Burton Albion's Professional Development League side opened their PDL Cup campaign with a 3-1 victory away at Cambridge United. Kairo Piper and Miles Henry's double goals had the match effectively settled by half-time, with Cambridge pulling one back through Lohan McDougald after the interval.
The result puts Albion on three points in their PDL Cup group, which also features Barnsley and Sheffield United.
First Half Dominance
Managers Shaun Barker and Dave Freeman's side carried momentum from a previous league win over Rotherham United. Henry opened the scoring within five minutes, heading home at the back-post from a cross.
Piper doubled the lead around the half-hour mark with a well-taken finish. Spinning his marker on the edge of the box, he sent a shot toward the top right corner which took a deflection off keeper Zak Massoud before crossing the line.
Henry added a third from the penalty spot before half-time, calmly sending the Cambridge keeper the wrong way. The penalty award surprised both benches, with the young Cambridge defender appearing to have timed his challenge well.
Second Half Fightback
Cambridge emerged determined to reduce the deficit and scored just past the hour through McDougald. A chance to pull closer followed shortly after, but the effort went straight at Burton keeper Lucas Joubert, who held firm.
Possession switched regularly in the final 20 minutes. Reuben Keller and Alfie Greatrex both had chances to extend Burton's lead but could not add to the tally.
Late controversy saw Samuel Oyemade's hand appear to make contact with the ball in Burton's penalty area, though the referee dismissed appeals. Substitute Tom Sallis also seemed to go down in Cambridge's box while preparing a shot, but again the officials were unconvinced.
Manager's View
David Freeman said: "We wanted to win this first game. There are some tough games to come, so getting off to a winning start was imperative to us. I thought we competed and battled really well in the first half. We've got some real guile with Pipes at the top of the pitch, and pace from Miles, with Robbie being the link between them. Second half, we knew that they'd come at us and commit more forward. Giving the goal away was disappointing, but the reaction from that point was good. I thought we dug in really well."
