Burton Albion secured their first away victory of the Championship season at the expensive of Millwall to end a seven-match winless run and send themselves into the international break with a vital lift.

It was not even close to approaching a pretty success, but the Brewers will not care a jot.

Marvin Sordell was the man to land the crucial blow in the second half after Jed Wallace had earlier been sent off for a foul on Tom Flanagan.

Nigel Clough had hinted at possible personnel changes in the week following the home defeats to Ipswich Town and Barnsley - and the teamsheet showed that to be the case.

Matt Palmer on the ball for Burton Albion in the 1-0 win at Millwall

Stephen Bywater returned in goal after missing the last two due to personal reasons, while Tom Flanagan came into a four-man defence, while Kyle McFadzean - sufficiently recovered from a broken nose - shifted to right back.

The three-man midfield included Matt Palmer, starting his first league game since the 2-1 victory over Birmingham City in August, while Sordell's return saw him spearhead a three-man attack, with Sean Scannell and Lloyd Dyer either side of him.

That forward trio rarely got a sniff of possession during a turgid first half of football beset by attritional battles, stoppages for injury and a lack of quality.

Instead, it was Burton's defence who had the most questions asked of them, with McFadzean and Jake Buxton both dragged into an ongoing tussle in the air with powerful Millwall forward Steve Morison.

Not that he got too much change from them, with chances at an agonising premium before the break.

Aiden O'Brien was unable to divert Jed Wallace's volley home from inside the six-yard box after good work on the left by Morison, while Wallace himself then spurned a good opening as Flanagan put pressure on him.

At the other end, the Brewers' main threat came through the dynamic work of Matty Lund, who twice won possession with strong midfield challenges and surged forward with men in support.

On both occasions, though, he delayed too long over choosing which pass to pick out or whether to unleash a shot, and the openings were gone like that.

Jake Buxton powers a header clear in the win at Millwall

After a turgid opening half, it was always going to take a moment of class or controversy to spark this one into life.

That duly came in the 59th minute.

Flanagan pushed the ball past Wallace as Albion looked to stretch their hosts down the right, and the Lions midfielder slid in late to cynically stop Flanagan in his tracks.

It was a poor challenge, but there was still real surprise around the ground when referee Tony Harrington produced a straight red card.

That inevitably opened the game up for the Brewers - and it took them only 11 minutes to capitalise.

Their opener owed much to quick feet from Palmer, who wriggled towards the box and a low ball.

Sordell controlled first and then found a way of drilling the loose ball through a couple of Millwall bodies and past Jordan Archer in the home goal for Albion's first League goal on the road since August.

In a game of such small margins - and, truthfully, lacking in attacking quality - it was all Burton needed.

Millwall pushed on in the final moments, but the Brewers' defence remained supremely disciplined withstood every late barrage, with the post coming to their rescue in the final seconds as Lee Gregory slammed a shot against the upright with the final kick.

An away win, a valuable shot of momentum into the international break. How the Brewers needed this.