Brentford 1 – 2 Boro

Brentford Middlesbrough
Judge 75′ Hugill
Tavernier
56′
61′
Possession
Shots
On target
Corners
Fouls
69%
17
9
9
6
Possession
Shots
On target
Corners
Fouls
31%
11
4
4
11

Tavernier stings Bee Keeper

Redcar Red reports on Boro’s victory at Griffin Park…

Marvin Johnson had ensured that the Blades stayed beneath Boro thanks to his late slip up in the early kick off but after that the rest of the afternoon went pear shaped results wise. The other runners in the Championship promotion race had all won with Norwich destroying Swansea in South Wales and Leeds getting a late upper hand against a ten man Bristol side. Derby had edged out Wednesday and Forest beat Hull away.

There was an understandable heavy air at Griffin Park and proceedings had a sombre start as a minutes applause was held for Robert Rowan the Bee’s Technical Director who sadly passed away last week of heart failure at the untimely age of 28.

During the week Bees Manager Thomas Frank believed that his side had enough quality to cause Boro a few problems. That claim would have come as good news to the understandably sceptical Brentford fans who haven’t enjoyed their football lately with four defeats and one win in their last five games and in fact they had only won one game in their last ten Championship outings. Those stats weren’t helped no doubt by the recent departure of former Bees Boss Dean Smith to Villa.

Brentford hadn’t beaten Boro in the League since before World War Two which for Boro fans is the sort of stat we don’t like hearing in fear of the inevitable Typical Boro curse. December 1938 was the last time Bees fans last celebrated a league victory over Boro. The team speculation around Boro this afternoon centred around would TP play with three big lads at the back with Dael and George out wide or would he stick with a back four and if so would it be Ayala or Batth starting? For Brentford both Said Benrahma and Ollie Watkins were on the treatment table and Romaine Sawyers suspended after collecting a fifth yellow of the season. Kamohelo Mokotjo was also a big doubt and due to have a late fitness test ahead of the game.

Team news came out around half past four and our answer was four at the back with Ayala benched but the big surprise was that Tavernier was starting in place of Braithwaite with the Dane not even making the bench . Top scorer Neal Maupay made the Brentford starting eleven and as expected Mokotjo was deemed unfit. The omission of Braithwaite seemed a strange one given his good form lately on International duty but TP had at least been true to his word in “hitting the ground running” with Tav’s inclusion.

An “enthusiastic” Friend throw in in the opening seconds and a resulting mix up nearly allowed Brentford an early break. A minute later Tav was involved in our first foray as he fizzed a fierce cross across the Brentford goal which just evaded Downing on the far side of the box as Boro built up pressure. Besic then collected a sloppy ball in the Brentford defence and advanced getting off his shot which was deflected wide for a corner from which Flint had a great chance but his shot went well over never troubling Bentley in goal. In a mad moment Friend cleared out Canos with a gentle forearm, brought the ball into the middle of the pitch, calm and collected then bizarrely passed it back to Flint but in doing so inadvertently set up Maupay. That comedy of errors was returned by Bentley seconds later when pressured by the charging Hugill into conceding a throw.

As the game drifted towards the quarter hour mark the tempo slowed a bit, Boro retreated and allowed Brentford a bit of possession. Brentford were passing the ball around slickly but couldn’t unpick the Boro back line. The white shirts of Boro built an attack but disappointingly petered out when Clayts over hit a long ball that went straight out near the corner flag. Things got a bit scrappy now and Brentford were looking as though they might just cause a few problems but then a cleared ball out from the back from Tav to Besic saw him play a slide rule pass for Hugill to run onto and bring a strong save out of Bentley as he ran in one on one on the Bees keeper. A good passage of build-up play then saw Tav play Besic in again on the edge of the box but he fluffed his lines and was lucky to avoid a booking as he chased back and tackled Canos just over the half way line to retrieve the situation. Friend then also came close to be the first to enter Ref John Brook’s book as he pulled back an opponent after being skinned. Jordan Hugill however was to become the first to that “honour” just a minute later as his outstretched arm caught Mepham in the face. As Brentford kept possession and probed Moses Odubajo came closest to opening the scoring with a long range effort forcing Randolph to tip over comfortably.

A Downing Corner just after the half hour mark saw Flint fly in with Batth right behind him just failing to get his head to it. Eight minutes later and a free kick for a foul on Tav saw a Downing ball again evade Flint but this time Batth connected but his header went wide despite Fry straining his neck muscles to redirect it. A Brentford counter attack was tracked all the way by Clayts who never gave up on his man and was immediately on top of him preventing a cut back cross. From the corner Downing played a ridiculous ball back to Fry when defending under pressure which set up Brentford as it failed to reach Dael. The resultant corner was fortunately cleared again and the half ended as it had begun 0-0.

No changes at half time and the game started the way the first half had ended with both sides passing the ball around and not making much progress until a glancing looping header from Hugill restated Boro’s intentions. Flint was then adjudged to have wrestled Maupay to the floor as the ball was hoofed up field this time by Brentford and the French Striker went down in a very theatrical face holding fashion ensuring Aden received a yellow card.

Eight minutes after Flint’s card, advantageous attacking play from Besic collecting the ball thirty yards out saw a peach of a ball played into Howson in the middle of the Bees box, chesting it down he poked it through to Hugill poaching on the corner of the six yard box to silence Griffin Park with a goal. Jordan’s “industrious” display (or agricultural to some) paid dividends two games running to put Boro one up. Brentford were then fired up and suddenly Randolph was back in focus, required to replicate his heroics of the last fortnight with the Republic of Ireland as Judge and then Canos forced Darren into saves and then Maupay fired into the side netting as the Bees were not going to give up on this.

Confidence brimming Hugill had another chance but this time the nervy Bentley was equal to it preventing the loanee Hammer from doubling his tally. A well worked piece of tight interplay between Downing and Fry saw Dael float in a precision cross which had Hugill coming across from the far post receiving the Brentford defenders attention only for Tav to time a run to microsecond perfection arriving as though it was a Hollywood computer generated image nodding home and putting Boro two up. Considering all the reasons TP had put him in the side his heading ability probably wasn’t one but I’m sure it won’t be a problem plus Dael Fry’s crossing ability won’t have gone unnoticed either!

The Bees nest was well and truly poked and they were now swarming all over Boro and our hitherto defensive composure was looking susceptible. Randolph half dealt with an effort then spilled it then recovered his error but spilled it again as the home side were now throwing the proverbial kitchen sink at us. We were looking really rattled for the first time in the game and I’m sure the Brentford fans were asking why did they have to go two down before they stared to play?

Maupay got a header in which was directed straight at Randolph to keep our goal intact. It was all getting a bit frantic from a Boro perspective and a Tavernier break and cross to Hugill came to nothing. Then it was our turn to sweat again as Canos shot straight at Randolph at the other end. Boro were creaking, being exposed and two minutes later a short, one two corner presented Judge with a shooting opportunity on the edge of the Boro box. He wasn’t closed down quickly enough by Besic and his shot literally flew past four White Boro shirts as it found its way in the corner of Randolph’s goal. Two one now and it was game back on with a quarter of an hour remaining. Canos then fired another shot straight at Randolph with ten minutes still to tick down.

In an effort to bolster things and add a bit of fresh legs into the flagging midfield TP sent Saville on for Besic. Brentford were now desperately pushing for the elusive equaliser and Boro hearts were in mouths. DaSilva let fly and in what seemed like slow motion, Randolph to all intents and purposes was well beaten but somehow stretched an arm out to get a strong palm against all odds to push the fiercely hit shot behind the post. That signalled another pair of fresh legs as Lewis Wing came on for Downing with three minutes of normal time remaining.

The Shildon sensation was nearly on the score sheet after Saville scrapped for a lost ball and winning out against the odds cut back in from the touchline and crossed to Wing who connected but the ball spun to the right of Bentley’s upright and the opportunity to put the game to bed was spurned. Thankfully it wasn’t to prove costly as the whistle went shortly afterwards and despite the late Brentford onslaught Boro held on for all three points and jump back into second spot again two points behind Norwich.

Job done even if it was a bit of a rollercoaster at times, MOM had a few contenders, Randolph for his save, Tavernier for his goal and overall game, George Friend for his endeavours in the first half but once again it has to be Clayts for fighting, battling, never giving up and never giving in.

If you wish to leave a comment about Redcar Red’s match report please return to the Week 17 discussion page