First Home League Game Lost

Brentford's proud, long unbeaten home record came to an end with a whimper today when defensive aberrations led to a soft 2-1 defeat to a distinctly average Walsall team.

Brentford welcomed Alex McCarthy for his debut but the loan keeper gave a good early impression of Lewis Price when he came off his line dithered, never got near the ball and Nicholls accepted the gift with a neat lob.

Brentford looked good for the remainder of the first half with Alexander and MacDonald going close and their efforts were rewarded just before the interval when Simpson's excellent curling cross was converted by Gary Alexander who scored his first goal for the club.

Surely the Bees would go on to win the match particularly with Dave and Bean driving the team forward but they sleepwalked through the first 15 minutes of the second half and Pim's poor clearance was seized upon by the visitors and arch nemesis Darren Byfield's neat cross was easily converted by Julian Gray - another terrible goal to concede.

Myles Weston breathed life back into the Bees when he replaced Wood and there were near misses and decent saves by Brain but the Bees were tentative and their challenge petered out apart from a late flurry which saw Woodman's late free kick brilliantly saved by Brain's legs and Legge headed the corner fractionally wide.

There were some promising signs and decent approach work but the team still look like strangers and there is much hard work needed on the training ground to eradicate the daft defensive errors that cost the Bees all three points today.

With thanks to BIAS for their match report

August 25, 2010