Burton Albion goalkeeper Stephen Bywater believes that back-to-back 4-0 losses before the international break won't knock the confidence of a Brewers side with unrivalled team spirit.

Bywater - ever present in Albion's goal in the Championship this term - reckons his team have the mental strength to take these heavy defeats on the chin, dust themselves down and go again.

It is a trait that will be called upon again as they head to Bristol City on Friday, and one that has already come in useful following last month's 5-0 defeat to Leeds United.

The Brewers showed they could respond to setbacks when they departed Elland Road following that thrashing and tightened up their rear-guard on the way to a three-match unbeaten run, taking in one home win and two clean sheets on the road.

Stephen Bywater gives his thumbs up

Bywater wants them to respond again following those consecutive defeats at the Pirelli Stadium.

And the 36-year-old believes Albion's mix of togetherness and playing quality - which he says is always in evidence on the training ground - can see them do just that.

"It doesn't knock our confidence, we're realistic," the former Derby County stopper said of those losses to Wolves and Villa.

"We are a close-knit team that's going out there with ability.

"I see it in training every day.

"Marvin (Sordell) scores goals, the lads score goals in training and they're sharp."

Bywater also reckons that the lack of cliques in the dressing room helps maintain the feeling of a genuine team spirit - one of losing together and winning together.

And the Albion keeper believes that was never on show more than the closing moments of the 0-0 draw with Queens Park Rangers last month, as the Brewers started to come under pressure from a resurgent QPR side spurred on by the Loftus Road crowd.

All of Burton's hard work that day nearly came to nothing when Luke Varney tried to hold the ball up, but inadvertently sent QPR forward Idrissa Sylla clear down the wing with an opportunity to swing a cross in.

In the end, that ball was cleared away from danger by a stingy Albion defence desperate to return to the Pirelli with the point they worked so hard for - and for Bywater, just another example of the Brewers' togetherness and team spirit.

"What gives us the advantage that some top teams don't have I think is team spirit, and I genuinely mean that," Bywater added.

"You go to the big clubs and the dressing room's so big that they have four or five over there, six or seven over there.

"We just have 22 lads that are all together.

"And on the pitch, if you make a mistake, like Luke Varney did with a ball down the line in the last minute at QPR.

"He kind of put them through and we were thinking 'get that ball back'.

"I spoke to the lads on the bus back and they all wanted to get that ball back so desperately because they didn't want to let Varney down, and they didn't want to go back losing a game just because of someone else's mistake.

"Whereas some clubs might have not have that edge of wanting to get the ball back."