Brighton boss Gus Poyet is pinning his hopes on Saturday's 1-0 win over Hull being the turning point of the season for the south coast side.
Vicente Rodriguez's late free-kick was enough to send the Seagulls up to seventh in the Championship, two points outside the playoffs and eight behind their opponents.
"This was a proper game in this division and, with none of the top 12 winning, we hope it's a turning point in terms of victories," he said.
"I want us to be there at the beginning of April and it's totally up to us. It was important today and the players fought for it.
"It's there for us to take and we're going to try. Make no mistake, this was a big win."
Poyet reserved praise for Vicente, adding: "He's a game-changer. I thought about starting him. It was a late decision to have him on the bench and I'm delighted with the way he responded - the joy on his face was there for all to see.
"Hull were very organised and they said to us 'come and beat us'. The second half was very open. Is that the way I like my team to play all the time? No. But it was a great win for us."
Striker Billy Kee celebrated his return to the starting line-up in place of injured top scorer Calvin Zola with two clinical finishes in the 36th and 55th minutes.
The Brewers were a goal up when David Noble picked up his second yellow card on the stroke of half-time and after Kee's second Michael O'Connor saw red after bringing down Jacques Maghoma in the area.
But the visitors were spared a heavier defeat when Michael Symes' spot kick was saved by Andy Warrington.
The Burton boss said: "It was a brilliant result and I'm very proud of the lads.
"It's been an horrendous week in terms of preparation because apart from those who didn't play, we had four others who haven't trained and could have broken down at any minute.
"We knew that everyone would have to play their part because we knew it would be a competitive and aggressive game.
"I think you could argue that we had a little bit of fortune with the first sending off, but I think we earned that fortune with the hard work, the energy and the commitment that we showed.
"There were some immense performances out there and to preserve out wonderful home record was an absolutely monumental achievement.
"I think we've created a side that on its day is more than a match for any of the big guns in this division."
