Burton avoid relegation despite defeat at Fleetwood

Burton avoided relegation by the skin of their teeth after they were thumped 3-0 at Fleetwood on the final day.

The Brewers will contest a seventh season in Sky Bet League One thanks to rivals Cheltenham’s failure to beat Stevenage.

Fleetwood went ahead when Carl Johnston drilled his first goal of the season high into the corner after meeting Ryan Graydon’s through-ball.

It was almost two when Phoenix Patterson curled a 25-yard free-kick inches over the top.

Patterson made no mistake with a similar effort on the half-hour mark, curling home from 20 yards off the underside of the crossbar.

Another Patterson shot before half-time was brilliantly tipped over the top by Brewers keeper Max Crocombe.

The Brewers almost halved the deficit just after the restart when debutant keeper David Harrington saved superbly from Bobby Kamwa.

At the other end substitute Ronan Coughlan saw a deflected shot hit the post, before the same man assisted the hosts’ third for Tom Lonergan in the 76th minute.