IT said much that when Mansfield's players turned to applaud their sizeable away following behind the goal at the final whistle, they got precious little response.

Aside from the odd die-hard fan, those who had made the journey down the A38 to the Pirelli Stadium were just too disappointed by what they had seen to acknowledge their efforts.

Some headed straight for the exit while others just stood and tried to contemplate why it has gone so wrong for Mansfield in the last couple of weeks. Why a side, who were top of the table not so long ago, are now entrenched in the bottom half.

There is no short answer to those questions. It is a combination of factors that have seen the Stags drop down the Blue Square Premier table.

But what must have been disappointing for boss Billy McEwan was that his side failed to keep a clean sheet yet again – and showed a worrying lack of punch in the attacking third.

The inability to prevent opponents from scoring is a problem that has been around for a while. Not since the 1-0 win over Grays in August have the Stags recorded a shut-out.

The failure to create chances was not a problem at the start of the season but is becoming an increasing concern.

Last night, there was the odd moment of promise here and there, but generally threats on the Burton goal were few and far between.

What is becoming ever apparent is the need for a greater creative influence in the middle of the field to unlock the potential of the likes of Nathan Arnold and Aaron O'Connor, as well as the goalscoring instincts of Mark Stallard and Jason Lee.

All four have shown they have the ability to cause problems.

But recently, they have not been getting the right service in the right positions often enough to capitalise on their talents.

McEwan suggested last night that the time may now be right to delve into the transfer market.

And on the evidence of the last few matches, his first port of call could well be a ball-playing midfielder. There is no doubting the effort and commitment of Jonathan D'Laryea, Matt Somner and Gavin Hurren.

However, it seems that no combination of the trio is able to provide the killer pass or moment of individual brilliance sometimes needed.

The kind of contribution, in fact, made by Burton's John McGrath from that same position with a stunning drive from distance that arrowed into the corner two minutes from the break and proved to be the only goal of the game.

Yet again, Mansfield were not outclassed by a side who are likely to figure in the shake-up for promotion.

But they lacked conviction in the attacking third and Anthony Robinson's shot in the closing stages that flew well wide was as close as they came to an equaliser after O'Connor had forced a smart save out of veteran Kevin Poole in the first half.

In truth, though, it was Albion who looked more likely to score and had the greater number of shots.

Paddy Gamble made an excellent second half save to deny former Notts County player Michael Simpson while Darren Stride's header was on its way in before being hacked away by D'Laryea.

The result left ex-Stag Jake Buxton to have the last laugh on the Mansfield supporters, who spent much of the game giving their former central defender stick.