"I think we had about six players out there who probably should have played half-an-hour," said manager Hamshaw afterwards. "That's the brutal truth. We had a couple of lads who should have played 60 minutes and that's off the back of them playing 133 minutes on Saturday
"The character of the group has been questioned and I understand that and it's hard just to dismiss that because I've been here as a neutral in previous years and it's difficult."
There were plenty of things Hamshaw was not happy about in the performance – not least how easily Kyran Lofthouse found it to head the Brewers in front at a corner – but the attitude his players showed went a long way to making up for them.
"I felt in the first half we were the better team, without much cutting edge if I'm going to be honest," he reflected. "I thought we showed a little bit of that match sharpness is off for some players. We probably had the better chances, didn't capitalise on them enough, weren't probably ruthless enough.
"And then in the second half, I don't think Burton have done much and scored two goals. I'm obviously disappointed with the corner, we've got to do better with that. Then Kian Spence slips and as soon as he slips I'm thinking, 'This is a goal' because it just that that's how the momentum was going in the game at that point."
"There were a little bit of murmurings and a little bit of noise and you can hear it and I think it affects the group," said Hamshaw.
"And then we get a goal and then the last half an hour I just felt we were only going to be one team to get back in it.
"I'm disappointed Martin missed that header at end and it would have been a fairytale comeback.
"But it was really pleasing character from a group that I know have been questioned in previous seasons."
