Burton Albion manager Nigel Clough reckons his side are shooting themselves in the foot by conceding early goals after Saturday's 4-0 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Brewers succumbed to back-to-back 4-0 home defeats with his side heading into the international break having scored just once all month - in that 2-1 defeat over Fulham earlier in September.

And Clough reckons his side are shooting themselves in the foot by conceding so early in games, with Diogo Jota's fifth minute effort ensuring Burton were doing the chasing early doors on Saturday.

It was a similar situation on Tuesday night, with Aston Villa forward Keinan Davis opening the scoring in the 13th minute in their 4-0 romp over the Brewers.

Wolves' Romain Saiss celebrates scoring his side's second goal against Burton Albion
Wolves' Romain Saiss celebrates scoring his side's second goal against Burton Albion

Albion gave themselves a solid platform to head into the break on a good run of form after last weekend's 0-0 draw with Queens Park Rangers, but all their hard work has been undone with two defensive capitulations at home.

And Clough knows they had a chance to lay some foundations ahead of their much-needed two week break from league football.

"We were looking forward to them," Clough said of the Villa and Wolves games.

"We're not giving ourselves a chance at the moment in games, we're 3-0 down at half-time in both games, and the game's over from that point.

"Even today at 2-0 after 10 minutes, it makes it extremely difficult to get a goal ourselves and we're not giving ourselves a chance in any game - certainly not in the last two."

The Brewers like to hit teams early - it worked against Fulham after Stephen Warnock's 12th-minute effort set them on the way to victory.

It ensures that teams who come to the intimate surroundings of the Pirelli Stadium with any form of game-plan have to abandon it early doors.

Unfortunately, the same applies for Burton when visiting teams grab an early goal and put them on the back foot.

Burton Albion goalkeeper Stephen Bywater flapped at Neves' free-kick and allowed Saiss to pounce and covert
Burton Albion goalkeeper Stephen Bywater flapped at Neves' free-kick and allowed Saiss to pounce and covert

For Clough, that feeling is compounded especially when the goals are avoidable - which is certainly applicable to Romain Saiss' tame second goal on only the eleventh minute.

Ruben Neves' free-kick should have been easily claimed by Stephen Bywater, but the 'keeper - who's not really put a foot wrong so far this term - flapped at it and allowed Saiss to bundle it over the line and shellshock Albion.

"Anything (any game-plan) does when you concede those two goals - both avoidable as well, the first two today.

"I thought all the three in the first-half were avoidable goals and with better play and better defending we don't concede them.

"It wasn't good enough.

"We lost two games 4-0 at home in four days, it is not good enough at any level, no matter who the opposition are.

"That's my responsibility.

"We pride ourselves on fighting a bit harder than we did today, to try and upset the odds as we did last season.

"That’s what we're going to try and do in the next 35 games."