Brentford produced a typically spirited performance in the championship playoff first leg at Griffin Park, but find themselves having to go to Middlesbrough and win in the return leg after a 2-1 defeat.
Brentford dominated for large periods of the match and once again bossed the possession stats, but slack marking (for the first goal) and a lucky deflection in the last minute (for the winner) saw the home side concede either side of Andre Grey’s equaliser.
A packed Griffin Park crowd witnessed an end to end game in which both sides carved out decent chances, but Brentford were clearly not phased by the magnitude of the occasion, and Boro, who hacked their way cynically through the match, are unlikely to be taking anything for granted just yet.
Boro took the lead on 26 minutes when Jelle Vossen headed Adam Clayton’s cross home unmarked and went in a goal to the good at the break, but the home side came out of the traps quickly in the second half and we’re back on terms within ten minutes.
Tireless work by Andre Gray was rewarded when he robbed goalkeeper Dimi Konstantopoulos on the edge of the area before calmly rolling the ball into the empty net to send Griffin Park wild.
David Button then pulled off a world class save, and at the other end, Gray blazed over while Jonathan Douglas went close with a couple of headers.
The matched looked to be heading for a draw, which was the least Brentford deserved on the night, but there was to be a twist in the tail deep into injury time – Amorebieta’s deflected shot finding the bottom corner to inflict a harsh defeat.
The Bees almost produced a second equaliser in the dying seconds which went agonisingly close, but despite the defeat, Mark Warburton and the players know they are capable of causing Boro all kinds of trouble at the Riverside in the return match, and this tie is far from over.
The Bees have won away at big stadiums up and down the country this season – they now need to produce one more special performance to keep this dream alive.
Dave Lane
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