The bright sunny conditions that existed at Peel Croft on Saturday were only the weather and not the atmosphere in the changing rooms after the game as the Burton squad faced the realities of losing their first league fixture of the season. Burton had only themselves to blame because it wasn’t that they were outplayed more that they gave their visitors, Worcester Wanderers, a win and a bonus point with some unforgivable actions in the last ten minutes of the game. Prior to this Burton were leading by two scores at 27-18, but then Darryl Banton and Jack Bartram rash acts of indiscipline saw Burton having to face the last ten minutes with a two man disadvantage after they were both sin binned for unavoidable and stupid offences. Worcester needed no second invitations and used their two man advantage to accept the victory.

Burton kicked-off and some good early pressure by the pack saw Worcester struggle to clear the ball, but the first of many penalties against the home side soon saw the visitors take play into the Burton twenty-two. Here, another home indiscretion gave the opposition chance to kick a penalty and take an early 0-3 lead. With this and a string of other penalties being awarded to them by an over zealous referee Burton were continually put under pressure.

But despite this Burton had their moments and Dave Archer made sixty metres with a great catch followed by a kick ahead to take play into opposition territory. Then Darryl Banton linked with Ian Gilmour and Lewis Brooks to take a return pass and race thirty metres before being bundled into touch. A neat move by the backs saw Brooks loop round to take a return pass, but his pass to Matt Boden saw the winger come back inside to be stopped when the try line was wide open outside. Another Archer run saw him take play to inside the opposition twenty-two where he was stopped, but on this occasion Burton got the decision and Archer sent his penalty kick high to bisect the uprights and level the score at 3-3.

From the restart more penalties against Burton saw Worcester work their way into the home twenty-two but great defensive pressure by Kelvin Brown, Lawrence Betty and Gilmour saw Brooks intercept a loose pass to race the length of the field and touch down under the posts for Archer to add the extra points and give Burton a 10-3 lead with nearly thirty minutes gone.

As Burton’s penalty count continued to rise the visitors took full advantage to land another penalty goal and keep the ball in Burton’s half, but Burton’s defence was solid. Kelvin Browne was everywhere and a thirty metre run saw him feed Boden but the winger's return pass was adjudged forward and stopped a promising Burton attack. Worcester charged back up field and a dubious kick ahead saw their winger race through to win the chase and touch down for a try to give his side a 10-11 lead as the whistle ended the first half.

A change of fortune greeted Burton at the start of the second half as the referee awarded them two or three penalties and with the first of these Archer stepped up to land a goal from forty-five metres out in front of the posts to put Burton back into a 13-11 lead.

But the joy was brief as Burton’s hitherto solid defence was exposed as a simple passing movement culminated in Worcester’s winger breaking through two would be tackles before stepping out of Archer’s last ditch attempt and touching down for a converted try under the posts. But Archer made some amends for his earlier error as he kicked his third successive penalty goal to take the score to 16-18.

Burton’s forwards started to pile on the pressure with Ken Archer and Matt Tivey making charging bursts up field. From one such charge Gilmour linked with Dave Fitchett for the flanker to burst through opposition ranks and when stopped he slipped the ball to the ever-present Browne. He raced off towards the opposition line before passing to Brooks, who raced over the remaining twenty metres to score in the corner and put Burton in the lead at 21-18.

Fearing defeat Worcester now started to slow the ball down and their second row was soon sin binned for this giving Burton a man advantage. Archer had also left the field with a hamstring injury so up stepped his replacement Jack Bartram to kick the penalty and increase Burton’s lead to 24-18. Two minutes later he repeated this and Burton now led 27-18 with eighteen minutes to play.

So with Worcester needing to score twice for victory everything in the garden looked lovely for Burton, but then the brandishing of the referee’s yellow card turned Burton’s beautiful garden into a weed patch. First to go was Banton for stamping then immediately afterwards following a general warning to all players Bartram failed to release his man and Worcester could see that with a two man advantage and eight minutes to play victory was now within their grasp.

The visitors at first stuck to their game plan of short forward bursts around the fringes but they then released the ball along the line and the winger dived in for the first of two rapid tries, the second of which was converted to give his side a 27-30 lead and four minutes to play.

But to make matters worse as Burton surged forward a dropped ball saw Worcester kick the ball over Burton’s heads into undefended ground. For some reason Burton’s cover just strolled back and their winger raced through to take the bouncing ball from between two Burton defenders and score for the final try and rub salt in Burton wounds with a score line of 27-35.