Solid Lions frustrate bland Bees
PR O M O T I O N - c h a s i n g Brentford wasted the chance to gain ground on second-placed Watford with a pallid performance against Millwall, a frustrated Thomas Frank admitted.
The Bees head coach said his side looked “flat” as they recorded their fifth draw in six games, but insisted the race for the top two would go down to the wire.
“We have said all along we will remain focused only on our next game because the momentum will shift from now to the end of the season,” the Dane said.
“There is a hurricane inside me but I try to stay calm because the team and I will only benefit from a cool head and warm heart.”
With the Hornets losing at local rivals Luton, it was set up for the Bees to turn the screw, but they failed to muster a single shot on goal. And it might have been even worse for the hosts if Danny McNamara’s low cross had been met by a Millwall striker at the death.
The visitors were the first to bare their teeth five minutes in, but Scott Malone couldn’t keep down his volley from McNamara’s cross.
It was a cat and mouse affair for much of the opening quarter with the visitors working hard to ask questions of the Bees’ new-look back three.
The Bees almost caught the visitors on the break after 20 minutes as Marcus Forss burst on to a through ball only to see his low cross deflected just behind Ivan Toney.
At the other end a whipped cross dropped to Malone, but keeper David Raya stretched to make a point-blank block.
The Lions were lucky to escape a strong penalty shout when Forss was hauled over by Jake Cooper at an inswinging corner, but referee Darren Bond waved away the protests.
Brentford midfielder Vitaly Janelt fired well over on the stretch after a Toney drive was blocked on the half-hour in an opening 45 minutes of few clear-cut chances.
Minutes after the restart Forss raced his way down the right and powered his way past the attentions of Malone only to fire a rising drive into the side netting.
Brentford dominated possession but failed to test keeper Bartosz Bialkowski until the 82nd minute when he dived at the feet of Toney after a clever Forss flick.
Top scorer Toney was forced to drop deeper and deeper into an already congested midfield to find the ball as Millwall defended resolutely.
The visitors might have snatched all three points deep into injury time when McNamara cut in from the right and fizzed a low cross across the face of goal.
Millwall boss Gary Rowett hailed his side’s “defensive diligence”.
“We moved the ball pretty well at times but you know when you come here that you have to be defensively diligent. The second half was tougher, but we could have nicked it,” he added.
“We came to a really tough place and we were very competitive. Now it’s about experimenting and preparing for next season.”