Fleetwood Town lost 5-2 to Burton Albion on Tuesday night at the Pirelli Stadium in Sky Bet League One.
With four different scorers for the hosts, it was a night to forget in Staffordshire for the Cod Army, despite Town’s best efforts to get back into the game, it was The Brewers who claimed maximum points.
It was a positive start from the Cod Army as Janoi Donacien was bright down the right-hand side, he got the initial ball into the box, Callum Camps struck on target, but it was blocked out of play.
Within the first five minutes, Fleetwood had a few successive corners, but none tested Kieran O’Hara in Burton’s goal.
On the ten-minute mark Town worked the ball from defence to attack keeping composed moving the ball through the hosts’ press - starting with Callum Connolly on the edge of Fleetwood’s box and finishing with Callum Camps on the edge of Burton’s box - but the latter’s strike on target was blocked.
After a quiet period between the two sides, the deadlock was broken after a strike from Lucas Akins flew past Alex Cairns into the top corner not long after the half-an-hour mark as Burton took the lead.
Burton’s lead was doubled not long later after Joe Powell’s free kick from 25 yards hit the top right of the woodwork, it dribbled across the face of goal and found itself in the back of the net on the opposite side.
It was Burton who looked to build on their lead as they had the first chance of the second half: Hayden Carter combined with Josh Earl to work an angle on the left, but the former's effort was blocked off Town’s line from Donacien.
On the 53rd minute Town started to ask more questions of the Burton defence as Wes Burns drove past Earl, he got a dangerous ball in, but a miscommunication between Jordan Rossiter and Ged Garner meant the attack fizzled out.
The scoreline was halved after a devastating counterattack led by Kyle Vassell was coolly taken round the goalkeeper by Sam Finley who then slotted home to give the Cod Army something to work with on the 62nd minute.
Fleetwood started to work their ways up the gears in a search for an equaliser as Burns again proved menacing down the right, he put another teasing ball in where it fell to Danny Andrew at the back post, Andrew drilled it across the face of goal, but John Brayford got an important touch to clear away the danger.
With twenty to go, Tom Hamer pounced on a loose ball in the box and poked it home to score Burton’s third of the evening.
Town pushed forward in a search to get back into the game, with minutes to go, Burns picked up the ball from deep, fed it through to Vassell one on one with the ‘keeper but O’Hara’s save matched the effort.
The hosts then got a fourth of the evening through Hemmings as he slotted past Cairns to ensure maximum points.
Town managed to pull one back late on in the game as Connolly's chance from inside the box was deflected in by Jordan Rossiter. Soon after, Connolly had a chance to grab a third for the side but it crashed against the crossbar.
With seconds to go, Hemmings secured his brace, hitting his shot underneath a diving Cairns, finishing off a dreary night in Staffordshire.
Town XI: Cairns (GK), Andrew, Connolly (C), Camps (45’ Burns), Rossiter, Vassell, McKay, Donacien, Finley, Biggins (46’ Garner), Hill.
Subs not used: Coleman (GK), Whelan, Sheron, Baggley, Feeney.
Burton XI: O’Hara, Brayford (C), Edwards, Powell (70’ Hemmings), Akins, Earl, Carter, Clare, Hamer, Taylor (85’ Gilligan), Rowe (70’ Smith).
Subs not used: Barnes (GK), Broom, O’Toole, Fondop.