Darren Bent and Liam Boyce are set to continue sharing the load as Burton Albion's leading man for the "next few games".

Bent and Boyce are only just back into competitive first-team football after suffering serious injuries in pre-season, with Bent injuring his hamstring and Boyce rupturing the ACL in his left knee.

In his two Brewers outings so far, Derby County loanee Bent has started up front and featured for just over an hour in each, before being substituted.

Darren Bent of Burton Albion
Darren Bent of Burton Albion

Boyce, meanwhile, is still a little way off starting a match, according to Nigel Clough, and has been introduced in the final 20 minutes of the recent trips to Aston Villa and Ipswich Town, scoring in the former.

Both have given a fleeting insight into the striking qualities they can offer the Brewers over the final 15 games of the season.

But while Clough is keen to partner the pair up top when possible, it is likely that the current scenario - of Bent starting matches and Boyce featuring as a late impact sub - will continue for Saturday's game at home to Nottingham Forest at least.

"I think that is why it is ideal at the moment that they are almost sharing the load," said Clough when asked about Bent still working back to 90-minute fitness.

"Darren will have to take the majority of it.

"But I think that sort of 70-30 split, or maybe 60-40, whatever it takes, is what it's going to be for the next few games.

"They'll share the load.

"And ideally we want to have a look at some point with both of them in the team at some point.

"So it's getting a formation where, at some stage in a game, we can get them both up front."

Boyce came through his first 45-minute outing since pre-season on Tuesday night as he started Burton's Birmingham Senior Cup defeat at Hednesford Town.

Fellow strikers Marvin Sordell and Luke Varney also featured in that match, although Sordell was used as a midfielder and Varney played as right-wing-back.