Nigel Clough fuming after Burton lose at Wycombe

Burton boss Nigel Clough admitted a “ridiculous” decision by Kyle McFadzean cost Albion dearly as they slipped to a 2-1 defeat at Wycombe.

McFadzean clumsily barged Craig Mackail-Smith over in the box after 30 minutes and Joe Jacobson netted from the spot before Adebayo Akinfenwa nodded the Chairboys 2-0 ahead.

Marvin Sordell’s neatly-taken goal early in the second half brought the Brewers back into proceedings.

But Clough insists he never believed his team had the fire in them to draw level against a Wycombe side that had not previously won a home League One game all season.

“It’s another defeat that shouldn’t have been,” fumed Clough.

“We start the game absolutely in control; they’ve never been in our penalty area but that changes when McFadzean makes a ridiculous decision and gives a penalty away.

“They score another one and the momentum they get from that, then it’s hard work. In the second half we were camped in their half and got a goal early on but the way we create chances and miss chances you’re never confident of coming back into the game.

“When a team haven’t won at home all season the last thing you want to do is give them anything.

“Don’t give them encouragement, don’t give them a lift, and you saw they visibly lifted with the second goal.

“It was another nearly performance. If you get 11 or 14 players who are really at it, then we win that game comfortably.”

It was Wycombe’s first league win in seven matches and although boss Gareth Ainsworth claims his side still are not getting the rub of the green, they did not need it on this occasion.

“That was a tough game,” said Ainsworth.

“I don’t think we were helped with one or two decisions and especially when the seven minutes of injury time went up at the end of the game. I didn’t see that coming but we held on.

“We’re not getting the rub of the green at the moment. We had an offside at Fleetwood [in midweek] which probably would have won us the game, so we’re just not getting that little bit of luck.

“We didn’t need it here because I thought for big periods of the first half we were much the better team.

“I said on Tuesday that it would be a fantastic point at Fleetwood if we could get three more against Burton and that’s exactly what they’ve done.”

Akinfenwa’s goal was his 200th in English football but Ainsworth was quick to credit his entire team rather than just his prolific striker.

“Akinfenwa’s goal is absolutely outstanding and takes all the headlines but he had to come off with a thigh injury in the second half, so we had to change and graft with other players,” he added.

“It was a really good team performance.”