TARKOWSKI: WE HAVE QUALITY TO GET TO WEMBLEY
IT WASN’T third-time lucky for Brentford against Middlesbrough, but James Tarkowski is still confident the Bees can have the last laugh this season.
Their play-off semi-final first leg defeat at Griffin Park was the third time Brentford have fallen to Middlesbrough this campaign.
Boro thrashed the Bees 4-0 at the Riverside in September and made it a double by triumphing 1-0 in London at the end of January.
In the previous two defeats the Bees had failed to score and after seeing that change on Friday night, Tarkowski is adamant his side can grab the only result that matters come the second leg.
“If they think the job’s done we’re happy to let them do that, but we know it’s not over yet.
“It’s only half-time and we can go and look to get a good result when we head up there,” he said.
“I think we know enough about them.
“We’ve played them three times now and we know how they’re going to approach us and how they set up against us.
“We know that we can be the best team in the league when we move the ball well and we need to do that again when we go back up there. I’d happily take getting beaten three times to go and win the one that puts us on course to a Wembley final.
“They’ve beaten us three times and especially on the last two occasions we didn’t deserve to get beat.
“We’ve played well enough but just not had that little bit of luck on our side.” While Middlesbrough hold a slim advantage ahead of the clash at the Riverside, skipper Grant Leadbitter insists no one will be thinking of Wembley just yet.
“It’s good to win any football game, but we know next week is going to be really tough,” said Leadbitter.
“Brentford are a good side and a good possession team. “We’ve got the advantage but we know next week is going to be just as tough, so we have to come out of the blocks as quick as we did on Friday night.
“We knew it was going to be a 180-minute game so we go into next week knowing we’ve got to be wary because Brentford are a good team – but we’ll be full of confidence.”