Burton Albion assistant manager Kevin Summerfield has admitted that the Brewers' inability to strike first in games is becoming a cause for concern.
Following Saturday's 1-1 draw with 10-man Dagenham & Redbridge, Burton have now failed to score a first-half goal in nine consecutive League Two games.
Burton fell behind against the Daggers when Lawson D'Ath fired the Essex side in front just before half time.
However, the Brewers began to dominate the contest after teenage full-back Jack Connors was sent off in the 54th minute and grabbed the equaliser through substitute Billy Kee.
"We said before the game how important it was to get the first goal," Summerfield told Burton's official club website. "It's something we haven't done particularly well for most of the season, but we're still eking out results.
"You've got to give credit to the opposition because they're a really resilient team, who are a lot tougher than they were last season and they've got a better system.
"They've got some character about them and once they got that first goal, which was an unstoppable shot, they had something to hang on to. Possibly we were allowed back into the game when they went down to 10 men - and it it could be a very important point come the end of the season."
Burton are currently sixth in the League Two table.
Robert Summerscales
