FADING FORSS
Marcus & Co could miss out
BEES LOSE THEIR STING Toney (right) and Forss (below) both blew big chances for Brentford
MARCUS FORSS missed the big chance to put automatic promotion back in Brentford’s own hands.
Thomas Frank called his side’s fifth draw in six games a missed opportunity.
They now sit eight points behind Watford with a game in hand.
But the gap could have been closer if Forss had not hit the side-netting when clean through against a dogged Millwall.
Bees boss Frank said: “We need to do better.
“We did not have a huge amount of chances but I would back Marcus Forss to put that one in the back of the net any day. Our performance was flat, definitely, but it was not due to a lack of passion, will, hard work or attitude.
“Our final decision, touch, shot was not sharp enough on the day. It is a third clean sheet in a row but there is that extra noise in our head because Watford lost, so it feels like a missed opportunity.”
This was supposed to be the game that Ivan Toney became only the fourth player to score 30 or more goals in a Championship season, after Lee Hughes of West Brom, Portsmouth’s Guy Whittingham and Glenn Murray at Crystal Palace. As it turned out he was the only Bees player to manage a shot on target.
He should have had a tap in as early as the 20th minute, but Forss’ cross fell just behind him. It meant the division’s top scorer had to wait until the 83rd minute for his big half chance.
Toney latched onto Forss’ flick on but was denied by Bartosz Bialkowski’s brave save at his feet. Forss should have put the Bees ahead on 49 minutes but sliced his shot into the side-netting after a surging run into the box.
Millwall had the best chances of the first half, both of which fell to Scott Malone.
He volleyed over Danny McNamara’s fifth-minute cross, then had his shot from a tight angle saved by David Raya.
The visitors could have won it at the death but McNamara failed to pick out the unmarked striker Jon Dadi Bodvarsson in injury time cross.
Lions boss Gary Rowett said: “We started really well and had two good chances for Scotty Malone.
“To come away with a clean sheet and Bart having one save to make the whole game, it was a good performance.”
BRENTFORD: Raya 6; Jansson 7, Norgaard 7, Pinnock 7; Roerslev (Canos 71) 5, Jensen (Ghoddos 71) 5, Janelt 5, Fosu 6 (Marcondes 74), Mbeumo 6, Toney 7, Forss 6.
Unused subs: Daniels, Goode, Sorensen, Pressley, Stevens, Bidstrup.
MILLWALL: Bialkowski 7; McNamara 6, Cooper 7, Pearce 7, M Wallace 6, Malone 7; Woods 7, Evans 6 (Mitchell 79), Kieftenbeld 7; J Wallace 7 (Burey 90), Bennett 7 (Bodvarsson 79).
Fielding, Williams, Bradshaw, Ferguson, Romeo, Mahoney.