5 things we learned from Burton Albion v Wigan Athletic

Connolly’s Championship bow

The 19 year-old right-back (Inset) made his debut on Saturday; and what a debut it was.

It was only Connolly’s fifth senior appearance after making three appearances for Barnsley and one appearance for his parent club, Everton, last season.

Connolly had never scored until his duo of headers at the weekend; but new manager Joyce knew what the teenager was capable of prior to his arrival.

He said, “When we look at a player, we look at his attributes. We did not focus on his heading for attacking purposes, but we are not a big side and it is important in this league that our full-backs can head the ball.”

Manager Joyce said that he had been a big fan of Connolly for a while.

He added, “I’ve known about him for a long time and I watched him when he was 16 or 17, he was the best player on the pitch.

“I followed him for a long time and he’s always been a player that I thought was very competitive.”

If the teenager can produce performances like this on a regular basis, then the Latics may stand a good chance of survival in May.