Burton kept their supporters happy with their second successive victory on a damp and miserable afternoon when they defeated fellow relegation strugglers Kenilworth, 19-8, to leap over them and move up to third from bottom of the league table. Unfortunately other results didn’t go Burton’s way as Peterborough, Hereford and Scunthorpe also won, but none the less to their supporters great relief they continued to grind out a win and so keep their move towards safety on track.

Burton kicked-off to start the game, but despite pressurising the opposition immediately from the start Burton soon conceded an early penalty to allow the visitors to take play back to halfway. The first ten minutes saw both sides vying for position and play swung from one twenty-two to the other but neither team managed to get over either line as play hovered around midfield. Despite being much bigger and heavier than the Kenilworth pack Burton struggled with the underfoot conditions and poor lineout play saw them being given an uncomfortable time by the opposition pack in set pieces. During this time Jim Litchfield received a blood injury and was replaced by Rob Wakelin. All too often Burton fell foul of the referee and one penalty saw the visitors take a 3-0 lead with an easy kick from thirty-metres out in front of the posts.

From the restart Burton’s forwards charged forward, with Jon Parkinso and Joel Booth in the van, and with the opposition under heavy pressure Burton won a penalty, but from twenty-five metres out in front of the posts Dave Archer fluffed his kick and the score remained unaltered. Then Jon Evans caught the Kenilworth scrumhalf at the back of the scrum and he hacked the ball towards the visitor’s line. With Parkinson bearing down on the full back Kenilworth just managed to scramble the ball clear for a Burton lineout on their twenty-two. But once again Burton were penalised and Kenilworth were able to clear upfield with a kick that gave them a lineout five-metres from the Burton line. Showing Burton how to win good clean ball the opposition set-up a catch and drive that saw their No 8 touch down for an unconverted try to increase their lead to 8-0.

Burton started to play with more purpose and control as they took the ball forward with some great forward drives involving Booth, Jon Edwards, Will Brooks, Dan Clarke and Litchfield. One superb pick-up by Booth saw him charge forward and with Parkinson and Kelvin Browne in support play got to within two metres of the visitor’s line. With Kenilworth under massive pressure they conceded two penalties that saw two quick tap penalties taken by Burton as first James Hilton and then Booth were stopped just short of the line. But then Evans fed the quickly recycled ball to Ian Gilmour who darted through the defence to touch down for a try. Archer made no mistake with the conversion to add the extra points and with only minutes to go until the break Burton trailed by just one point, 7-8.

From the restart Kenilworth tried to run the ball but were met by some solid Burton tackling by Parkinson, Edwards and Browne and with Lawrence Betty and Lewis Brooks disrupting their passing even more Gilmour struck again. He intercepted a loose pass by Kenilworth and showing the visitors a clean pair of heels he raced fifty metres to touch down under the posts. As Archer’s conversion sailed between the posts the halftime whistle sounded and Burton had come from behind to lead 14-8 at the break.

Kenilworth got the second half underway and with Booth gathering the kick to link with Evans Burton again attacked, but a high tackle felled Lewis Brooks as Burton raced clear with men to spare. Archer put the ball into touch on the opposition ten-metre line, but once again Kenilworth stole the ball and a massive sixty-metre kick saw play return to within five-metres of the Burton line. Sensing another score Kenilworth won the lineout and drove at the Burton line, but excellent defence kept them at bay as Burton tackled like demons. Dave Fitchett replaced Parkinson and was soon called into action as he put man and ball into touch three metres from the Burton line after a dangerous break by the opposition winger and fullback.

After all this pressure Burton gradually fought their way back to halfway, but only at the expense of loosing Danny Smith with a serious shoulder injury after making one of his many breaks as Kenilworth kicked for position. Harry Titley replaced Smith and after he’d gathered his first ball he broke to feed Betty and Lewis Brooks, who made ground into the visitor’s twenty-two but the former couldn’t quiet pick-up the rolling ball and Kenilworth were awarded a scrum and cleared the danger. Danny Clarke put in a crunching tackle on a marauding Kenilworth forward and from the loose ball Jon Crisp kicked upfield for Betty and Lewis Brooks to chase. They pressurised the catcher but he just managed to get in his kick to take play back to halfway. From the lineout Burton were awarded a penalty some forty-metres out, but Archer’s attempt just dropped short. More Burton pressure saw another penalty for Burton but this time from much closer Archer’s kick sailed just wide of the posts.

The visitor’s now appeared to be tiring and were giving away more and more penalties and after Edwards had dropped on the ball to stop a threatening move Burton were awarded another penalty. Gilmour put the ball into touch on the visitor’s twenty-two where Edwards leapt like a salmon to take the ball and the Burton juggernaut rolled forward and headed towards the opposition line. When stopped Evans threw the ball out to Gilmour who cleverly fed Betty on a beautiful inside line to surge through the defence as the cover approached he passed inside to the ever-supporting Booth who dived over the line to record his first try for Burton.

With less than two minutes remaining Burton still pressed forward and as Archer raced through chasing a kick by Brooks he was just denied Burton’s fourth try as the ball bounced and he missed the touchdown. But with the score at 19-8 justice was done and Burton could claim a thoroughly deserved win thanks to their resilience and never say die approach plus some excellent defending.