THIS TIME BEES GET LATE HIT TO ENJOY
THREE games into the new season and there’s already late drama at a Brentford game. Sound familiar? Substitute Farid El Alagui’s 95th minute volley deservedly earned the Bees a point at the MEMS Priestfield Stadium against a Gillingham side who looked to be on course for their first win of the campaign.
Yet given that El Alagui scored from one of the promotion-chasing side’s more technically challenging opportunities only served to outline the London club’s profligacy in the box.
“We talked about the same thing last season, that we’re not converting our good play into enough goals. We had enough chances,” said manager Uwe Rösler.
“I see the potential we have. The players are getting more games under their belt, they’re getting more experience and eventually we will score more goals.
“Everybody in our team knows we have to play better and be more dominant. We are not the finished article yet.
“We hit the target nine times from 20 attempts, but overall I think I’m disappointed with our performance.”
Frustrated, maybe, but the German needn’t be too concerned about his side’s away record of played two, drawn two.
The Bees dominated large periods of the game, and should have been in front before Adebayo Akinfenwa gave last season’s League Two champions a 40th minute lead after Danny Kedwell’s knock down.
Gillingham created little in the first half, but Kedwell, Charlie Lee and former Bees winger Myles Weston all squandered good chances within the space of a minute to double their advantage shortly after the hour mark.
As the game entered its final third, the visitors increased the pressure on a defence who had conceded five goals in their opening two league games, but without any reward.
Shaleum Logan headed into the side netting, and Clayton Donaldson was denied by Stuart Nelson before his goal-bound shot in injury time hit the post after Chris Whelpdale’s block.
However 20 minutes after coming on El Alagui struck after Harlee Dean headed down Adam Forshaw’s deep free kick into his path.
“You’re always disappointed to concede a goal, and if we had conceded with half an hour to go, it wouldn’t have felt like it feels now,” said Gillingham’s assistant manager John Schofield, who sat in for former Bees boss Martin Allen at the post-match press conference.
“Brentford are a highly-fancied team, but to us it’s irrelevant who are in the other dressing room.We have to perform our level, and if we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance of picking up points every week.
“I think we’ve done that. The intensity was there, the way we passed the ball and our tempo was there to be seen.
“We want to improve in every game we play, and that's what the players are working hard to do.” To comment on this match go to http://boards.footymad.net/