Fletcher musters miracle
BAFFLED MONK: I’D HAVE USED SEVEN SUBS IF I COULD
STEVEN FLETCHER took his tally to four goals in two matches as Sheffield Wednesday put their off-field woes behind them to stun Brentford.
Wednesday are on a collision course with the EFL after angrily rejecting a charge that they sold Hillsborough to club owner Dejphon Chansiri in order to get round spending rules.
But Garry Monk’s side brushed aside the threat of a points deduction to bring Brentford back to earth – a week after the Bees had beaten Luton 7-0.
And Fletcher’s two goals in four second-half minutes were the key to digging out a victory after a woeful Wednesday display in the opening 45 minutes.
Wednesday boss Garry Monk (right) said: “We were so poor in the first half that if I could have used all seven substitutes, I would have done. But all credit to the players for the way they came back after being at nowhere near our usual levels.
“They showed great character in the way they turned the game around.”
Brentford looked to be well on course for victory as they led through Bryan Mbeumo’s glancing header from a Josh Dasilva corner just before the half-hour mark – and the way they tossed the game away left their boss Thomas Frank scratching his head.
Frank said: “It just goes to show, anything can happen in the Championship.
“We were in control of the game in the first half, and we were giving nothing away
“But then we allowed them to put more pressure on us. Even so, we still should have got something from the game.”
Mbeumo should have scored moments before his goal when he bounced a volley wide from speedy left-back Rico Henry’s cross on the run.
But Wednesday showed a massive improvement after Jordan Rhodes replaced the ineffective Atdhe Nuhiu at the break – with most of their chances falling to Fletcher.
The striker was just wide with an overhead kick after chesting down Morgan Fox’s left-wing cross with his back to goal, and then Jacob Murphy produced a weak finish – allowing Henry to block – after being played in by Kadeem Harris.
Fletcher got in behind the Brentford defence by collecting goalkeeper Cameron Dawson’s punt downfield and racing towards goal, but David Raya beat away his angled shot.
Then he dived in to head wide from 10 yards after getting free to latch on to Barry Bannan’s free-kick.
Wednesday kept pressing and were rewarded with just over 20 minutes to go when Henry inexplicably handled Harris’s cross, allowing Fletcher to score from the resulting penalty.
Harris was involved again as Fletcher got his second soon after, with the striker controlling the winger’s cross on his chest before bundling his shot under the keeper.
Brentford’s Algerian dangerman Said Benrahma went close in the final minute with a 25-yard drive that whizzed just wide.
SHEFF WED: Dawson 6, Odubajo 5, Iorfa 6, Lees 6, Fox 6, Murphy 6 (Reach 63, 6), Hutchinson 6 (Luongo 78), Bannan 7, Harris 7, Fletcher 8, Nuhiu 4 (Rhodes 46, 7).
Subs not used: Jones, Lee, Borner, Pelupessy.
BRENTFORD: Raya 7, Roerslev 7, Jeanvier 7, Pinnock 7, Henry 6, Mokotjo 6 (Jensen 71, 6), Norgaard 7, Dasilva 6, Mbeumo 5, Watkins 5, Benrahma 6.
Subs not used: Daniels, Thompson, Sorensen, Zamburek, Oksanen, Mogensen.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Steven Fletcher. Scotland forward was rewarded for a busy display with two goals.
REFEREE: Dean Whitestone 6.