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Rangers overcame Brentford tonight in a pulsating game that saw the tackles flying in, the ball being pinged around effortlessly and a superb display from former Bee Martin Rowlands. The 1-0 scoreline flattered Brentford though with the R's creating and squandering a number of chances.
With players returning to fitness Holloway would have been delighted to ring the changes following the poor outing at Grimsby on Saturday. Day remained in goal but the defence was able to welcome back Edghill and Padula to join forces with Forbes and Carlisle. Bircham was restored to centre midfield to partner Bean and Rowlands was fit enough to line up on the right wing against his former employers. McLeod was on the left as usual and looking to get quality service to the partnership of Gallen and Thorpe.
The game started at a hell of a pace and Rowlands served notice that he wasn't in the mood to lie down and let this game pass him by. He was released by a great ball from Thorpe in the first minute and fired a shot into the side netting before realising that the linesman had flagged for offside. Brentford soon replied and Yul Brynner look-a-like Eddie Hutchinson dragged a shot wide of Day's right had post after sloppy defending had created the chance.
Rowlands was in the thick of it again after only five minutes when he thumped a header against the post. Kevin McLeod roasted Michael Dobson and swung in a ball that Rowlands met at the back stick. His header had Smith well beaten but the ball struck the bass of the post and the danger was cleared. Rowlands was giving Matt Somner a real going over and all of the flicks and step-overs were on show as he looked to ram the taunts of the embittered Bee's fans down their throats.
The diminutive Jay Tabb forced Day into a sharp save with an overhead kick from no more than eight yards as Brentford looked to assert themselves on the game. That was the nearest the Brentford would come to scoring in the first period as Rangers began to dominate in all areas of the park. Bean and Bircham were hitting their men hard in the middle and Bean's battle with Hutchinson was great to watch as no quarter was asked and none given by these two midfield terriers.
Kevin Gallen went close to grabbing the opener when he lashed a shot wide from twenty-five yards after Thorpe had managed to turn McLeod's pass into his path. The hard running of Macca was a feature of the night and Dobson simply had no answer to it. I don't doubt he will wake up in a cold sweat tonight and all he will see is the number 22 disappearing into the distance yet again! Kevin O'Connor was booked for felling McLeod just yards into the Brentford half and he was made to pay as Rangers took the chance to grab the only goal of the game.
Edghill took the kick and found McLeod at the far post. Once more Dobson was found wanting and Macca headed the ball across the six yard box for Tony Thorpe to pounce. The penalty box predator nipped in to steer past Smith and give Rangers a lead that their superiority warranted. Gallen went close to making it two before the break when Smith had to be on hand to beat his wicked cross/shot away for a corner.
Rangers were certainly the happier team at the break and Wally Downes must have been wondering what he could do to stop his boyhood heroes from punishing his side. His answer was to try and mark Rowlands out of the game at whatever cost and it would be fair to say that some bog standard Crazy Gang tactics were used. This mainly consisted of putting three men on him and kicking lumps out of him both on and off the ball. Steve Hunt got an earful from Rowlands when he raked his Achilles tendon with his studs whilst referee Pearson looked elsewhere. It was a nasty challenge and one that would have brought a red card had the ref, the lino and the fourth official not had their respective heads up their respective arses at the time. Pearson was far too lenient all evening for me and one challenge late in the game from Evans on Ainsworth, wouldn't have looked out of place in Enter the Dragon. How the card was only yellow will remain a mystery.
Hunt was showing though that he can be a good player as well as a dirty little git and Day was on hand to deny him almost as soon as the half had begun. Day was called into action again soon after to turn away an effort from Ben May, currently on loan at Griffin Park from Millwall.
The game was finding itself stretched and the pace of McLeod on the counter attack was still giving the Bee's defence headaches. Twice he found himself in good shooting positions and twice he went for power over placement and only served to send the Bee's fans scattering in all directions to get out of the way. I will say this for Macca though, when he misses one, if you are sitting in the way you will be hoping that the next one goes in!
Carlisle found himself in the book for a clumsy challenge on another loan player, Tommy Wright from Leicester City. Bircham followed him not long after when Pearson was conned by an outrageous dive from Tony Rougier. How this challenge and the one from Evans can carry the same punishment is ridiculous.
Time was now winding down and whilst Brentford pushed on more and more spaces were opening up behind them. Kitamarike and Sonko had hardly looked the most assured pairing in the world and time and again they seemed to panic and hammer the ball into the stands when a cool head may have been able to pick a pass. McLeod was again exploiting this and went close with yet another screamer into the crowd.
Brentford were handed a gilt edged chance to grab a point as the game entered injury time as Pearson gave them a freekick on the edge of the box following Birch's perfectly legal challenge. As the players milled around the ball Sonko stepped forward and, true to form, sent the ball into the stand. Quite what made him think he had the ability to score from there I do not know but I wouldn't have backed him to hit the target once if you let him have ten goes at it.
Moments before the end of the game Hunt picked up the booking his snidey fouling warranted as he clattered into Day, sparking an angry exchange with Gino. It seemed that the card was for persistent fouling which would suggest that the ref was paying some attention but the challenge was late enough and wild enough to the card to have been red.
At the final whistle Rowlands came onto the field to shake hands with every Brentford player, it is a shame that rent a gob Hunt was having none of it and wanted to carry on his petty feud. Maybe he was jealous of the fact that Rowlands has an adoring public that can't be counted on the fingers of one hand. He also managed to carry on his row with Day and get involved with the crowd in a display of maturity that a five year old would be ashamed of.
As I said earlier the scoreline doesn't do justice to either balance of play or the number of chances created. On another day we could have been looking at a real hammering but as it is, I am happy with the 1-0. We are now set up perfectly for the Plymouth game on Saturday where a win will see us take over at the top. The players will be up for it and we can be assured that their attacking edge will be a little more potent than that seen tonight. Should be fun!
simon@qprnet.com
