Burton Albion midfielder Matt Palmer hopes his assured performance in the 3-2 Carabao Cup win over Oldham Athletic will put himself in contention for a starting place in Nigel Clough's side.

Palmer started and played the full 90 minutes as Albion came from 2-1 down to edge a thrilling first-round tie at Boundary Park on Wednesday.

Five second-half goals saw the tie burst into life, and it required a late Lucas Akins penalty to decide a pulsating encounter that saw Luke Varney and Matty Lund also get on the scoresheet.

Twenty-two-year-old Palmer - who was at his composed best on the ball against the Latics - played the majority of last season and made 39 appearances in all competitions.

But he found his chances more limited late on in the campaign as the Brewers opted for a more conservative style in a bid to stave off relegation to League One.

After impressing against Oldham though, Palmer is backing himself to contend for a spot in Albion's starting line-up once again, having seen an influx of midfielders into the Pirelli Stadium over the summer make that central midfield spot one of the most competitive at the club.

"I just tried to play my own game (against the Latics) and hopefully that’s put me in contention maybe in the weeks to come," he said.

"Then hopefully I get a chance and I can do it in the Championship.

"I think if I just keep training well, I want to be given a chance and like tonight, try to take it as best as I can.

Matty Palmer made his first start of the season on Wednesday night against Oldham
Matty Palmer made his first start of the season on Wednesday night against Oldham

"And then if the manager puts his trust in me and gets me on the pitch in a Championship game, then I'll have the confidence like I did last season to do well and I hopefully make an impact."

Palmer also acknowledged the stiff competition he faced from his team-mates vying for a place in midfield last term, with the Brewers opting for the experienced Luke Murphy as their deep-lying midfielder down the home straight.

That meant Palmer had to take a backseat as Albion looked to stifle teams, rather than dominate possession and control games.

"I think last season I started really well," he added.

Palmer has admitted he faces a battle to usurp the likes of Matty Lund and Luke Murphy from the starting XI
Palmer has admitted he faces a battle to usurp the likes of Matty Lund and Luke Murphy from the starting XI

"We changed style of play as a team, and I maybe had to get used to it a bit more because I'm sort of different to the midfielders we've got.

"I can only do what I can when I get given a chance, and I thought I did all right (in the cup win at Oldham)."

An academy graduate himself, Palmer was pleased to see the likes of Ben Fox and Joe Sbarra make their first Brewers starts against the Latics - and they didn't look out of place.

That was evident in the build up to Lund's equaliser. With the Brewers stunned at 2-1 down, Sbarra and Fox linked up nicely down the right-hand side, with the former crossing in for Lund to level the tie up.

Joe Sbarra and Ben Fox made their full Brewers debuts on Wednesday night
Joe Sbarra and Ben Fox made their full Brewers debuts on Wednesday night

"I thought both of them did really well tonight on their full debuts," said Palmer of Fox and Sbarra.

"As a three, I thought we linked up quite well because we've come from the academy so we are sort of all on the same wavelength.

"It's good to have the boys around and hopefully they keep pushing on."