Stanley halted a run of three successive league defeats with a draw in a heated encounter at the Pirelli Stadium.

The Reds had overcome the Brewers in their final game of 2019 with a 2-0 win but hadn’t won in the league since.

Burton, meanwhile, were on a run of three successive league victories as they challenged at the top end of the table.

Dion Charles gave the Reds an early lead but a John Brayford header meant it ended honours even.

Charles opened the scoring on 15 minutes when Sadou Diallo, playing in a more forward role, found Joe Pritchard who played the ball to Charles. The striker twisted and turned and fired past Kieran O’Hara for his eighth goal of the season.

Ben Barclay headed over a Pritchard cross soon after while Jordan Clark raced down the wing and into the area but fired wide as Stanley dominated the opening half hour.

Burton equalised in their first real attack on 30 minutes– it was an Oliver Sarkic corner and Brayford headed home to make it 1-1.

The Brewers then enjoyed a spell of pressure and could have had a second a minute later, Jamie Murphy firing off-target inside the area.

A Lucas Akins strike was wide after the frontman burst through while Stanley had a goal disallowed with Charles judged narrowly off-side after O’Hara had palmed out a Diallo shot.

The game erupted on the stroke of half-time when Mark Hughes ended up over the advertising hoardings after Ryan Edwards tried to get the ball off him for a Burton throw-in – both were shown yellow cards with Charles also entering the book for the same incident in a heated end to the half.

After the break, chances were limited for both sides.

Stanley keeper Joe Bursik again tried his luck with a free kick 20-yards out with O’Hara spilling the stopper’s effort but no white shirt could pounce on the rebound.

Stanley were then incensed by a high tackle on captain Seamus Conneely in midfield with Burton’s Steven Quinn shown a yellow card – the Reds bench felt it should have been more.

And Quinn’s next action, in the 65^th minute, was to fire narrowly wide of Bursik’s goal while, at the other end, Diallo scuffed an effort in a good position while both Clark and Conneely had chances blocked.

Ozzy Zanzala and Lamine Kaba Sherif both came on as the Reds looked for a winner but it ended all-square.