Robins braced for massive challenge against high-flying Bees
BRISTOL City could hardly be starting 2021 with a tougher challenge than a visit to take on Brentford at the new Brentford Community Stadium tomorrow.
The Bees stand second in the Championship table, are unbeaten in 15 games and showed their intent to win promotion this time around, after losing in the play-off final last season, by defeating highly-fancied Bournemouth 2-1 at home on Wednesday night. For good measure, Brentford are through to the Carabao Cup semifinals, having beaten Premier League Newcastle in the quarterfinals last week.
Brentford head coach Thomas Frank says the extra experience his players gained from last season’s brush with promotion has made them a better side. But he insisted the attitude, intensity and togetherness of his squad would always be underpinned by a humble approach which will keep their feet on the ground.
Frank watched the Bees come from behind to end Bournemouth’s eight-hour plus run without conceding in an enthralling win, after goals from Henrik Dalsgaard and Tariqe Fosu erned the three points following Dominic Solanke’s early opener.
“We might have gone 15 games unbeaten, but we are humble and we rely on togetherness because no team in the world will achieve anything if they are not together,” said the Dane.
“This group of players have been together for one-and-a-half years now. They had a fantastic season last time and were unlucky, but they are more experienced now individually and as a group and it shows in their performances.”
The Robins, meanwhile, have dropped to 10th in the table on the back of a run of four defeast in five games, although head coach Dean Holden felt his side were unlucky not to take something from the latest setback, a 2-1 reverse to Luton Town at Kenilworth Road on Tuesday.
Holden said: “We’ve lost some games this season that we deserved to lose. I don’t think that was one of them. We’ve created chances throughout the game, we’ve taken the game to Luton and we’ve ultimately lost it on two poor goals from our point of view - another set-piece, then the second goal, we got too deep from the goal-kick and we gave the ball away cheaply.”
Holden has seen his squad decimated by injuries this season, but is reluctant to use that as an excuse for the faltering form. He said: “It’s tough, of course it is. Take those first-team players out of any squad and it’d be tough. But at the same time, that’s what we’re dealt with and they’re the cards that we’ve got and we’ve got to use them as well as we can. The lads have given everything. We’ve got youngsters on the bench who’ve never been involved at this level before. It won’t be used as an excuse but it’s tough.”