1 min
Brentford’s automatic promotion hopes suffered another huge blow with a 0-0 stalemate against strugglers Birmingham City at the Brentford Community Stadium.
Despite the Bees starting brightly it was Birmingham who nearly took the lead inside the opening 15 minutes as a quick counter-attack resulted in Gary Gardner hitting the post from Scott Hogan’s cross.
At the other end, Brentford’s biggest chance of the half saw Vitality Janelt’s through ball find Sergi Canos through on goal, only for his dink over Birmingham keeper Neil Etheridge to go agonisingly wide.
Thomas Frank’s side applied further pressure after the interval with Ivan Toney meeting Canos’ flick only to be superbly denied by Etheridge.
Brentford continued to pile on the pressure for the rest of the half but Etheridge was equal to everything that came his way – Bryan Mbeumo having the best of the chances.
The result means Brentford have now failed to beat Birmingham in their last six meetings and remain nine points behind second-placed Watford, albeit with a game in hand.
Key Points
Check out all the key talking points and reaction from London Football Scene below…
Key Moment
Sergi Canos’ first-half miss when one-on-one with Birmingham keeper Neil Etheridge felt like a huge moment in not only the game but the promotion race as well.
Moan of the Match
Thomas Frank’s reluctance to make changes earlier, waiting until the 71st minute to bring on Saman Ghoddos and Emiliano Marcondes proved frustrating to watch.
Talking Point
Bryan Mbeumo looks like a player severely lacking in confidence – should Frank take him out of the limelight and turn to Tariqe Fosu-Henry for the next few games instead?
Man of the Match
Neil Etheridge – the Birmingham shot stopper’s excellent performance saw him keep out the league’s highest scorers in Brentford on multiple occasions.
Tweet of the Match
Referee Watch
Dean Whitestone (Northamptonshire) – in a game that had a total of 25 fouls it was quite surprising the official managed to keep his cards in his pocket.
Atmosphere
The Brentford faithful would’ve been hugely disappointed with their side’s performance, especially against an away side who failed to trouble keeper David Raya.
Verdict
It’s now four consecutive draws on the bounce for Thomas Frank’s Brentford. This run of form is not only not good enough for an automatic promotion assault but even more alarmingly not a top six showing either.
