Brentford’s second win of the Christmas program has certainly put a smile on the faces of fans – victories over Norwich and Aston Villa were the perfect gift and have set things up perfectly for another big match against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.
Griffin Park proved the perfect back drop on Boxing Day for a really entertaining clash between two decent teams… a lot of the post match talk has been about how poor Villa were on the night, despite the fact they created enough chances to have won the game on another day, however, it was refreshing to hear the pundits credit Dean Smith’s side and the sense of adventure and creativity be praised by fans of both camps.
In truth, Brentford weren’t at their very best to beat Steve Bruce’s Villa, but it was great to see fortune favour the brave once more and a couple of marginal decisions go our way… Scott Hogan’s disallowed goal being a prime example.
Sergi Canos epitomised the Bees’ spirit and he was central to almost everything… and only denied a stunning goal by the width of the cross bar and a last ditch tackle… but there were standout performances all over the pitch… with Chris Mepham (bar one moment) looking at home alongside Bjelland at centre back.
The Bees goals came via Romain Sawyers, who rifled home from the edge of the area are being set up by Ryan Woods, and Lasse Vibe, who pounced in the area following a poorly defended corner… but Villa had pulled things level to show that things wouldn’t go all the home team’s way.
And despite bossing the second half, the all-important third Bees goal failed to materialise, meaning two heart-stopping moments had to be endured before the final whistle sounded and another big scalp could be nailed to the Griffin Park floodlights.
Brentford fans are used to the back-handed compliments that usually follow a victory against one of the more fancied sides in the Championship, to be honest our collective dark sense of humour thrives on the ‘tin pot’ mentality shown by others, however, I will personally never tire of the humble, intelligent and grounded way that our players react to victory.
Let’s hope we witness yet more festive frivolity on Saturday when Sheffield Wednesday come to town.
Dave Lane
@beesotted100
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