BURTON Albion were doomed to relegation until Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink took over, according to Swindon Town boss John Sheridan.

The two teams meet on Easter Monday in a League One relegation six-pointer that could prove pivotal in both teams’ aspirations to remain in the third tier.

Although the Brewers are currently wading their way through a four-game winless run, Hasselbaink’s side had previously chained six consecutive wins together that rocketed them up out of the bottom four.

But despite an extraordinary run of form, Sheridan is aware Town’s upcoming opposition will know they are not yet over the line, and a victory over a relegation rival will be all the motivation they need come Monday afternoon.

Discussing Burton’s drastic change of fortunes since the turn of the year, Sheridan said: “They’ve brought a few players in, and six or seven games ago they went on a really good run. I know they’ve not won their last few games, but it’s given them that opportunity and belief that they’re now a few points away from the bottom four where before they looked doomed.

“Full credit to the manager because he’s got them winning games, but they’ll still feel they’re in the mix.

“It’s a tough game for us, we’ll go there against a team that is around us, and we’ll look to see if we can gain an advantage or get closer to Burton.”

Despite a disappointing defeat against Blackpool on Good Friday, Sheridan says his team will travel to Derbyshire in good spirits, buoyed by recent away wins against Fleetwood Town and Bristol Rovers.

The pair of league victories doubled Town’s away success tally for the season, and Sheridan admits he is “praying” his side can continue their good fortune on the road during the remaining eight games this season.

Speaking prior to the Good Friday defeat, Sheridan said: “They (Burton) will look at it as a game against a team that they can gain a massive advantage against.

“They’re at home so they’ll be expecting to win the game, but it’s a tough game. We’ll go there, after our last two away results, confident of picking something up from the game.

“I’m hoping and praying that this is the time for us to start winning four or five games. There’s still a long way to go – eight games – and there’s plenty of points to play for.

“No matter who we’re playing against, we’ve got to go in believing we can win the game.”