Brentford Player Ratings – Matchday 37

With every result going Keith Andrews’ way, the Bees somehow ended the weekend still sitting eighth in the league. Manchester City’s FA Cup victory on Saturday ensuring that would be sufficient to qualify for the Europa conference although, of course, Chelsea still have to play their own game 37. That comes on Tuesday night, where victory over Spurs would push Brentford down a position.

Should that happen, the Bees would have nobody but themselves to blame. That wonderful middle period of the season now nothing more than a faded memory. The very real potential of even making the Champions League now, seeing the Bees’ European aspirations hanging on in life support. Just one win in the last nine, seeing Brentford’s turbo boost long since expired, and instead performing their very own Devon Loch tribute act. Yet hanging on, they still are.

The game got off to the worst possible start. Peter Gilham’s exhortations to the crowd had barely subsided when Caoimhín Kelleher was adjudged to have fouled Ismaila Sarr in the box. Referee Sam Barrott said ‘no pen’. VAR suggested otherwise, and the inevitable played out. Sarr’s well-struck spot kick giving the visitors the lead with just minutes on the clock.

Instead of spurring the Bess into life, there was nothing. A much-changed Palace team from the one that went down 3-0 at Manchester City, continuing to push. Kelleher called in to action again. The woodwork twice coming to Brentford’s rescue as they clung on. Keith stood in the technical area with his hands in his pockets, offering no direction or advice. Perhaps he felt it had all been done during the week, and nothing could change the outcome of this one beyond copious amounts of good luck.

Sure enough, it worked. From finding themselves in a position where they should have put this one long to bed, Palace went in all square. Albeit the Bees had a touch of good fortune with how it happened. Yarmo’s ball over headed away from goal by Jaydee Canvot, but only into the face of the lurking Dango Ouatarra. Right place, right time was never better demonstrated. Whilst Dango probably didn’t know too much about the ricochet, he was aware enough to see the ball fly straight back past Canvot and, more importantly, Dean Henderson in nets for the Eagles.

Forty minutes gone, and suddenly the game had gone from being a battering ram of one-way traffic to all square. The ultimate in smash and grabs. As they’d done in that defeat of West Ham (the aforementioned one win from nine), the Bees thankful to the woodwork if not VAR. The Hammers hit the post three times in that game, whilst receiving subsequent confirmation from PGMOL that two VAR calls had incorrectly gone against them. You make your luck. You take your luck.

I’ve seen caravans less static than Keith was on Sunday. Opposite number Oliver Glasner, a whirling dervish of enthusiasm, but as the teams trooped off, the scoreboard said it all. 1-1. The only thing that truly counts. The Bees boss able to walk off all square and knowing he now had the chance to get his team firing.

Alas, it only that had been true. Instead, it was the visitors who continued to turn the screw. The visitors who found the back of the net less than seven minutes into the resumption of play. Adam Wharton firing one home from the edge of the box, under and through the normally unflappable Kelleher.

Whilst the celebration that followed was worthy of gymnastic gold, it has still seemed a soft one to let in. No blame attached to a goalkeeper who has been in stunning form this campaign. Let’s not forget we’ve seen the likes of Álvaro Fernández, Jonas Lössl, and season one Mark Flekken between the sticks. If any of them had been able to play with even a quarter of Kellher’s talent, it would have been a miracle.

So, a frustrating one to concede, but we win and lose as a team. There was still plenty of time to salvage something. Changes were made in personnel, if not approach. The game dwindling into nothingness. The Bees rarely threatening. Palace making the full roster of substitutions to see the game over the line. The situation all the more exasperating given the fact that European rivals Everton and Brighton were both losing.

Then. Then it happened. Then came the moment. With the clock reading 88, Dango was again there to restore hope. Kayode’s long throw (what else?) flicked on by Sepp and Dango again in the right place to guide it home from close in. You see what happens when you play the ball into the box rather than backwards, sideways, and back again? The resulting explosion of noise rousing Keith and the crowd to new heights for an astonishing ten minutes of time added on.

Now things were lively. Now Brentford pushed. Now Palace employed all the dark arts to kill the clock. Every touch from Josh Dasilva greeted with optimism and excitement that comes from a crowd beyond ecstatic to have one of our Championship heroes finally back in the fold after all those months of torment. The thought that he, of all players, might grab the winner too much to consider.

It never came, though. Thiago closest but firing over through a crowded box. This one finishing 2-2, and the other games falling as kindly as Keith could have hoped for. The Bees out of sorts for huge periods. Unable to adjust to what was in front of them, yet still coming away with a draw that keeps the European dream alive. That, perhaps, the most important of takeaways in the short term.

Some would call it ‘never say die’ spirit. Others might ask why it took so long to get going. It doesn’t matter. All the post-match conjecture won’t alter the fact that the Bees took another point. That they are still in the European places, even if it does mean we’ll now be wanting Spurs to win a match. To avoid what would be the hilarious comedy of their own relegation by taking at least a point from Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.

There will be plenty to talk about in the build-up to all of Sunday’s games. Not just the visit to Anfield (a ground where we are yet to even score in the Premier League, let alone pick up a single point), but Brighton v Man U, Everton at Spurs, and of course Sunderland v Chelsea. None of those games easy for anybody, let alone when the pressure bites. Quite literally, anything could happen.

For now, though, let’s look at our own top five and the ongoing search for Player of the Year

Star Player. (Five points). Dango Ouatarra

This is what he’s all about. Two goals, even if he knew more about the second than the first, in a game where he came as close to a hat-trick as anybody will. His early effort over was then bettered by a fine stop from Dean Henderson.

Whilst this was just about the sum total of Brentford’s attacking intent, this is a star player award, and for that, Dango is unchallenged. We said in the preview piece to this game that, “He has had his moments and like season one Jensen/Damsgaard, it looks like there is one hell of a player waiting to burst forth”.

I don’t think anybody would have expected that to happen quite so soon, but well played, that man. Now, to repeat it at Anfield.

Second. (Four points).Yehor Yarmoliuk

Another midfield masterclass from Yarmo. The visitors closed out. The Ukranian looking to generate play. He topped the passing chart and out-tackled everybody else in red and white. Forget the future, his time really is now.

Third. (Three points). Jordan Henderson 

A rejigged line-up saw Vitaly Janelt added in place of Kevin Schade. All it did was overly squeeze Damsgaard, but the changes Brentford were crying out for saw Jordan enter the field of play on the hour alongside Schade for the unusually quiet Jensen.

This brought about a set-up we are more used to taking shape. Jordan dictating the play, and fans wondering what might have been had he been available from the start.

Fourth. (Four points). Michael Kayode

Let’s be honest, it was pretty bang-average for much of the game. Whilst we don’t have five real standouts, I thought Michael did enough to warrant another few points. If nothing else, how crucial could this latest of his much-talked-about ‘ long throws’ prove when the season bottoms out?

Fifth. (One point). Igor Thiago

Worked his socks off as always. As much on the flanks and in defence. Like Ivan Toney before him, the advantage of having a centre-forward who can double up in defence is a card that Brentford can’t put a value on.

All of which means that there is no change in the make-up of the top five. However, Michael Kayode’s season-long consistency means he is now over the line and our game-by-game player of the year. Hard luck for Igor Thiago, whose goals still see him second in the Premier League golden boot race, but few could deny how exciting Kayode has been to watch this season.

• 1st: Michael Kayode 64 points
• 2nd: Igor Thiago 56 points
• 3rd=: Mikkel Damsgaard 49 points
• 3rd=: Mathias Jensen 49 points
• 5th: Caoimhín Kelleher 48 points