Burton Albion manager Nigel Clough has defended the Brewers' record-signing of Liam Boyce following Saturday's 1-0 loss to Cardiff City.
Lucas Akins started up front for the Brewers in the absence of record signing Boyce, who is set to miss the majority of the season after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury during pre-season.
Albion's record-outlay on last season's Scottish Premiership 23-goal top-scorer - thought to be in the region of £500,000 - was a major statement of intent from the Brewers this summer.
No," replied Clough, when asked about whether the Brewers were wrong to pin the majority of their budget on the Northern Ireland striker.
"He's a good player, we thought if we had a chance to sign the leading goalscorer in Scotland we would take it.
"He’s an international striker as well, it's just very unfortunate that we've lost him for the season."
On the whole, Akins played well on Saturday, linking up with the likes of Lloyd Dyer and Jackson Irvine to good effect - but that threat was nullified in the second-half when Cardiff wisened up to Akin's quality with his back-to-goal.
The effort was certainly there from Albion, with likes of Stephen Warnock and Jake Buxton defending heroically at times, but they couldn't withstand the Cardiff onslaught and the pressure eventually told.
The game was won with a rare moment of quality - an 87th minute strike from distance by Kenneth Zohore - and Clough confirmed the Brewers' own search for exactly that is still on going.
"It’s quality we're searching for, you see the quality that wins the game," he added.
Burton Albion v Cardiff City
"We've got bags of honesty and endeavour as always, you just sometimes need that bit of quality."
The search goes on for that match-winning quality, with Clough confirming after the game that the Brewers were having ongoing conversations concerning four players, with three loans and a permanent deal on the cards according to the Albion manager.
