THIRD SEASON: LAST GASP CATCH-UP
Brentford 2, AFC Bournemouth 2: September 2, 2023
The good news was that the Bees’ unbeaten record in this fledgling Premier League season remained intact. The bad news is that missed chances and a collection of defensive errors meant only a late, late show of Bryan Mbeumo’s undoubted talent enabled them to pocket a point.
For the uncommitted fan, there was much to admire in this late summer contest at the Gtech Community Stadium. Bournemouth, with only a point gathered from the three games played prior to this one, offered a lesson in immaculate passing that often had the home defence scuttling about like headless chickens in their own penalty area.
Brentford, meanwhile, scored an early goal, conceded the equaliser on the half-hour and managed to survive some slick attacking play from Bournemouth that left one wondering why they had fared so poorly so far.
But, first, the Bees had taken the lead after seven minutes when Matthias Jensen flighted a swerving free kick from near a corner flag to a bamboozled Brazilian keeper Neto, who could not prevent the ball crossing his goal-line before he bundled it away. For undisclosed reasons, the goal-scoring wristwatch of referee Robert Madley failed to function, so, despite Leno’s limp protestations, Jensen chased down the referee to ensure justice was done.
Leno thwarted with one leg another Brentford attack and Kevin Schade was unlucky when he ran clear only to see his shot diverted on to a goalpost. Bournemouth gained in confidence, however, and after half-an-hour Dominic Solanke seized on to a Marcos Senesi pass and made ground before firing past Mark Flekken, nutmegging returnee from injury Ben Mee on the way.
A bonus for the paying customers – those of the red and white variety – came during half-time when Neal Maupay, clad in a no. 7 shirt, took to the pitch to say hello to the crowd. The signature on the contract for him to rejoin the club, initially on lone, was hardly dry and the news so fresh that even those who sometimes offered ribald criticism during his previous stay with the Bees were gracious in their welcoming. If he can regain his goal-scoring skill, the reasonable cost of his transfer will be a good investment.
Fortunately, as so often happens, the home side pepped up after the break, but despite dominating the play could not find their way to goal. Two more efforts that met nothing but the woodwork– Wissa and sub Lewis-Potter were the other unlucky strikers – and a glaring miss by Mbeumo when faced by a gaping net were disappointments.
But then, after 77 minutes, calamity! Rico Henry, running at what seems the speed of light, paused to play the ball back to Flekken but gave it a gentle push rather than the firm thump it required. Tavernier intercepted and fed midfielder David Brooks for him to beat Flekken easily.
The shock of falling behind in the game was compounded by the error having been committed by Rico Henry. Surely not? Rico does not make errors, especially those of the careless category.
Bournemouth, being within almost tangible distance of winning their first game of the season, set about filling the remaining 13 or so precious minutes. This earned Neto a yellow card for time wasting and visiting new head coach Andoni Iraola the same for heaven knows what, but something to which Mr Madley took exception. The clock, presumably not the one in Mr Madley’s possession earlier, was ticking. Six extra minutes to play, but Mbeumo, doubtless still smarting from his sloppy marksmanship of before, needed only three.
Nathan Collins supplied the through ball that saw Mbeumo shake off Milos Kerkez and turn sweetly before bearing down on the advancing Neto and shooting past him. Thomas Frank, loyal as ever to his squad, looked as pleased as the sucker punch that robbed the visitors of three points.
Well, Mbeumo, Wissa and now Maupay might be a potent trio, I said later to my mate Charlie.
‘Bryan, Maupay and Wissa?’ answered Charlie, taking liberties with the names, ‘It’s BMW all over again.’
Brentford: Flekken; Hickey (sub Olakigbe 82), Pinnock, Mee (Collins 81), Henry; Jensen (Ajer 71), Nørgaard, Janelt (Onyeka 71); Mbeumo, Wissa, Schade (Lewis-Potter 71).
AFC Bournemouth: Neto; Aarons, Zabarni; Senesi, Kerkez; Christie (Mepham 87); Cook, Semenyo (Brooks 60); Billing, Kluivert (Tavernier 71); Solanke.
THIRD SEASON: FIRST DEFEAT…
Newcastle 1, Brentford 0; September 16, 2023
With Newcastle nursing the memories of three consecutive defeats, and the Bees so far unbeaten – only one victory in a cluster of draws, however – the smart money had to be on the visitors correcting the 5-1 drubbing handed out to them at St James’ Park last term. Which only goes to show that the smart money isn’t always so brilliant when the contest hits the fans.
Pretty, it wasn’t, with the only difference between two sides struggling for superiority a penalty that left Thomas Frank shaking his head in despair. ‘We have a keeper clearly pulling out and a player cleverly letting his leg hang out,’ the Brentford head coach later told the BBC. We know what you mean, Thomas: Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon manoeuvred himself into a position where keeper Mark Flekken, flailing unsuccessfully on the edge of his area, was bound to bring him down.
VAR was not consulted, much to Frank’s irritation, and referee Craig Pawson had no hesitation in awarding a penalty which was despatched with panache by the always threatening Calum Wilson.
The game had started so well for the Bees, pressing enthusiastically to the discomfort of a side that seemed to have forgotten the discipline and flair that last season saw them finish fourth in the League. But chances were rare for either side, even after the Magpies presented a much more cohesive outfit after the interval.
The goal after 64 minutes, plus another denied by VAR and some nifty bouts of accurate passing by the home side resulted in Frank using all five substitutions, most interestingly when Kevin Schade and Neal Maupay – the latter making his first appearance since rejoining the club – were deployed for the final 18 minutes.
But they made little difference to a Newcastle defence that smothered their best efforts, causing the Bees to slip from fifth to eleventh in the League table.
Brentford: Flekken; Hickey (sub Lewis-Potter, 82), Collins, Pinnock, Mee (Maupay, 72), Henry (Roerslev 42); Jensen, Nørgaard (Onyeka 72), Janelt (Schade 72); Mbeumo, Wissa.
THIRD SEASON… THE SECOND DEFEAT
Brentford 1, Everton 3; September 23, 2023
The first omen of the day arrived in the match programme, where Alex Lawes warned that beating struggling Everton might not be as straightforward as form and the League table suggest. Then, in the warm-up, Kevin Schade took a tumble and received treatment on the pitch before disappearing at a limp towards the dressing room. Uh, oh!
If one was to count the devastating injury suffered by Rico Henry at Newcastle, this made a hat-trick of bad luck (a quartet if including the renewed injury problem of Ben Mee), which as anyone’s superstitious mum would tell them, signalled potential disaster. Never doubt the foresight of those superstitious mothers.
When the football got underway, it was as bad as it has been in the Bees’ two-and-a-bit years in the top flight, even if the sound of the kick-off whistle had barely faded before a splendid run down the left by Aaron Hickey ended only when ex-England international Ashley Young dumped him effectively, but illegally, on to the turf. Most encouraging for the home crowd, but it was a long haul to the next occasion when Hickey or any other Brentford player caused the Everton defence any disquiet.
Everton, on the other hand, seemed to be punching holes in the home defence at will and six minutes from the start went into the lead. Abdoulaye Doucouré, hard to pronounce but a classy performer, had already burst through a defence as if it was made of paper and, blow me, he did it again, this time beating Mark Flekken with a radar-accurate shot inside the far post.
Doucouré almost repeated the exercise, rattling the crossbar, before Brentford bounced back. Well, not exactly bounced, but produced a flash of class that saw Vitaly Janelt’s accurate pass find Matthias Jensen in position to clip the ball into goal with the help of a post. A long examination of VAR ended with confirmation of the goal’s validity.
What a different a goal makes, we thought, as Brentford eased their way back into the game, but after the break Everton resumed their dominance. With the Bees having to overcome bouts of collywobbles every time the visitors broke out of their own half, it became more likely that of the two sides it was Everton that were the best bet to score again.
Sure enough, on 66 minutes they did so, rubbing in the indignity of a probable home defeat by having captain James Tarkowski – his determined campaign to win departure from this parish to join Burnley all those years ago still rankles with Bees’ fans with long memories – to win the ball unchallenged and head it powerfully and accurately wide of Flekken,
By now the Everton supporters were whipping themselves into a frenzy of singing and chanting, Brentford, on the other hand, restricted themselves to cries of frustration and increasing shuffling of the feet that was to signal the departure of many before the end – a rarity seldom scene witnessed at the Gtech Community Stadium in its young life.
The shuffling of substitutes, frequently a ploy that produces recovery for the master of the craft, Thomas Frank, made little difference to the balance of play. Indeed, Everton, without a victory to their name prior to this visit, notched up a third goal, poached by Dominic Calvert-Lewis, himself a sub and a classy one at that.
Of the Bees, only Saman Ghoddos, tossed into the fray a couple of minutes after Everton’s third, tested the visitors as they coasted to a three-point victory. Ivan Toney, halfway through his suspension, was at the match with rumours of impending departure in the New Year swirling around him.
Arsenal visit the Gtech this week for an EFL Cup-tie; then Brentford play away at Nottingham Forest – one point and one place above them in the League table. Suddenly, the horizon looks bleak.
‘We played badly,’ said Frank, an honest man, after the defeat.
‘We struggled to do get to grips with the basics,’ said captain Christian Nørgaard.
‘Don’t ask!’ said my mate Charlie.
Brentford: Flekken; Roerslev (substitute Ajer 61), Collins, Pinnock, Hickey (sub Ghoddos 72); Jensen, Nørgaard, Janelt (sub Onyeka 73); Mbeumo, Wissa, Lewis-Potter (sub Olakigbe 89).
Everton: Pickford; Young, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Garner, Onana (sub Danjuma 77), Gueye, McNeil; Doucouré, Gomes (sub Calvert-Lewin 63).
Bill Hagerty is a contributing editor for the Chiswick Calendar website