Burton Albion have learned their lesson about getting too carried away with the Championship fixture list ahead of their return to action against Sheffield United on Friday.

The Brewers will host the in-form Blades on the back of an important victory at Millwall before the international break - the first league win for Nigel Clough's side in eight matches.

That result followed three successive defeats, away at Nottingham Forest and in back-to-back home games with Ipswich Town and Barnsley.

The performances in those outings warranted more, and Albion certainly expected to get more from that trio of clashes.

Burton Albion fell to frustrating home defeats against Ipswich and Barnsley
Burton Albion fell to frustrating home defeats against Ipswich and Barnsley

And ahead of a tough-looking meeting with United, Clough says his side have been given a timely reminder of just how unpredictable the Championship can be - and how the fixture list provides next to no insight into how things will play out.

"We dug it out and ground it out against Millwall, I think from the frustration of losing the two home games against Ipswich and Barnsley, which we in no way deserved to do," said the Burton boss.

"Especially the Ipswich one - and we believe that if we'd won that one, as we deserved to, then we wouldn't have lost to Barnsley on the Tuesday.

"But having lost those two, the danger in the Championship is the second you look at the fixtures and think, 'we've got two good home games here' and you think we can get four points, maybe six points from the games, that's when you're in trouble.

"You end up getting nothing, and then all of a sudden you're facing a trip to Millwall on the back of three defeats.

Marvin Sordell is all smiles after scoring the winner against Millwall

"It's a bit of character as well that comes through and we got a brilliant three points."

Clough and his players know the variety of challenges that lie in wait over the coming days.

The Blades will be intent on moving top of the table with a victory at the Pirelli Stadium on Friday, while Albion then travel to face a Brentford side unbeaten in nine League games before hosting Sunderland - currently bottom of the table - on November 25.

Again, though, they will not be getting ahead of themselves - and the focus is entirely on building some much-needed momentum one step at a time through the month.

"That's the danger, like we've talked about, the second you do that," he added when discussing the games coming up, with Bolton Wanderers - another current relegation rival - also on the horizon in December.

"You've got as much chance getting results against Sheffield United and Brentford as you do against the Sunderlands and the Boltons.

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder
Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder

"You can't even really look at the league in some ways and think, 'we're at home to Sunderland this week, they're bottom at the moment, it's a good chance to get three points'.

"The league is so unpredictable, it's dangerous to do that.

"We are getting second-in-the-league Sheffield United in a great run, then we go to Brentford who are about eight or 10 games unbeaten.

"So we're not playing these two at ideal times.

"We are on the back of our one victory and we want to build on that."