Rovers’ first ever trip to the newly built Brentford Community Stadium saw an eventful 2-2 draw take place, as Tony Mowbray’s side once again left it late, for the second game in a row, in order to deny Brentford the homecoming that their fans had waited nigh-on nine months for.
As the Blues made their first of two trips down south this week, Tony Mowbray was able to welcome back the previously injured duo of Scott Wharton and Barry Douglas, as the pair were two of four changes to the Rovers starting side that began Wednesday’s dramatic 2-1 victory over Millwall at Ewood Park. Alongside the introductions of Wharton and Douglas, came Tom Trybull and Joe Rothwell, as the quartet replaced Daniel Ayala, Amari’i Bell, Lewis Holtby and Ben Brereton. The former trio all dropped to the bench, whilst Brereton, who was taken off with a knee injury in midweek was ruled out of the clash.
With a maximum of 2,000 Brentford fans allowed in, to watch the game and take in their new surroundings, it was Rovers who won the coin toss and started the game from the kick-off as Tony Mowbray’s men looked to try and continue their fine recent form in order to force themselves into the playoff spots.
Rovers started the brighter side and were a deflection away from taking the lead inside the first 60 seconds of the game. Some good interplay in the final-third by Rovers saw the ball fall to Harvey Elliott whose subsequent shot was blocked only as far as Joe Rothwell who lined-up an attempt but saw his effort blocked behind for a corner, which soon resulted in a Brentford goal-kick.
The fifth minute of the game saw the 2,000 Brentford fans appeal for a penalty after Marcus Forss went down in the penalty area, however referee Oliver Langford was not to be fooled as he soon booked the Finn for his theatrical dive.
Five minutes after Forss’ booking, Barry Douglas soon following the Finn into the referee’s notebook after the Scot dragged down Ivan Toney, on the left-hand side.
After going down in some discomfort with nobody near him, Scott Wharton’s afternoon was soon cut short, as he was stretchered off and replaced by Daniel Ayala on the 16th minute.
Rovers’ quick start and dominant pressure soon paid off on the 19th minute when Joe Rothwell utilised his natural pace and combined it with the finish needed to put Rovers ahead. Some sloppy play by Brentford saw Rothwell pick the ball up around 30-yards out. The midfielder used his acceleration in order to burst past three Brentford players in one dribble before releasing his effort from just inside the penalty area, as he curled the ball inside David Raya’s near-post to put Rovers 1-0 to the good.
Brentford came close to equalising the scoring on the 25th minute via a well-worked set-piece routine. A low corner by Mathias Jensen towards the edge of the area saw Forss peel away from his marker and try a low effort that narrowly veered wide of the right-hand upright.
Two minutes after Forss’ effort, Darragh Lenihan became the second Rovers player to go into the referee’s book after he fouled Brentford’s Spaniard, Sergi Canós.
The bookings didn’t stop there, as the 32nd minute brought the game’s fourth yellow card, as Vitaly Janelt brought down Adam Armstrong on the edge of the Brentford box. The ‘Angel of the North’ dusted himself down to take the set-piece but saw his effort power straight into the wall.
The 36th minute saw Rovers’ afternoon take a turn for the worst as Darragh Lenihan was given his marching orders after the Blues skipper was given a straight red card after pulling down Ivan Toney, who was seconds away from pulling the trigger. The Republic of Ireland international saw Toney edge ahead of him as the forward tried to get on the end of Jensen’s flick, but Lenihan’s nudge on Toney saw referee Langford point to the spot, before sending Lenihan for an early bath. The league’s second top-scorer – behind Armstrong – needed no second invitation to level the scoring and the goalscoring charts as he sent Thomas Kaminski the wrong way, as the former Newcastle United forward slotted the ball into the left-hand side of the goal to equalise at 1-1.
With Rovers down to ten men, Tony Mowbray was forced to make his second change of the game. John Buckley was brought on to play at right-back, with Tom Trybull being the unfortunate casualty.
Although Brentford continued to pile on the pressure, they never managed to create a clear goalscoring opportunity between the goal and the break, as four minutes of added time were called for by the referee ahead of the intermission.
The home manager, Thomas Frank, would have been in mixed emotions following that first 45 minutes of action. The Dane would have been frustrated with how his side had played prior to the penalty, with Brentford looking short of ideas, both going forwards and defensively. Frank would have been quick to lambast his side for their lack of interaction with Rothwell for the goal, as they allowed the midfielder to simply glide through them before having an uncontested attempt at goal. Despite that blemish, Frank would have been pleased with his team’s reaction following the opener, and even more so after Rovers were reduced to 10 men.
Tony Mowbray, on the other hand, would have undoubtedly had a lot of thinking to do throughout the 15-minute break. The gaffer, who had already used two of his five substitutions in two of the three permitted stoppages would have been trying to concoct a plan for the second-half that would leave his side relatively potent at both ends of the field, despite being a man down. Although the boss would have praised his side for their opening 25-minute display, the gaffer would have undoubtedly spent most of the break organising and drilling the players on their jobs for the second period.
Just prior to the second period both sides made changes to their teams during the break. Rovers brought on Amari’i Bell, in-place of Barry Douglas, whilst Brentford threw on Emiliano Marcondes to replace the booked Vitaly Janelt, as Thomas Frank did his best to try and avoid the game being evened up at 10-10, in terms of players.
The second-half was soon started by Brentford, who were hoping to give the 2,000 fans that were present, a winning result during their first trip to their new home.
Referee Oliver Langford continued his barrage of bookings as Joe Rothwell became his latest victim on the 49th minute, after the goalscorer fouled Canós.
Substitute Marcondes soon tried to get involved in the action on the 52nd minute, but his shot from 25-yards dragged wide of the mark.
The 57th minute saw the referee continue getting into the Christmas spirit as he continued to hand out cards, with Bradley Johnson the next recipient, after the midfielder fouled on halfway.
Rovers’ afternoon went from bad to worse by the hour mark, as Brentford’s dominance soon paid off as Sergi Canós put his side ahead with a fantastic finish. The Spaniard picked the ball up down the left-hand side and drove forwards towards John Buckley, who was filling in at right-back. The midfielder used the dummy run of Rico Henry to confuse Buckley and Armstrong, before cutting inside and steadying himself prior to arrowing an effort into the top right-hand corner of the goal to kill the game off at 2-1.
With the game all but over, Tony Mowbray decided to use his final two changes in order to rest Adam Armstrong and Joe Rothwell. The pair were withdrawn and replaced by Tyrhys Dolan and Jacob Davenport.
Rovers had their own penalty appeals on the 66th minute when Sam Gallagher went down under pressure from Mathias Jensen, however luck didn’t fall on Rovers’ side this time around, as referee Langford waved play on.
The 70th minute saw Brentford’s second change of the game as Bryan Mbeumo came on to replace Marcus Forss.
Seven minutes later, Brentford’s third change saw Sergi Canós depart the field and be replaced by Tariqe Fosu-Henry for the final few moments.
The final two changes for Brentford saw Rico Henry and Josh Dasilva withdrawn as Dom Thompson and Saman Ghoddos replaced the pair, as Brentford began to run down the clock.
With the game not seeing a booking for 26 minutes, the referee couldn’t help himself but add to the tally of cards, as Fosu-Henry went in for a late challenge on Buckley.
Whilst all the Rovers fans – and ourselves included – could have been forgiven for thinking that Rovers were going to return to Lancashire with no points, Jacob Davenport had other ideas, as he managed to pop up in the 87th minute with an equaliser that surely would have sent the Rovers fans crazy in their living rooms. Rovers pressure saw Brentford only clear the ball as far as Bradley Johnson who hooked the ball back into the box, via Tyrhys Dolan’s head, with the youngster helping the pass on by flicking it into the path of Davenport. The midfielder was able to stay onside and hold off his man, before flicking the ball over the incoming slide challenge and hammering the ball past David Raya, with his weaker right-foot, to send the Rovers players into raptures with his first goal for Rovers which levelled the game late on at 2-2.
Rovers then began to defend for their lives as five minutes of added time were called for by the referee, as the official continued his role as Rovers’ pantomime villain for the day.
That role didn’t end for Mr. Langford, as his spree of yellow cards had a final addition before the game’s conclusion, as he managed to squeeze in a last booking for Rovers ‘keeper Thomas Kaminski, due to the Belgian wasting time, just prior to the final whistle.
With both sides knackered come the 95th minute, it didn’t take long after Kaminski’s booking for the final whistle to be blown as Rovers managed to snatch a point from the jaws of defeat, courtesy of a fantastic finish via an unlikely source, as the Blues and the Bees played out their second consecutive four-goal draw.
‘Never Say Die’ is the motto we can take from today’s game. Whilst all connected with Rovers thought that Brentford were a shoe-in for the three points come the hour mark, the players did magnificently to overcome the adversity of the sending off and snatch a result that not only keeps the confidence in the building high, but extends the unbeaten run to seven games, ahead of more tough fixtures during this festive period. Whilst Rovers were put through the wringer today, not just due to the overexuberant official, but due to Brentford’s quality, this result and performance once Lenihan had departed, shows that Tony Mowbray’s side are capable of going toe-to-toe in the ring with the best sides in the division; a thought that can be further confirmed in the Blues’ next two games.
After that vital point was secured, Rovers – although stay in 9th place with a positive goal-difference of +12 – are still a victory away from crashing into the top six as they sit on 25 points, with today’s hosts Brentford – who are on 27 points – occupying 6th place.
Rovers’ next three games, sees them continue their jostle with the division’s best teams. Next up for Rovers is a clash against Bristol City at Ashton Gate on Wednesday 9th December at 7:45pm. Dean Holden’s outfit were early pacesetters, and although have fallen off in recent weeks, are still lurking around the playoff spots. After that tie, Rovers are back in Lancashire for a double bill of home games. First up, are the league leaders, Norwich City on Saturday 12th December at 3pm. This game will arguable be the toughest of the three, as although Norwich have only won one of their last three games, Daniel Farke’s side – who currently sit top of the league – is one packed full of young, hungry talent wanting to return to the Premier League at the first-time of asking. Following that tie, Rotherham United and Rovers renew acquaintances at Ewood Park on Wednesday 16th December at 7:45pm. Rovers will no doubt be wanting to exact revenge over the Millers for their previous meeting, whilst Paul Warne’s side will be wanting to continue their seemingly never-ending fight to ease away from the Championship’s drop-zone.
