'Party pooper' Bowyer warns Burton not yet safe

Gary Bowyer has won nine, drawn seven and lost nine of his 25 games in charge since being appointed in December

Burton Albion manager Gary Bowyer is cautioning against complacency until the Brewers' League One survival is mathematically assured.

Bowyer's side are poised to complete a remarkable escape from relegation, having started the season with five points from their first 13 games, spending five months in the bottom four until they clambered above the dotted line a fortnight ago.

Burton's last-minute 2-1 victory over Cambridge on Saturday – which condemned their opponents to the drop – put them three points clear of Crawley and Bristol Rovers, both with inferior goal differences and sparked impassioned celebrations at the Pirelli Stadium.

However, Bowyer told BBC Radio Derby: "We haven't done anything yet, we've been in this game long enough to know that. This week we've been talking about Bristol Rovers, Crawley and Cambridge and everyone else who's in it.

"I remember Bristol Rovers needed to score seven goals from their last game of the season against Scunthorpe [to win promotion from League Two in 2022] and managed to do it.

"So I don't want to sound like a party pooper but it's my job to make sure we go about these next two games properly. Mathematically it's not done and until it's mathematically done, we've got to keep going."

The Brewers, whose goal is superior to those of Crawley and Bristol Rovers by 12 and 14 respectively, can rubber-stamp survival by gaining a point or more when they host Wigan Athletic on Tuesday (19:45 BST).

Should Burton lose, the two remaining relegation places will be decided on the final day, when they travel to fifth-placed Charlton. Crawley go to bottom side Shrewsbury, while Rovers are away to Blackpool.