Dino Maamria was sacked as Burton manager following his side’s 2-1 defeat to promotion-chasing Stevenage.

Deji Oshilaja gave Albion a seventh-minute lead, converting the rebound after Joe Powell’s penalty was saved by Taye Ashby-Hammond.

But Kane Hemmings struck against his former side on the stroke of half-time and Jamie Reid kept his cool from the penalty spot to condemn Burton to a fifth defeat in six winless games in League One.

That run has seen Burton slip down the table, with Maamria leaving them in 19th place, four points above the relegation zone.

A statement from chairman Ben Robinson read: “Dino Maamria has been relieved of his first-team duties with immediate effect.”

Maamria performed his post-match media duties but was in sombre and reflective mood of not only the game but his time at the club before learning of his departure.

“I thought we started well in very tough conditions,” Maamria said.

“We dealt with a number of long balls and then went ahead, deservedly, I thought and then last minute of the half we switch off at the back post and then they score to go in at half time one-one.

“Second goal it comes from a poor throw out and their players pick it up. KB (Kwadwo Baah) is trying to get back in position but they get a penalty.

“It is tough to take. Ultimately I have been at this club two weeks short of three years and I have loved my time here. I think the fans have been magnificent with me throughout that time, a lot of players and a lot of staff.

“It is a winning business and I haven’t won enough games. We had a good October but overall I understand the fans frustrations. Football is a winning business and we didn’t win today.”

Stevenage boss Steve Evans hailed his side as they maintained their League One promotion push.

Evans, whose team are third, said: “It was an outstanding performance. Maybe we were still trying to deal with the conditions in the first 10 minutes and we were a bit sloppy leading to them getting the penalty.

“We had a perfectly good goal disallowed with one that was over the line, having seen the footage and the stills, but in fairness to the referee there were a lot of bodies in the way but then you look to the assistant, so we felt a bit hard done to.

“I thought we became really strong in the last 20 minutes before half-time, got the goal, and perhaps we should be turning round in front, despite the penalty and then, I think, second half, we controlled it. It was inventive and it was bright.

“For 70 minutes, how could you not be commending that sort of performance and we come away with a very hard fought and deserved three points.”

Burton boss Dino Maamria was heavily critical of his side’s “really poor” performance as they were beaten 2-0 by out-of-form Northampton at Sixfields.

A tight first half ended in stalemate but the Cobblers dominated the second and goals from Marc Leonard and Sam Hoskins ended their six-game winless run in all competitions.

Burton themselves are now five games without a win in all competitions and their manager had no complaints.

“It was a poor performance,” admitted Maamria. “We were outfought and outplayed and the second half especially was really poor.

“There wasn’t much in the first half so the message at half-time was to push more bodies forward and play more forward but we didn’t do that.

“They scored a brilliant goal and that probably galvanised them but I’m really disappointed with our response because we didn’t get going after that and they dominated us.

“The most disappointing thing is that we were outfought in every department. They won first and second balls, they closed us down, they got behind the ball quicker and they asked more questions.

“There are ways to lose games and you don’t lose like we did today. Northampton are in a difficult moment and the goal helped them and they finished the game better, but we were outfought and that’s not like us.

“We missed easy chances. We should have got one goal back near the end and if you do that, it’s a different game, but we deserved absolutely nothing today and I’m gutted for our fans because they turned up in their numbers.”

It was a much-needed win for Northampton boss Jon Brady.

“I’m really pleased with the performance,” he said. “We needed that and every player came to the table.

“That’s the type of energy, work-rate and tempo we need because that’s our tempo.

“It’s been tough because we’ve been playing the same players week in, week out but today we were able to freshen it up with players coming back in. That makes one hell of a difference and we looked more physical and had more about us.

“The game opened up in the second half. Tactically, they went to 4-4-2 so the midfield opened up more and if we won their balls in good areas, we were able to get in behind us and play forward and more space opened up.

“That helped us and then we broke on them brilliantly after we got the first goal.

“On top of that, our energy to get back into shape was excellent so a lot of key things worked for us today and the boys implemented what we had worked on so full credit to them.”

Burton boss Dino Maamria was the happier of the two managers at the end of a goalless draw against Leyton Orient.

“I thought we played some of the best football we have played this season”, said Maamria. “All it needed was a goal. We weren’t as clinical as we have been lately, and we missed some big, big chances.”

Both sides had opportunities late on, with the best probably falling to Burton skipper Deji Oshilaja who could only fire over when unmarked inside the box.

Maamria added: “If Deji scores that chance with five minutes to go everybody would have been, hey, what a performance that was.”

The Burton boss was forced into changes owing to injury and admitted he tweaked his formation to cope with a strong Orient side.

He said: “We changed shape to fit the personnel we had available and to nullify their threats. They have been in really good form and they are hard to beat. They normally dominate possession and today we dominated that.

“I felt our game plan was perfect and all we needed was a goal. Max [Crocombe] had a big save at the end of the game, but their keeper made some unbelievable stops; Josh Walker early on with a point-blank save and then Tom Hamer’s chance. I don’t know who made the save, the keeper or a block on the line. We had clear-cut chances which came from our good football.”

Richie Wellens felt that the hectic schedule was a factor in a below-par performance from Orient.

“The second half stank of a third game in a week and a second away game in four days. We were really poor in the second half,” he admitted.

Striker Ruel Sotiriou failed to capitalise on a first-half chance when through on goal which frustrated the Orient manager.

“We were good at times in the first half, playing through them and Ruel has the best chance going straight through one on one and just has to tidy his touch up. We are disappointed in there.

“Burton had won four on the bounce at home before today, so we knew it was a tough place to come,  but the first half was more how we want to play the game and in the second half there were too many long throws and free-kicks,  and we just have to grow up and change with it.”

All things considered Wellens felt the result was fair as both sides hit the 20-point mark sitting safely in mid table.

He said: “All in all, did we deserve to win? Probably not. They could have nicked it in the end but with a lack of goalkeepers making big saves, apart from at the end, a draw was probably a fair result.”

Burton boss Dino Maamria is remaining level-headed after his side recorded back-to-back victories with a 2-1 win over Cambridge.

Albion extended their unbeaten run to five games in Sky Bet League One thanks to first-half goals from Josh Walker and Deji Oshilaja.

“We are a level-headed group. I always said when we had that tough start to the season, I kept belief in the group,” said Maamria.

“We deal with the highs and the lows the same way and we have to stay focused and doing the fundamentals which is working hard, playing on the front foot.”

Watford loanee Kwadwo Baah was man of the match with a hand in both goals after switching to play as a right winger, a tweak that Maamria prepared pre-match.

“There are always one or two tweaks,” Maaria said. “We realised that KB could cause problems on the right hand side tonight and we thought Muzzy would do well against their right-back and both of them, the front three really did well in that first half.”

Cambridge hit back in the second half with Fejiri Okenabirhie halving the deficit to set up a tense finish but Maamria always felt his side were in control.

He added: “Second half was always going to be difficult, 2-0 is a difficult scoreline and overall we were comfortable. They had their fair share of possession in the second half but didn’t really test us.

“To win games you have to score when you are on top and then show some resilience and I thought we did that well tonight.”

Cambridge boss Mark Bonner was frustrated with his side’s first-half performance and his team are now winless in five in the league after a good start.

“You can’t come here and not see out the early pressure that they inevitably have,” said Bonner.

“They are very good at it. We didn’t stop crosses well enough and we didn’t defend the box well at all or with enough aggression to see out those situations.

“Both goals are preventable and then it is a mountain to climb from there. We have put ourselves in that position two weeks running now and that makes it a really difficult situation for us.”

Bonner was disappointed that his side could not do more with the long spells of possession that they had and knows United need to start games better.

He added: “First half we had a lot of the ball but didn’t penetrate or create and then we come out second half and I am almost angry that we did all that.

“That all needs to be there from the start. It is ridiculous isn’t it.”

Dino Maamria hailed an “absolutely outstanding” performance as Burton finally secured a first home League One win of the season with a 2-1 victory over Wigan.

Two goals from Joe Powell, the first a stunning 25-yarder and the second from the penalty spot after Kell Watts had handled in the box, secured the three points after Charlie Hughes had put Wigan in front just before half-time.

Albion had to finish the game with 10 men after Beryly Lubala picked up a second yellow card making it a nervy end for Albion and the manager.

“I am delighted for the lads because they work so hard and people don’t see the graft that they put in and the setbacks we keep getting,” Maamria said.

“But they keep rising and we never lost belief in what we are doing and I thought tonight’s performance was absolutely outstanding.

“It was a different type of performance. To beat a very good Wigan team here in the way that we beat them is a real credit to the players.

“After a slow start we took control of the game and should have scored at least a couple and then to concede from the long throw was a real kick in the teeth.”

Maamria reserved praise for Powell, who is rapidly becoming one of the real leaders in the Brewers squad.

“We have got some big players but probably the biggest turnaround since I’ve been in charge is Powelly,” he said.

“He is not just what you see on the pitch. He is a proper voice in the dressing room and a true leader in there. We have a few young ones leading but he is right up there.”

For Wigan it was a third defeat in a row and just one win in the last six league games after a fine start to the season.

Boss Shaun Maloney knew his side were in for a tough encounter against the Brewers.

“I knew what type of match it was going to be. It was never going to be really open or free flowing so the game went how I thought it would,” he said.

“Two moments in the game cost us the result. I have no complaints on the penalty. I can’t be too critical because the players, in general, they gave me the performance that I wanted.

“Today I felt we didn’t quite get what we deserved. A draw maybe but at 1-0 I felt pretty comfortable. We will have moments like this throughout the season.

“What I didn’t expect was that when you have this sort of moment, like we have over the last two or three games, the impact it can have on the mindset. A bit longer lasting than I thought and these results feel harder because of our position in the table.”

Burton manager Dino Maamria said he never lost belief in his team ending their torrid start to the League One season after they beat high-flying Port Vale 3-2 to claim a first win at the eighth time of asking.

Watford loanee Kwadwo Baah scored what proved to be the decisive goal to deny Vale the point they needed to move to the top of the table.

“I’ve been emphasising that without winning a game in the last seven, we’re a good group of people, good group of staff and players, we believe in each other and it was always coming,” Maamria said.

“We’re going to win a lot of football matches together, no doubt about it.

“We had a tough start like everybody else, without going on about the ifs and the injuries we’ve had and everything else, but I know when we get this group of players going, we’re going to go on and win a lot of matches.

“But I’m really pleased for the group because they work so hard.

“When it was two weeks off, we did a lot of work and I thought overall it was a brilliant performance, a brilliant win.

“We showed a lot of quality on the ball, we scored three brilliant goals.

“We could have scored more.”

Burton took an 11th-minute lead when Beryly Lubala headed home at the back post to score his first goal for the club.

The home side responded well, though, and their pressure told in the 40th minute as Ben Garrity headed in off a post.

Burton went in front again six minutes after the restart as Steve Seddon poked the ball in from close range.

It got even better just after the hour mark, with Baah, making his full debut, rifling a shot into the net.

Ollie Arblaster halved the deficit in the 86th minute, but Burton held on for a much-needed win.

Port Vale boss Andy Crosby was left to rue his side’s performance off the ball as they suffered a first defeat in 10 matches in all competitions.

“I thought we made a poor start,” he said.

“We certainly lost too many individual aerial duels defensively from their goalkeeper’s kicks.

“We spoke pre-game about the threat of them from set plays, so I think we’ve given them opportunities.

“Not a good night in terms of when we haven’t had the ball, but a hell of a lot to be pleased with when we did have the ball.

“We created a lot of opportunities, we had shots on goal, shots on target, the keeper’s made saves, they’ve blocked things.

“We’ve created good opportunities but I think we’ve been looking to get better at that. So things to be happy with, but you can’t afford to give chances away like we did.

“You’ve got to win balls that come into your box.

“You’ve got to win individual duels, aerial duels, and we didn’t do it in the first half.”

Burton boss Dino Maamria rued a sloppy first-half passage of play as his side fell to a 2-0 defeat to Blackpool in the opening weekend of League One action.

Shayne Lavery struck in the 19th and 25th minutes to hand the Tangerines an opening victory on Saturday afternoon, a strong response for Neil Critchley’s side after their relegation from the Championship last season.

And, despite an encouraging opening 15 minutes, Maamria rued his side’s inability to regroup after conceding the first goal at Bloomfield Road.

He said: “We expected them to start on the front foot, which they did, and we managed that really well.

“And when they got into the game, we conceded the first goal when we defended a corner and we didn’t squeeze up the pitch. It was a silly deflection which happens.

“Mistakes happen but the big one for us was something that we always speak about. Whenever we score or concede we’ve got to manage the next five minutes, and we didn’t manage that five minutes after we conceded.

“Two goals in about five minutes, when we come to places like this and we give away two goals like that it’s always going to be difficult.

“I thought in the second half we created some chances and if we’d scored one of the two that we had it might have changed the momentum of the game. Josh Gordon had a one-on-one and we had a couple of those.

“We need to be more clinical when we come to places like this because Blackpool are a good team, there’s no doubt about it.”

It was ultimately a strong start for returning Blackpool boss Critchley, though he was not pleased with an at times unconvincing second-half display.

“I thought in the first half we were very good, scored two goals and had another couple of good opportunities as well,” added Critchley.

“We were comfortable and then in the second half it was almost as if we’d forgotten how to win games. I think we allowed them back into the game, we got a bit complacent and we weren’t ruthless enough at the other end of the pitch.

“We could have finished the game off, so we need to improve on our second-half performance, and when I’ve calmed down I’ll reflect on it being three points and a clean sheet.

“I think that’s important psychologically for the group. After last season we needed to get a good start, get the feelgood factor back.

“Shayne does what Shayne does, he’s a goalscorer, he’s a real threat and I’m delighted for him. He’s a selfless boy who works for the team, very humble, and we just have to provide the right style of play to suit him.”