a Welsh international, spent the second half of the 2016/17 season at the PTS Academy Stadium. He joined Burton from Lincoln in August

Ex-Republic of Ireland International Stephen Quinn has also left the Pirelli on loan, signing for Mansfield while striker Charles Vernam and midfielder Steven

Lawless have joined Bradford and Motherwell respectively, both on permanent deals.

Hasselbaink added another new face to the squad this week, in the shape of defender Michael Mancienne who has returned to English football following two years playing in America for MLS side New England Revolution.

JIMMY FLOYD HASSELBAINK

Burton Albion re-appointed Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink as manager on New Year’s Day 2021. The Brewers made a managerial change after parting company with Jake Buxton in late December following a fourth successive defeat a result which left them bottom of Sky Bet League 1. Former Oldham and Stevenage boss Dino Maamria was named as an assistant coach to Hasselbaink who returned to the club he left five years ago. Hasselbaink was first appointed as Burton boss in November 2014 and led Albion to the League Two title before leaving for QPR in December 2015. "Burton Albion is a club which is very close to my heart and a really special club for me and my family," Hasselbaink told the club’s web-site following his return. "The job is totally different from the first time, but we are coming in to try as quickly as possible to get us up the league and keep ourselves in League One - that's our aim and first and foremost that's what we will be trying to do." As a player Hasselbaink played for a number of clubs in England including Leeds United, Chelsea, Middlesbrough, Charlton and Cardiff. He also scored 9 goals in 23 appearances for the Netherlands and had one season at Atletico Madrid in 1999/2000. He was appointed Cobblers boss in September 2017, taking over from Justin Edinburgh but left seven months later.

DILLON BARNES

GOALKEEPER

Age: 24 Signed: January 2021 (on-loan from QPR) Former clubs: Hibernian, Colchester, Barnet

KIERAN O'HARA

GOALKEEPER

Age: 24 Signed: September 2020 Former clubs: Macclesfield, Morecambe, Stockport, Manchester United

BEN GARRATT

GOALKEEPER

Age: 26 Signed: March 2019 Former clubs: Crewe

JOHN BRAYFORD

DEFENDER

Age: 33 Signed: August 2017 Former clubs: Sheffield United, Derby, Cardiff, Crewe

JOE POWELL

COLIN DANIEL

DEFENDER

Age: 32 Signed: January 2019 Former clubs: Peterborough, Blackpool, Mansfield, Macclesfield, Port Vale, Crewe

MICHAEL BOSTWICK

DEFENDER

Age: 32 Signed: August 2020 Former clubs: Lincoln, Peterborough, Stevenage, Ebbsfleet, Rushden, Crawley, Millwall

KIERAN WALLACE

DEFENDER

Age: 26 Signed: October 2018 Former clubs: Fleetwood, Lincoln, Sheff Utd, Nottingham Forest

REECE HUTCHINSON

DEFENDER

Age: 20 Signed: April 2018 Former clubs: None

JOHN BRAYFORD

HAYDEN CARTER

DEFENDER

Age: 21 Signed: January 2021 (on-loan from Blackburn Rovers)

JOSH EARL

DEFENDER

Age: 22 Signed: January 2021 (on-loan from Preston North End) Former clubs: Ipswich, Bolton

THOMAS HAMER

DEFENDER

Age: 21 Signed: January 2021 Former clubs: Oldham

RYAN EDWARDS

MIDFIELDER

Age: 27 Signed: July 2019 Former clubs: St Mirren, Hearts. Partick, Tranmere, Perth Glory, Fleetwood, Reading

Age: 22 Signed: January 2020 Former clubs: Northampton, West Ham

JOHN-JOE O'TOOLE

MIDFIELDER

Age: 32 Signed: May 2019 Former clubs: Northampton, Southend, Bristol Rovers, Colchester, Sheff Utd, Watford

OWEN GALLACHER

MIDFIELDER

Age: 21 Signed: September 2020 Former clubs: Harrogate, Newcastle

SEAN CLARE

MIDFIELDER

Age: 24 Signed: January 2021 (on-loan from Oxford United) Former clubs: Hearts. Gillingham, Accrington, Sheffield Wednesday, Bury Age: 24 Signed: January 2021 (on-loan from Peterborough) Former clubs: Cheltenham, Eastleigh, Bath, Bristol Rovers

JONNY SMITH

MIDFIELDER

Age: 23 Signed: January 2021 Former clubs: Bristol City, Swindon, Oldham, Tranmere, AFC Fylde, Cheltenham, Wrexham

TERRY TAYLOR

MIDFIELDER

Age: 19 Signed: January 2021 Former clubs: Wolves, Grimsby

KANE HEMMINGS

STRIKER

Age: 29 Signed: August 2020 Former clubs: Dundee, Notts County, Mansfield, Oxford, Barnsley, Cowdenbeath, Rangers Age: 31 Signed: June 2014 Former clubs: Stevenage, Tranmere, Hamilton, Partick, Northwich, Huddersfield

JOSH PARKER

STRIKER

Age: 30 Signed: January 2021 Former clubs: Wycombe, Charlton, Gillingham, Aberdeen, Oxford, Dagenham, Oldham, Northampton, AFC Wimbledon, QPR

LUKE VARNEY

STRIKER

Age: 38 Signed: August 2020 Former clubs: Cheltenham, Ipswich, Blackburn, Leeds, Portsmouth, Blackpool, Sheff Wed, Derby, Charlton, Crewe