MOKO: BEES CAN KEEP ON BUZZING
BRENTFORD midfielder Kamohelo Mokotjo warned the rest of the Championship: Just you wait until we hit our stride.
A seven-match unbeaten run has taken the Bees up to 18th place with confidence high after this brilliant win at Deepdale.
And South Africa’s Mokotjo said: ”We’re looking forward to the games ahead.
“We feel we haven’t reached our full potential yet but we fully believe in each other and what we’re doing. Every game is important for us.
“I’m very proud of the boys and the spirit they showed. We’ve shown plenty of character during this run. There’s no secret to success, you have to work hard and the results will follow.”
Nico Yennaris put Dean Smith’s men ahead but was then knocked out and replaced at half-time.
Sean Maguire levelled for Alex Neil’s side before Romaine Sawyers (celebrating, above) restored the Bees’ lead. North End levelled again through Tom Barkhuizen, but Ollie Watkins’ strike won it for the London club.
Maguire, who was making his return from a hamstring injury, admitted: “We didn’t do enough to hurt them in the final third of the pitch. We got two good goals but to be honest we’re disappointed all round.
“My legs were starting to tire after 60-70 minutes and that’s probably due to not training much for the last couple of weeks. Both hamstrings were cramping up.
“The gaffer asked me if I had much left and I told him it was probably best coming off.” READING put in another horror show to heap more pressure on manager Jaap Stam.
The blood and gore came from a clash of heads between Royals defenders Liam Moore and a badly concussed Tiago Ilori (stretchered off, right) – the latter thankfully later released from hospital.
Yet another bad injury was the last thing the Berkshire club needed after a terrible follow-up season to last term’s play-off final campaign.
This defeat made it one win in nine for the Royals, and saw Stam almost daring the club’s Chinese owners to sack him in the aftermath.
Sone Aluko, a £6.5million summer signing from Fulham, backed the manager.
He said: “It is always a kneejerk reaction in football to change the manager after a few bad results.
“But there is no guarantee that will change anything. The manager was a big factor in me