Bees will ‘give it a shot’ – Frank

Brentford could be promoted to the Premier League next week – and Thomas Frank says they are ready to “give it a shot” in pursuit of the top two.

Ollie Watkins’ early goal gave the Bees a 1-0 victory at home to Preston – their eighth consecutive win.

It closed the gap on second-placed West Brom to one point and on Championship leaders Leeds to three points.

Brentford have a better goal difference than both of them.

They face an away match against Stoke this weekend before taking on Barnsley at home in the final game of the regular season.

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Boss Frank said: “We’re in the play-offs (at least). That’s a fact. So why not give it a go for direct promotion?

“Two games to go and we’re one point off West Brom. We’re on a high.

“The only thing we can do is focus on the next game.

“I’m looking at Stoke and seeing if we can win nine in a row, which would be even more remarkable than eight.

“Give it a shot. But we can only give it a shot if we win on Saturday.”

While the likes of Watkins and Said Benrahma have grabbed the headlines, Brentford’s improved defending has played a huge part in their promotion challenge.

They held out for a clean sheet against Preston, who needed a win to keep a realistic chance of making the play-offs.

“The one single area we’ve improved most is the defensive side of the game and I’m extremely proud,” Frank said.