Burton Albion manager Gary Bowyer has described the club’s early-season performance as “mixed,” acknowledging both encouraging signs and areas needing improvement. The team has shown competitiveness in every league game so far, leading in seven out of eight matches, including contests against former Championship sides Oxford United and Leicester City. Despite this promising start, Burton remains positioned in the middle of the table after dropping points recently, including surrendering a two-goal lead against Mansfield Town.
Reflecting on the team’s status, Bowyer cited the youthfulness of the squad and the ongoing integration of summer signings as key factors in their performance. “When you look at how young we are and what we’ve recruited and what we’ve not recruited, I think the overall feeling is mixed,” he said. Bowyer noted that the team has performed well during large parts of matches but has struggled to maintain leads, attributing this in part to inexperience and fitness levels still catching up due to player turnover over the summer.
Bowyer emphasized his high expectations, not only for the players but for the entire club. “I want more. I demand more,” he said, adding that the standards must rise across all levels. “We’ve got to be looking and going ‘no, we want to be aiming up there’ not always looking down there.” He reiterated a commitment to shifting the club’s goals beyond mere survival, aiming instead to challenge for higher positions in the league. “I don’t want to be patting ourselves on the back at the end of the season for staying up. I want us going that way (up) and challenging and that’s everybody.”
The manager praised the team’s strong starts and positive attitude in matches but highlighted a need to improve their ability to secure points once ahead. “We’ve not taken enough points from those positions so we’ve got to get better at that and quickly because this is a tough league and we can’t be allowing teams to come back in,” Bowyer explained.
Looking ahead to their upcoming fixture, Burton will face third-placed Plymouth Argyle in what Bowyer described as a challenging away game. He noted Plymouth’s strong finish to last season and their reinvestment following the sale of Lorent Tolaj to Bristol City. “We go there knowing it’s going to be tough. We have to be at our best to get something from the game,” he said. The match is scheduled for this afternoon.