Bring on Birmingham City. Brentford keep marching right on! Saturday’s 3-2 defeat of Preston North End saw it 7(seven) games unbeaten in the Championship and 13 points out of the last 21. Our third win over this period saw the Bees move to within six points of the play off zone. Although with the bottom three the same distance behind us, things are still far too tight to be getting too excited. In either direction.
Preston away was always going to be a tough one. With Dean Smith changing his team once more, as he has done every game this season, Romaine Sawyers was dropped to the bench in favour of Kamohelo Mokotjo. But whilst the team was different, the outcome was the same. More goals and more points for Brentford.
As ever, the BBC, Beesotted, ‘official’ etc are your places for the full match report. Or you could catch the highlights on the internet c/o Sky – at least until the league allow the club to do their thing at mid-day. Yet what you get are another goal for Nico Yennaris (that’s four now) and Romaine Sawyers hitting a beauty from the edge of the box to restore our lead in the second half.
The sun is now past the yard arm
There was no irony lost in it being a year to the day since Brentford had beaten QPR at Loftus Road and he’d scored an absolute wonder goal that night. Twelve months later and another netbuster. Whilst it wasn’t quite in the same ball park, it was still a delicious strike. How nice to see Romaine continue to prove all the doubters wrong. He took an inordinate and unfair amount of flak last season. Some fans should now be eating humble pie.
Equally pleasing is being able to see our goals/shots ratio creeping up. A lot had been made in the opening phase of the season about how we’d had the most attempts of any Championship club despite failing to find the back of the net as frequently. 13 goals over the current unbeaten run certainly suggests this stat is changing for the better.
Yet the pick of the goals was, in my opinion, the third. “An absolute peach from a coaching point of view .” Not my words but those of BBC Billy Reeves as he probed head coach Dean Smith after the game. A beautiful exchange of passes at speed between Kamo and Flo Jo saw Preston carved open as easily as a Halloween pumpkin. The move culminated in the Dutch master delivering a ball across the face of the box which Ollie Watkins slid home.
Ollie, Flo Jo and Lasse celebrate a wonderful winner for the Bees
Three more points and Brentford continuing to impress. The only sour note being the foul on Nico Yennaris that saw the player poleaxed by Jordan Hugill before going off after a lengthy period of treatment. Dean Smith would tell Billy in the aforementioned interview that : “For me its a possible red card because he could easily have got out the way, He’s dipped his shoulder into Nico’s head.”
More importantly, confirming that Nico is ok. Although with a similar injury being suffered by Henrik Dalsgaard recently he also added somewhat tongue-in-cheek that : “I spoke to the players earlier. A few of them have got be able to take one on the chin and not go down.”
Yet it wouldn’t be a Billy Reeves interview without him asking what the fans wanted to hear. There’s no sycophancy when the BBC man has the mic in his hand. And its why we love him so much. Master of the gentle probe, he gets the answers to the questions we all want to know. And there’s only been one subject on everyone’s lips this week. “10 times better” Birmingham City. Not my words but those of Harlee Dean etc etc etc
Billy cut to the chase. As he does. “For the fans, and maybe yourself, Wednesday’s a grudge match, isn’t it?”
Deans’ answer was as expected. “No, It’s just another game” and was meet with an immediate retort. “No, it isn’t”, pushed back Billy . At the same time echoing exactly what every Brentford supporter is thinking at the moment.
The man is a national treasure. A cat playing with a mouse. And whilst Dean’s answer was ever professional, we all know full well what is at stake this Wednesday. Not just three points but consummate bragging rights. The chance to really try and prove something. Not just following that deadline day triple transfer swoop but, probably of greater ire to supporters, Harlee Dean’s nonsensical claim this week about the current Birmingham City squad compared to our own from 2014/15.
DO listen to Billy’s interview. Not just for the probing but for Dean’s responses. Our Head Coach really is in good form at present. Not surprising, given the results. And with games against Birmingham and then Leeds United to come, things could get even more exciting.
But so is Billy. We are undeniably fortunate to have a local journalist who is a true fan. Somebody who asks the same questions that suporters would if we were lucky enough to be in his position. There’s no clickbait grabbing gumph lifted from twitter and padded out into a ‘story’ . Just a steel fist wrapped up in the most delicate of sik gloves, using the microphone like some form of journalistic broadsword to cut straight to the heart of the matter.
Here’s to Wednesday night. Whilst the players will, no doubt, be as level headed as ever, expect our fans to have an extra level of bite to them. And, perhaps, more of Billy’s oh so gentle probing.
It’s going to be fun.
Billy – the Bard of Brentford did his thing quite superbly. Again
Nick Bruzon
BrentfordFC 
What a fantastic result, but even more promising is that for the second time in two games we didnt cave in when our opponents came back at us. That ugly stat of not winning a game after taking the lead has finally been put to bed, and this possibly the best of the lot so far. So good to see Nico up and about, even though he looks a little groggy in the pic posted on Twitter this morning. Nico is having his best season so far and look forward to his return soon.
Your so right about Billy. the man is a legend. Although im no longer a subscriber to the commentary service, I used to enjoy his rather unique commentary style. His style high camp at times made listening easy even at games when watching was less than easy. And have you noticed how the word ‘denouement’ appears to have entered the swathes of bland commenatators vocabulary?
I am still (just about ) a subscriber to the commentary service but am very frustrated by the “teething problems “since the switch from I player
to “I follow” Any complaints are met with “a brick wall”i
Talking of people eating humble pie,how about those indulging in hysterical over-reaction when the sales to Birmingham took place.Anyone would have thought that the season was doomed…..
I’m not sure you can strictly compare the two. The campaign against Romaine was unrelenting and unfair. It was consistent over a number of months and for home fans to sarcastically applaud the substitution off of one of our own players is a pretty poor show.
Simultaneously selling Jota, Maxime and Harlee to the same club, out of nowhere, on the last day of the window, produced the natural emotional response from many. Myself included. We’ve long been a selling club and finally looked as though we might be really building something. At a time when from wasn’t great, to lose two of our best performers along with the player of the year was, understandably, a decision which upset many.
There was an immediacy of action and response there. Romaine copped dogs’ abuse last season, very harshly.
Further to my “whinge” about the “i follow” commentary service (?) above,I would like to say how delighted I was with the Bees resolute performance and the 3 away points Desperate for a repeat performance against Birmingham on Wednesday.