Brentford · 0 yrs
Brentford remain firmly in contention to secure a place in continental competition for the first time in their history, but Keith Andrews' side are stumbling towards the finishing line. The Bees will drop to ninth on Tuesday if Chelsea win their game in hand on their west London rivals - against struggling Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge. Having scored from their only attempt on target in the first half, Brentford looked on course for a limp defeat until a flurry of opportunities late in the match.
"Brave" is how Keith Andrews described Brentford's performance in Saturday's defeat at Manchester City and he was certainly right. Full-back Aaron Hickey made his first start since February after injury but not in the backline. City almost inevitably dominated early on but Brentford defended brilliantly, in no small part due to our formation - leading to City being booed off after a goalless first half.
When Tomas Soucek's effort grazed the post in the final stages of West Ham United's defeat at Brentford on Saturday afternoon, their supporters could've been forgiven for exchanging exasperated looks. The 3-0 scoreline at Gtech Community Stadium may point to a comfortable victory for Keith Andrews' Europe-chasing side, but it tells only half the story. Victory would have lifted West Ham five points clear of the bottom three, but instead they have left the door ajar for Tottenham to leapfrog them with victory at Aston Villa on Sunday night.
Brentford have defied expectations in their first season under Keith Andrews, but their home form - so impressive in the first half of the campaign - was starting to become a worry. The Bees rode their luck at times but, like West Ham, should have scored more, with Mikkel Damsgaard and Igor Thiago both missing clear chances. Sepp van den Berg flashed a header wide late in the first half, but El Hadji Malick Diouf's foul on Dango Ouattara - and Thiago's penalty - settled Brentford nerves.
