Could Brentford strike gold?
Ssh whisper it, but are we on the verge of a late-season Brentford push for the play-offs?
The televised 4-0 win over Carlisle, and a bad February for Stevenage and Bournemouth has suddenly started talk of a bid for glory.
The Bees were superb in the demolition of the Cumbrians – with the Sky Sports cameras beaming live pictures into the homes of their rivals – and could that have given them a psychological edge?
Brentford have 15 games to play and entertain both Sheffield clubs and fast-improving Notts County while facing trips to Bournemouth, MK Dons and Stevenage.
“Uwe Rosler’s first pre-season target of being in the top 10 in March has been achieved, which is a good platform from which to build.”
But the rest of their matches are against mid or lower table sides – giving them, on paper, the chance to be the team that comes out of the pack with a good late run.
However, they will have to produce more performances like Carlisle and less like that at Colchester if they are to succeed.
Brentford’s trip to Essex was their first game of February after the fixture at Preston and home game with Oldham fell victim to the weather.
On Valentine’s Day, and with no love lost towards old boy Martin Rowlands on his U’s debut, the Bees were in control of the game after Niall McGinn drove them ahead following a save from Gary Alexander’s penalty.
But Colchester hit back with two goals in the last few minutes to inflict a rare defeat against a team below Brentford in the table.
The result dropped them down to 10th, but spirits were revived six days later with the hammering of Carlisle and the brilliant home debut of on-loan West Brom striker Saido Berahino.
The 18-year-old scored two quality goals, after replacing the injured Alexander early on, and is at Griffin Park for the rest of the season.
Last Saturday Brentford shared their second goalless draw of the season with Scunthorpe.
It gave them a second consecutive clean sheet but stretched their run of winless games away from home, where they had been so strong earlier in the season, to six since the triumph at Rochdale at the end of November.
So where does all this leave the Bees?
Well manager Uwe Rosler’s first pre-season target of being in the top 10 in March has been achieved, which is a good platform from which to build.
And unlike last season, there has never been any danger of Brentford being dragged into a relegation battle, which is another positive.
There has also been some significant news on the player front in the past month.
Berahino is now one of three Premier League players on loan at the club, with highly-rated Everton midfielder Adam Forshaw joining Toffees team-mate Jake Bidwell at Griffin Park.
Sam Saunders also gave fans a huge boost on Monday when he finally signed his new contract, which could turn into a two-year deal if he makes a certain amount of appearances next season.
The winger has been playing in a number of different midfield roles recently and has always been a first-choice player under Rosler.
Through the out door meanwhile has gone striker Mike Grella – with fans still not really able to form an opinion on him as a player because he never got a run in the side.
The highlight will always be his four goals in the 6-0 Johnstone’s Paint Trophy thrashing of Bournemouth but he spent most of the rest of his five-month spell at the club either on the bench or in the stands.
On Monday he joined League One rivals Bury for the rest of the season and Brentford will be hoping he does not come back to haunt them when the Shakers come visiting in early April.
March promises to be a busy month for Brentford with seven fixtures on the agenda.
They start with three in eight days – Yeovil away on Saturday and then Tuesday and Saturday home games with Exeter and Sheffield United.
A London derby at Leyton Orient follows before a Tuesday night on the seaside at Bournemouth and a visit from Rochdale while the month ends with a second trip of the season to MK Dons.
The play-offs bring back lots of bad memories for many Brentford fans – with six failed campaigns out of six.
But in the year of the London Olympics, wouldn’t it be great if they could cross the final hurdle and strike gold for a change?
Follow me on Twitter at @ianwestbrook
