Jebbison finishing emphasised what Albion miss

Two excellent finishes by Daniel Jebbison on Friday night highlighted what Burton Albion missed in the second half of last season and the biggest problem they have today, a few days before the start of the season. Jebbison was the Brewers’ top scorer last season, with nine goals, scored between the end of September and the end of January, inside 18 of his 23 appearances.

Yes, that is a strike rate of one goal in every two games from when he started scoring and, yes, a rate that would have comfortably seen him become Burton’s first 20 goals in a season striker since Shaun Harrad got 22 in the first season in the Football League. That is a tiresome statistic I do not enjoy repeating.

Two of the managers in that time, Nigel Clough and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, are among those who repeat the mantra that they want to see goals come from all over the pitch. That’s fine and they are not wrong but, at the same time, I am quite sure they would snatch your hand off if offered a striker who was going to give you 20 goals plus.

Sometimes, there’s a matter of luck to it, as players develop at different times and suddenly come good. Will Grigg, for example, has had only two good seasons, goals-wise, in a 14-year career. Cole Stockton’s career was unremarkable until he scored 16 in Morecambe’s promotion season and 26 last season. Charlie Wyke’s 31-goal season for Sunderland a couple of years ago owed much to Aiden McGeady presenting a good few of them to him on a plate.

But anyway, back to Jebbison and the Brewers’ issues. Since being recalled by Sheffield United, the teenager looks to have added a good bit of muscle, as well as tattoos. At 18, becoming 19, you would expect some growth, of course, and there will be more to come. It was