Burton Albion club captain Shaun Barker has signed a contract extension until the end of the season.

The 35-year-old is yet to make a first-team appearance so far this campaign, having made five in 2016-17 after completing an unlikely four-and-a-half-year recovery from a serious knee injury.

Barker has been coaching with the Brewers academy and is a key figure in the Brewers dressing room.

He has also featured for the reserves side and came off the bench to score a late equaliser in the 3-2 Birmingham Senior Cup win at Highgate United last month.

Shaun Barker of Burton Albion
Shaun Barker of Burton Albion

And while time out on the pitch with the first-team has been more limited, Barker is keen to keep having an influence around the club after signing this new deal, which runs until June 2018.

“The gaffer said he’d like to extend my contract until the end of the season so I'm delighted," said the ex-Derby County man, who previously signed a short-term deal with the club back in the summer.

"I haven’t been involved as much as a I was last year in terms of getting on the bench and getting time on the pitch but I've been training more and I’ve been more involved with the club in general.

"I've started working with Dan (Robinson) and Sam (Rose) in the academy, just doing bits.

"I've been helping out in the rehab side of things with Nick (Fenton), working closely with Liam Boyce and John Brayford.

"I'm trying to be pro-active and do as much as I can but ultimately the gaffer wants a lot of the squad kept together and I'll be one of the faces that stays until the end of the season."