Nigel Clough says Burton Albion are due some success at home - but he knows exactly how hard they will have to work to earn it.

The Brewers claimed seven points from their first four Championship games at the Pirelli Stadium this season.

In the subsequent four, they have failed to secure anything, conceding 14 goals in defeats to Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Ipswich Town and Barnsley.

Clough and his players were at pains to explain quite how they failed to win the most recent two of those matches, such was the dominance they displayed for long spells of the games.

Burton Albion manager Nigel Clough
Burton Albion manager Nigel Clough

With high-flying Sheffield United next up at the Pirelli on Friday (7.45pm), Clough will be hoping his side can capitalise on the quality they showed in the Ipswich and Barnsley defeats to real effect.

Asked if the Blades might be the side who suffer for Albion finally clicking on home soil again, Clough said: "I hope so - someone's got to!

"The Ipswich one, we certainly should have won that.

"That was the real one at the start of that week, it should have been one of those.

"Not a comfortable one, but in terms of the scoreline, it should have been a 2-0 or 3-0 or something like that.

"And then we wouldn't have lost to Barnsley if we'd have got that one.

Burton Albion were beaten 4-2 by Barnsley in their last home game
Burton Albion were beaten 4-2 by Barnsley in their last home game

"So I think we're certainly due a home win - but we're going to have to earn it."

Momentum can come from anywhere in the Championship.

Albion have shown that already this season, with victory over Birmingham City in August stopping a three-game losing run and sending them on a run of only one defeat from their next six outings.

That is why the triumph last time out at Millwall was so crucial - and Clough knows it was largely irrelevant where the result came from.

"We just needed a win, at anytime, anywhere," he added.

"Home or away, anything.

"Having played those last three games, which we did away at Nottingham Forest - where we should have had something - and then certainly the two games at home to Ipswich and Barnsley, how we managed to lose those, I'm not quite sure.

Sheffield United will provide a tough test at the Pirelli Stadium
Sheffield United will provide a tough test at the Pirelli Stadium

"It was absolutely vital to get something.

"October was such a poor month in terms of a points return - not the performances, but the points returned.

"To start off the month with three points was vital."

The onus is now on the Brewers to back that up and keep the momentum building by returning to form at the Pirelli on Friday.