Beauty, they say, is in the eye of the beholder.

Even the 208 Burton Albion fans, stationed high at one end of the Den to watch their side secure a first away win of the Championship season, will have known this game was anything but beautiful.

It was cagey. It was stop-start. It was low on quality at times.

It was not low on commitment, though, nor attrition, bravery or a desire from both teams to make sure they were the ones heading into the third international break of the campaign on a high.

And for all the ugliness that went before, there was the odd moment that will very much have appealed to the travelling Brewers.

Marvin Sordell is all smiles after scoring the winner against Millwall

Marvin Sordell's well-taken 70th-minute winner - Albion's first goal on the road since Jackson Irvine's stunner at Hull City on August 12.

The sight of Jake Buxton powering clear a late header, Stephen Bywater claiming George Saville's injury-time free-kick, Lee Gregory's last-gasp shot cannoning back off a post.

The sound of referee Tony Harrington's full-time whistle.

The manner of Burton's victory at the Den was of little consequence, as Nigel Clough acknowledged afterwards.

More than ever, it was all about the result - and the Brewers duly got what they wanted with some impressive composure across the park.

An end to their wait for a win on the road, and a first League win anywhere since September 16.

A timely boost to lift them into the 13-day break.

Whether they were helped along by a debatable sending off will bother them little. They were probably due some good fortune.

The signs were not always there that Albion would leave south London in such good spirits, despite Clough delivering on the possible personnel changes he had hinted at as a means of sparking some life into his team's points tally.

Burton had played well in the back-to-back home defeats to Ipswich Town and Barnsley, but the results had been deflating, and this felt like a good time to switch things up slightly.

Tom Flanagan started at left-back for the Brewers at Millwall
Tom Flanagan started at left-back for the Brewers at Millwall

The 3-5-2 formation largely favoured this term was changed to a 4-3-3.

Bywater returned in goal following a two-match absence for personal reasons, while Tom Flanagan earned a start at left-back, with Buxton and Ben Turner the centre-halves.

Kyle McFadzean had sufficiently recovered from a broken nose to feature from the start at right-back - and his protective face mask was pretty quickly ditched!

In midfield, Luke Murphy and the reenergised Matty Lund were joined by Matt Palmer, making his first start since the win over Birmingham City in August.

The front three was spearheaded by Sordell, while Lloyd Dyer and Sean Scannell provided the width, meaning a rare rest for Lucas Akins.

In truth, Albion's attacking triumvirate were not involved much more than substitute Akins for much of the first half.

Neither side truly seized control, but it was Millwall who possessed the greater intent.

Their approach was a direct one, with a series of long balls played towards powerful forward Steve Morison, who quickly showed himself to relish the physical tussles with McFadzean and Buxton that would form an important part of the clash.

He got the better of the Albion defenders in the early stages, but it was ultimately a showdown that the visitors would edge, with Buxton especially excelling in the air again as the game progressed.

Morison's strike partner Gregory was utilised more in behind, with the pace of the Lions' striker getting him past Turner on occasion and allowing him to latch onto looped passes.

Burton hurried some of their clearances from these deliveries and struggled to take hold of possession upfield, allowing Millwall to rebuild.

Jake Buxton powers a header clear in the win at Millwall

They did not capitalise, though, only threatening the Albion goal sporadically.

Bywater held a long-range effort from Tunnicliffe, before the two best chances fell within seconds of each other.

Morison was forced out wide by Saville's mistimed pass, but he still managed a good cross towards Jed Wallace, who volleyed back across goal towards Aiden O'Brien.

O'Brien was inside the six-yard box and managed to get a good touch on the ball, with Bywater stranded. His finish, though, flew above the crossbar.

Moments later, O'Brien was playing provider to Wallace, the former driving a low ball in for the latter, who turned on the spot but miscued his effort wide of the far post from a promising position.

In the face of this, the Brewers threatened mainly on the break, their efforts led by Lund.

Matty Lund bursts forward in the 1-0 win at Millwall

The Northern Ireland international is certainly returning to the form that Clough said he had been lacking earlier in the campaign.

Twice in the first half he showed good strength and awareness to dispossess the Lions in midfield and burst upfield.

On both occasions, though, he delayed too long in deciding whether to pass or shoot, and the chances were gone before he could do either.

In truth, it was a disappointingly poor first half.

But Burton will have been more than happy with the scoreline at the break, knowing the game was very much there for the taking.

It looked as though it would take only one moment of class to decide the outcome.

And after more caginess at the start of the second half, the odds were nudged in the visitors favour with the sending off of Wallace on the 59th minute.

It was an unneccessary and obviously cynical challenge by the Millwall midfielder, who slid in late and from behind to cut Flanagan down as he pushed down the left flank.

But the expectation was that referee Harrington would produce the game's second yellow card.

Instead, he showed Wallace a straight red, much to the dismay of the home faithful.

Clough would go on to say after the game that he thought it was a yellow card rather than a sending off.

He caveated that, though, with reference to the fact that Irvine should not have been dismissed at Hull at the start of the season, and that his side were due a decision in their favour.

They still had to capitalise on it, though. They did just that.

Burton Albion celebrate Marvin Sordell's winner at Millwall

The match-winning goal owed much to Palmer, who certainly took his chance upon returning to the starting XI.

The 22-year-old showed impressive composure throughout, and one such example saw him make a clever run towards the Millwall box before sliding a strong pass into the feet of Sordell when the option opened itself up.

The Burton forward was closely watched by two home defenders, but he showed good strength to keep them at bay, before swivelling and slamming a low finish past Jordan Archer.

It was just reward for the ex-Coventry City man, who had battled well for the preceding 70 minutes, and it was a perfect way to silence the chants that had been coming his way from the home fans.

Clough felt his team did not do enough to build from there and try to take the game away from Millwall.

Instead, it was a characteristic response to going in front - consolidation.

They did it superbly. As a flat bank four, Burton's defence were able to sit deep, powering clear any long balls and sweeping up the other danger with a well-organised display.

Matt Palmer on the ball for Burton Albion in the 1-0 win at Millwall

The wingers dropped back to help out as Albion morphed into a solid 4-5-1, while Bywater claimed some important deliveries as the pressure grew.

Burton might have had the final say when Dyer earned some space in the Millwall box to flash a low shot across goal and just past the far post, substitute Luke Varney unable to slide onto the end of it.

Instead, it was the Lions who would end the game in the ascendency, coming within inches of a dramatic equaliser.

With the five minutes of injury time up, one final, hopeful ball was punted forward.

Bywater raced out and did well to deny the first effort, only for the ball to roll out to Gregory, to the right of goal.

Fittingly, he had two Burton defenders, McFadzean and Turner, to bend it around. His effort avoided them both, but crashed back off the lefthand post and flew away.

It was the final meaningful touch of the match.

It was notable ahead of kick-off that virtually the entire Brewers squad were in attendance at the Den - not always the case for away matches.

The likes of Liam Boyce, John Brayford and Joe Mason all travelled, despite being out injured, while academy graduates Ben Fox and Joe Sbarra were also there.

Those not included on the day sat in the bottom tier of the away stand, well positioned to celebrate Sordell's winner at that end.

This will very much be a win that the entire squad shares in, and Clough will hope it has a galvanising effect for everyone.

The three points do not entirely make up for those that have been dropped in previous games.

But it is a springboard nonetheless, a platform on which to build.

The next target will be consistency in the upcoming batch of games. This was a definite step in the right direction.