Rovers are back in action on Tuesday night when they take on Burton Albion at the Keepmoat Stadium.
Andy Butler’s side were beaten 4-1 in their last league outing by Wigan Athletic.
Burton’s recent form
The Brewers have lost two of their past six league games stretching back to a 1-1 draw at Blackpool on March 16. They then suffered back-to-back home defeats against MK Dons and Shrewsbury Town respectively, before a goalless draw on the road at Accrington Stanley.
They got back to winning ways with a 2-1 win against Swindon Town, before beating Portsmouth by the same score-line at Fratton Park last time out.
The man in charge
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink returned for his second spell as Burton Albion manager on New Year’s Day, replacing Jake Buxton. In his first spell in charge, Hasselbaink guided the club to promotion from Sky Bet League Two, before departing for Sky Bet Championship side Queens Park Rangers in December 2015. He also had a spell with Northampton Town before returning to the Pirelli.
Since taking over, Hasselbaink has been in charge of 17 games, winning 11, drawing two and losing four, giving him an overall win percentage of 64.7%
Ones to watch
Joe Powell
A product of the West Ham United Academy, Powell didn’t make a first-team appearance for the Hammers and spent time on loan at Northampton Town in the second-half of the 2018/19 campaign.
He joined Burton on a permanent deal in January 2020, and scored three goals in 10 games prior to the season being curtailed. Powell has been a key part of the side in his first full season at the club, adding a further seven goals to his tally.
Kane Hemmings
After coming through the youth system in Scotland with Rangers, Hemmings signed for Barnsley in 2014 but spent just a year at Oakwell before he returned north of the border to join Dundee.
He has since played for Mansfield and Notts County in the EFL, and joined Burton last summer as a free agent. The 30-year-old has hit the ground running his new club and is currently their top-scorer this season, with 13 goals in 35 appearances.
Lucas Akins
The powerful forward has been a key part of the Burton side since signing from Stevenage in the summer of 2014. After spells in Scotland with Hamilton and Partick Thistle, Akins returned to English football with Tranmere where he produced several eye-catching performances and that persuaded Stevenage to pay a substantial fee for him.
He scored 10 goals in 49 appearances at the Lamex Stadium before then Brewers boss Gary Rowett snapped him up, and he would go on to be a great signing as he helped the club secure consecutive promotions from Sky Bet League Two to the Championship. He has scored nine goals so far this season and helped Burton to pull themselves away from danger.
Last time out
Rovers ran out 3-1 winners when the two sides last met at the Pirelli Stadium back in December. Fejiri Okenabirhie gave Rovers an early lead, before Lucas Akins levelled the scores from the penalty stop. Ben Whiteman then scored from 12-yards himself, before a fine individual effort from Taylor Richards secured all three points.
More ahead of this match
